Girl Against the Universe

Gr 8 Up—The past few years have been hard on 16-year-old Maguire. She escaped injury in both the car wreck that killed three of her family members and the roller-coaster accident that injured two of her friends. Nor was she injured when a candle she left lit in her windowsill burned down the neighbor's house. Maguire believes she is a jinx. To cope, she has developed a litany of compulsive behaviors, not the least of which is isolating herself from other people lest she harm them inadvertently. When Maguire gets the opportunity to fly to Ireland to visit her deceased dad's family, she is determined to overcome her fears. Therapy and Jordy, a cute guy she meets at therapy, help her carry out her plan. A fledgling romance with Jordy, crippling emotional issues, a new town and school, and terrifying goals—this is a lot for Maguire (and readers) to manage. Throw in Jordy's reasons for needing therapy, and the story gets a bit dense in places. Still, teens will find in Maguire a compelling heroine. Her obsessive behaviors are depicted in convincing detail—the luck notebook she keeps, the periodic five-second checks she does of her surroundings, the ritualistic behaviors. Maguire's forays into wellness are anything but pat, giving her story additional credibility. The novel is written in first-person present tense, which may be distracting because it simply does not work in scenes such as the roller-coaster ride and the car wreck.