Henni

Gr 7 Up—Henni is an adolescent girl with catlike ears and a tail, just like everyone else in her small, isolated village. Her father's disappearance is the first of many disturbing instances that has Henni questioning the religious rules that govern the lives of her and those in her community. When the teen sees village priests taking bribes, she immediately begins wondering if all the rules are meant to be broken. Her inquisitive and daring nature gets her exiled and she starts her journey of self-discovery. Henni then runs into citizens from another village, but their religion might be worse than what she just narrowly escaped. Her search for truth leads to some very unexpected, and sometimes uncomfortable, places. This tale is dark, which is reflected in the artwork; very little color is used. Most illustrations are completely black and white with shades blue. The story line is ultimately uplifting with a solid message exulting the pursuit of truth in spite of religious dogma. But it is also heavy-handed, with a preachy undertone. Henni is undoubtedly a courageous female protagonist, but she isn't an engaging or compelling one. Given the cliff-hanger ending there will likely be more to follow in this series. Hopefully, the subsequent entries will give readers more to sink their teeth into. Still, some teens will be intrigued by Henni and her predicaments.