Phantom Thief Jeanne

Gr 7 Up—Maron Kusakabe's secret identity is Phantom Thief Jeanne; she is the modern reincarnation of Joan of Arc, and her job is to find paintings that have been possessed by demons. The teen then extracts the evil from the paintings in order to help God and fight Satan. The problem is that to everyone else, it appears that she is just a criminal who steals paintings. Maron's real-life crises and conflicts bleed over into her secret identity—her best friend is the daughter of the policeman who is trying to capture Jeanne, and the handsome new boy in town has a secret identity of his own. Tanemura's artwork is filled with fun details, like how Jeanne's perpetually flowing hair points up over her head like a pair of cat ears. And the panels are broken up in different ways, reflecting the humor and energy of the story with extreme close-ups and hilarious reactions. Readers looking for a book about magic, secret identities, and romantic tension will enjoy this book. A cute and lighthearted story, even if it is about invoking the power of God to fight demons.—Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library