Sublime

Gr 9 Up—When she wakes up, covered with dust and no memory of her name, her past, or how she came to be on the cold grounds of an isolated boarding school, a ghostly girl knows that something is odd about her. After wandering into the school's dining hall, she locks eyes with the lanky and handsome Colin, and she knows that she came for him. Colin, too, is drawn to the mysterious girl and notices that other classmates do not seem to see her, not to mention her oddly pale skin and gray eyes. Ghostly girl, whose name we learn is Lucy, and Colin become entwined in the mystery of Lucy's tragic past and her oddly ethereal present. Once Colin discovers that only during near-death experiences can he really touch Lucy, he begins a dangerous round of nearly suicidal stunts that allow the two of them to really feel each other's skin. Authors Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings (writing under a combined pseudonym) pull readers forward as they try to solve the mystery of Lucy's current and past existence. Excellent descriptions of the lonely Idaho boarding school, a lake in the wilderness, and intoxicating idylls on obsession carry teens through most of the narrative. However, the conclusion feels hastily contrived and ill-defined, which will leave readers more dissatisfied than sated.—Denise Schmidt, San Francisco Public Library