Unlocked

Gr 9 Up—A trip with friends to an Idaho state fair places Hannah O'Leary in the hot seat during a hypnotist's act and later puts her in the hospital following a car accident in which her friend is killed. That night, Hannah is the sole witness to a strange mist and insects overrunning her steering wheel. Are these hallucinations? Or is something sinister and supernatural to blame? Plagued by unexplained events, worried she'll be diagnosed schizophrenic like her father, and vilified at school, Hannah falls in with endearing classmate (and potential love interest) Eugene "Plug." Along with his art class crew, Plug tries to help the protagonist slowly piece together the true cause of her hallucinations before she loses more than her mind. Kelly's premise of mixing hypnotism and the occult is promising. Unfortunately, the malevolent spirit aspect doesn't gel and seems unnecessary and tacked on. The psychological elements and mystery bring the real tension. The book's final third barrels to a dramatic finale. Characters can be clichéd but, in some cases, likable regardless. Hannah fluctuates between sympathetic and exasperating. The work contains violence, sexual situations, and an allusion to molestation.