Weregirl

Gr 7 Up—Nessa is a junior cross-country runner in Tether, MI, a small town devastated by a corrupt pharmaceutical company polluting the water and sickening the children. She needs to win an athletic scholarship in order to attend college, but her running times are not good enough. After being bitten by a wolf during a late-night run, she changes physically, most notably with amazing running speeds. As Nessa breaks track records and struggles with her transformation, tragedy strikes Tether and the mystery of the sinister new clinic comes to light. This paranormal work has a rough, awkward start, often employing cliché; the main characters, who are white, are talented, pretty, and blessed by coincidences. For example, Nessa and her best friend are able to sneak into heavily secure areas and spy on a dangerous company without being spotted. Secondary Native American characters are relied on to explain the supernatural events and magically fix problems rather than to play authentic roles. Parents regularly allow their children with autism to go for checkups at a clinic in town. The kids are alone with the medical staff, whom the parents never meet, and the parents have no information about the treatment their children undergo. It's difficult to ascertain whether this is a medical thriller, a teen supernatural story, or a cautionary tale about powerful drug companies and corporate greed.