When Life Gives You Demons

Gr 8 Up—It isn't easy being a teen exorcist-in-training. For one thing, you have to keep your identity a secret; not even Shelby's best friend knows about her training. She definitely does not want her crush/geometry tutor, Spencer, learning about that part of her life, but it's hard to keep it under wraps when demon-possessed people can show up when you least expect them. Shelby, however, is not the only one keeping secrets. Uncle Roy has not been honest about where Shelby's mother went when she left suddenly several months back, and Spencer may know more about the demon world than Shelby thinks. Readers looking for a paranormal story that doesn't take itself too seriously may get caught up in Shelby's concerns, which range from real-world (obsessing about Spencer, worrying about Uncle Roy's health, trying not to fail geometry) to demon-world (memorizing the proper pronunciation of Latin incantations and finding out what happened to her mother). Despite the dark topic, the tone is light and Shelby's first-person narration is comical.