Smith, Ronald L. Hoodoo.

Smith, Ronald L.  Hoodoo.  Houghton Mifflin/Clarion  2015  208p  $16.99  ISBN 978-0-544-44525-3  ms   Supernatural  E-BN     

In Ronald Smith’s character Hoodoo, the author has created a masterpiece.  Readers take the journey with this young African-American, a journey into the world of conjuring, spells, evil and the afterworld.  What is amazing is that this world is so aptly described and believable that the reader will close the book at the end and breathe a sigh of relief for poor Hoodoo, believing as he does that his powers are real.  Hoodoo has some rather charming character traits, not the least of which is the way he looks at life and the way he speaks right to his readers, often explaining the meanings of words, finishing with “if you didn’t know.”  To begin with, young Hoodoo lives with Mama Frances.  His daddy has passed.  In the first chapter, he meets the Stranger, a spirit man who is looking for him, but for what reason, Hoodoo does not know.  Hoodoo begins to feel creepy, often dreaming about the Stranger and also having visions that he cannot comprehend.  His best friend Bunny is with him when his challenge is revealed by Mrs. Snuff, the carnival’s fortune teller.  She warns Hoodoo  of the darkness that follows him, advising him to help his family, whose fate he holds in his hands.  The plot thickens when the town’s cemetery is broken into.  Someone has chopped off the hands of the dead.   Much of the rising action involves Hoodoo’s search for answers, the realization that he has conjuring powers that he must learn to harness, and the revelation of the real story behind the death of his father.  From that point on, the pace is quick, the action is intense, and the confrontation, satisfying for young readers.  This does not feel like a debut novel; rather, it reflects all of the solid writing skills of a more experienced author.  It is unique, and that is not easy to find these days with the glut of books about dystopian societies, teen angst or abused children.      

Summary: Hoodoo must figure out why the Stranger is trying to find him, how to protect his family from him, and how to use the conjuring powers which his family suspects he possesses before it is too late.       

Occult-Fiction                                        --Martha Squaresky

Elliott, Jenny. Save Me.

Elliott, Jenny.  Save Me.  Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends  2015  312p  $9.99  ISBN 978-1-250-06147-8        jr/sr  Conflict  E-BN

          

This is a great read for teenagers who enjoy a mystery and have an interest in the occult.  It is a fast-paced read that will keep readers alternately cringing and hoping for a romance to blossom between Caro and David (her English student teacher).  At the same time Caro’s best friend Rachel finds a friend in a classmate, but their friendship leads to trouble.  Amber, David’s ex-girlfriend, draws Rachel and her boyfriend into the occult as well as casting a spell on Caro.  It is the struggle between good and evil that is playing out in the story as a new roadblock presents itself on each page.  Rachel’s new friend, Garren, seems almost too good to be true as he helps everyone extricate themselves from various spells and provides an Archbishop for an exorcism.

Summary: Something mysterious is happening in the coastal town of Liberty, Oregon.  Cara has an unprecedented encounter with a whale, falls in love, and is bespelled by a witch. A new friend, who is possibly too good to be true, helps her survive her senior year.       

Occult-Fiction                                                    --Linda McNeil

Winters, Cat. In The Shadows of Blackbirds.

Winters, Cat.  In The Shadows of Blackbirds.    Amulet see Abrams, Harry      2013  387p  ISBN 978-1-4197-0530-4    jr/sr  VG-BN Historical fiction

In 1918 San Diego, the Spanish flu and World War I have left no one unscathed.  Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners flock to sceances and spirit photographers for comfort.  Despite her scientific leanings, she must consider if ghosts are real when her first love, killed in battle, returns.

Viewers of Downton Abbey will be thrilled by this historical piece, which describes the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 through the eyes of sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black.  Author Cat Winters has devoted a great deal of attention to the historical facts of the era, creating a wholly believable set of characters cast against a backdrop of pervasive fear.  This novel deals with fear on many levels, but at its heart it is about the fear of the unknown.  Mary Shelley is afraid of what will happen to her father, who has been imprisoned as a political dissident, necessitating her relocation to her Aunt Eva's house in San Diego. She is afraid of the nightmares she has about her sweetheart, presumed dead in battle overseas.  She is afraid of the growing influence of a spirit photographer over her grief-stricken aunt and the conspiracy she is certain he is involved in.  Throughout the novel, readers are drawn into Mary Shelley's narration as she investigates her suspicions regarding the nefarious activities of her lost love's brother, the spirit photographer who has charmed and bamboozled her aunt and countless others.  The Spanish flu and Mary Shelley's investigations both reach a fever pitch and come to an ending that is as surprising as it is fitting, piecing together the clues that have been provided throughout the book in a resolution that will surely ssatisfy readers.  The characters are sometimes two-dimensional, but given that the narrator is a teenage girl, it is not ridiculous to suppose that the protagonist only sees people as two-dimensional "extras" in her life, and would depict them as such. The climactic scene reads like a fever dream, exactly as it ought to do, but it is Mary Shelley's nightmares that will really stay with readers long after they have put the book down.  One of the few books written about this time period for a primarily female audience that does not deal with the war directly, this is a fantastic book for any library to own, and well worth the cover price.  Just make sure not to call it “steampunk”, because it is not that.

Summary: In 1918 San Diego, the Spanish flu and World War I have left no one unscathed.  Sixteen-year-old Mary Shelley Black watches desperate mourners flock to sceances and spirit photographers for comfort.  Despite her scientific leanings, she must consider if ghosts are real when her first love, killed in battle, returns.

California, 1918-Fiction, Occult-Fiction              --Bethany Geleskie