Perception: A Clarity Novel

Harrington, Kim   Perception: A Clarity Novel    

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts  2012  275p  $16.99  978-0-545-23053-7  VG   ms/hs       Mystery/Detective

Clare is a loner at school because of her psychic ability.  In this, the second book in the Clarity series, Clare once again must use her this ability to determine what happened to a high-school girl who has recently disappeared.  Readers unfamiliar with the series will be put off by all the references to the first book.  Many characters populate this novel, some of whom appeared in the first book as well, and some who are new.  The popular Barbie brigade befriends Clare even though Clare has nothing in common with them.  Clare in her turn befriends a female loner, much to the disappointment of the Barbie brigade.  Typical high-school friendships, with friends turning on friends, propel much of the action.  Adding romantic interest are two boys who want Clare to be their homecoming date.  When Clare becomes aware that someone is following her, photographing her, and leaving the photos for her to find, along with notes and flowers, she becomes apprehensive and seeks to determine who the secret admirer is before something terrible happens.  Should she trust her new friend Mallory?  Which boy should she give her heart to?  Who is the mysterious stalker?  

Oh, the drama! This is a beach read of a mystery tinged with psychic powers that will entertain readers, but not leave a lasting impression on most.

VG    Lois McNicol      Psychic ability, High school stories, Romance, 

Friendship

Nadol, Jen. The Mark.

Nadol, Jen. The Mark.
Bloomsbury see St. Martins 2010 228p 16.99 978-1-59990-431-3 hs Cassandra can tell when someone’s going to die that day. Should she let them know? If this were a movie, the tag line would be “If you knew today is someone’s last, should you tell them?” Cassandra Renfield, 16, has the dubious “gift” of recognizing people who will die that day. Orphaned at 2, and living with her grandmother “Nan,” Cassie sees a “glow” around people who are about to die. When Nan dies, she’s sent to live for 90 days with her unknown aunt Andrea in Kansas, where her parents lived. There she audits a college philosophy class and it causes her to examine her responsibility to people she sees “marked.” There’s an affair with the philosophy teaching assistant and some far-fetched investigating into her mother’s old psych records. Summer ends and the reader’s left with Cassie’s philosophical dilemma. Good writing and interest in the paranormal will make this popular. Supernatural Gooden, Sue