cover image Possession

Possession

Jesse Harris, Parachute Publishing LLC. Random House Books for Young Readers, $1.99 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-679-82265-3

High school student McKenzie Gold's uncannily accurate psychic ability kicks in when best friend Lilicat buys a silk shawl from Vanessa, an exotic stranger. McKenzie's fears of impending doom are soon realized: the garment changes ingenuous Lilicat into a seductress out to get Aidan, McKenzie's boyfriend. After learning that Vanessa died in a fire years ago McKenzie concludes that the woman's spirit uses the shawl as a conduit to Lilicat's body, through which she can wreak vengeance on an unfaithful lover who resembled Aidan. Harris's solidly written narrative and dialogue strengthen a limp premise. His pace, however, lags on occasion, and some expository portions may prove confusing--for instance, whose body is Vanessa using when the friends meet her originally? Still, McKenzie's adroitly rendered, realistic traits--she's temperamental and insecure, yet clever and courageous--make her a heroine worthy of a loyal readership. Ages 10-up. (Apr.)