Johnson's (13 Little Blue Envelopes
) offbeat book mixes humor and drama, with uneven results. When her best friend, Allison, trades her soul for beauty and confidence, brilliant, feisty Jane must confront the demon to get it back. Jane even puts her own soul on the line by making a bet. At first Jane, who narrates, thinks new transfer student Lanalee is just toying with her misfit friend, but after Jane makes her own contract with the teen demon (she has to get her ex-boyfriend to kiss her before midnight on Halloween) the heroine discovers what a real risk she's taken. She must call upon her friends, as well as the "demon hunter," Brother Frank, from her school's faculty and her own strength to beat Lanalee and save her soul. There are memorable moments throughout the book, such as Jane's "official contract with a representative of the Satanic High Command" appearing written in flames in her textbook, and Brother Frank telling her, "Many large corporations are actually modeled on hell... The policies and organization are almost identical." A strange cast of characters including the sugar-obsessed Lanalee and an earnest 14-year-old boy who died over 100 years ago will keep readers putting the pieces together until the Halloween night showdown. Unfortunately, this final conflict feels anti-climatic, failing to utilize Jane's cunning. The ending zaps much of the energy from an otherwise creative, engaging book. Ages 14-up. (Sept.)
