Safe House (1-800-Where-R-You Series) FROM THE PUBLISHER
It wasn't her fault. Sixteen-year-old Jessica Mastriani was on vacation when classmate Amber Mackey went missing. How could Jess -- even with her newly acquired psychic ability to find anyone, anywhere -- have stopped the varsity cheerleader from turning up dead, without having known she was missing in the first place?
But ignorance is apparently no excuse. Most of the student population at Ernest Pyle High School seem to blame Jess for Amber's brutal slaying. Jess has never been particularly popular, but she'd been hoping to start her junior year off right -- slumber parties instead of fist fights, and invitations to prom instead of detention.
But when yet another cheerleader disappears, Jess is given a chance to redeem herself. If she can just find Heather Montrose -- without letting the Feds know she still has her psychic powers -- before Heather, too, is murdered, maybe Jess will finally have a chance to be part of the in-crowd....
Except that it's starting to look like being In at Ernie Pyle High just might get you -- not to mention your loved ones -- killed. So much for popularity.
FROM THE CRITICS
KLIATT - Rebecca Rabinowitz
This third entry in the series finds 16-year-old Jessica dragged into solving a mystery in her small town. One cheerleader has been murdered, another brutally attacked. The authorities are at a loss, but Jessica has ESPﾽa very specific kind that allows her to locate missing people. She doesn't like to use it because the ensuing publicity upsets her mentally ill brother; however, despite her insistence that her powers have disappeared, everyone from peers to lurking FBI agents knows that Jess can help. When a third teenage girl disappears, Jess overcomes her reluctance and plunges into action. The book ends with all immediate danger averted but with a pointer towards a future book where Jessica will again be pressured by the FBI to use her psychic powers. Peppered with television references, clothing brands, and an overuse of "like" and "you know," this book tries too hard to be teenage. Characterization is overshadowed by the forced vernacular style and by economically privileged assumptions within the narrative voice. Safe House will be most enjoyable to readers looking specifically for this genre of easy-to-read murder mystery with light romance. (1-800-Where-R-You, #3). KLIATT Codes: JSﾽRecommended for junior and senior high school students. 2002, Simon & Schuster, Simon Pulse, 262p.,
School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up-Jessica Mastriani, 16, has been having psychic visions ever since she was struck by lightning, earning her the nickname Lightning Girl at school. When a cheerleader disappears and is found dead, Jessica reluctantly uses her psychic abilities to catch the culprits. This third addition to a series by the author (aka Meg Cabot) of The Princess Diaries (HarperCollins, 2000) will be popular with teen girls. The author accurately captures the voice of the narrator, a girl just beyond the boundaries of the popular crowd. The blend of romance and suspense adds to the appeal, as does the protagonist's take-charge attitude in solving the crime. With so many series out there, librarians may want to purchase one or two of the volumes to see how they will be received.-Michele Capozzella, Chappaqua Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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