Blaze: Or Love in the Time of Supervillians

Gr 9 Up—Blaze is a comic book fan and draws them herself. She's a "soccer mom" for her younger brother, driving him and his friends to soccer practice, where she crushes on Mark, the boys' coach, and he is starting to show signs of interest. Blaze and her friends try on sexy lingerie at the mall, and a friend takes a picture of Blaze and texts it to Mark. He gets the wrong idea about her and takes her out. She loses her virginity to him on their first date, and then he never calls her again. Blaze gets her revenge by making Mark the Shark a lead player in a comic book. But when he posts the picture of Blaze, things go horribly wrong and she becomes a pariah at her school. Crompton offers an interesting perspective on how a rumor can affect its victim. Blaze is a likable character, and the snarky dialogue will hold readers' interest.—Melissa Stock, Arapahoe Library District, Englewood, CO