Night Sky

Gr 9 Up—High school senior Skylar Reid thought she was totally average until Sasha, the little girl she babysits, is brutally kidnapped from the town of Coconut Key, Florida. The investigation takes Skylar and best friend Calvin to the local Sav'A' Buck to refuel on junk food when they are nearly shot to death by a "murderous trophy wife from hell," a woman high on Destiny—a wonder drug made from extraordinary human blood taken from unwilling donors. These characters are Greater-Thans, people with supernatural gifts of telepathy, superhuman strength, incredible speed, or psychic powers. Skylar discovers her true self when she meets Motorcycle Chick Dana and her dreamy partner, Milo, who promise to help her develop her astonishing gifts and use them to find Sasha. The novel's setting is disappointingly underdeveloped, set in a futuristic United States where the police have little funding or motivation in the aftermath of an unnamed war and subsequently unstable government. Some of the banter and humor are forced, such as jokes made at Calvin's expense, although his "Would-you-rather" game with Skylar will elicit chuckles. The holes in this novel fail to make it "Greater-Than" others of its kind, but the characters will stick. Recommended for readers hungering for paranormal action and a fresh heroine.—Jamie-Lee Schombs, Loyola School, New York City