Delacorte Press, 2007, 320 pp.,
$15.99, www.randomhouse.com/teens
This teen lit novel starts sassy and
fun, loaded with humor and quippy repartee. But it takes a turn for the
uncomfortable when a demon is summoned to terrorize the school bullies. Maggie and her friends try their hand at
ghostbusting, but the casual interactions with the heinous spirit should leave
any Christian disturbed. The discomfort peaks when Maggie asks her “expert”
friend if they should employ the use of crosses or Holy water to subdue the
spirit, and he answers, “Azmael predates Christ. I don’t think either of those
would affect him.”
Readers would suffer no shortage of
discussion topics if read to stimulate conversation regarding current
attitudes about spirituality and faith. But use caution. The undermining
ideology is insidious.
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Review by: Cheri
R. Gillard, freelance writer in Colorado Springs,
Colorado.