The She

It only took one little tab of LSD to open the mental door 17-year-old Evan Barrett slammed shut the night his parents disappeared beneath the ocean eight years ago. As he unknowingly ingested the drug put into his drink as a prank, the whole horrible evening unfolded again: the violent storm, the frantic mayday from his parents that came through on the family’s ship-to-shore radio, the hopelessness of knowing that there was nothing he or his older brother Emmett could do. Now that the demons of his past have been re-awakened, Evan must confront his fear by discovering once and for all what really happened to his parents. Was it a botched attempt to fake their deaths due to an imminent drug-smuggling investigation by the DEA, as pragmatic Emmett believes? Or something more other-worldly? Ever since he was little, Evan has heard stories about a shrieking, ship-eating sea hag who lies in wait for victims off the Jersey shore. Called Ella Diablo Agujero by the locals, Evan simply knows her as The She. Could her scream have been the last thing his parents ever heard? Evan is determined to find out, come hell, high water, or both. While Carol Plum-Ucci’s writing style is often overly verbose and dialogue-heavy, adolescents nevertheless continue to be drawn to her complex mysteries that, like The She, blend real life with the supernatural. This thought-provoking page turner will leave teens questioning the meaning of intuition, the definition of truth, and the often slim line between superstition and faith. (Ages 14 and older) --Jennifer Hubert