Mary Jane

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-This retelling of the Spider-Man story from love-interest Mary Jane's point of view makes for a compelling read. The superhero elements are tangential to the teen's personal problems-her absent father, self-centered mother, financial woes, and struggle with anorexia. The novel begins with Mary Jane and Peter Parker as nine-year-olds working on a science project together. Peter may be nerdy, but Mary Jane warms to him and his loving parents, so different from her own. When her drunken father smashes their project, humiliates her in front of her classmates, and then disappears for good, Mary Jane and her mother are forced to move out of Manhattan. Six years later, she ends up at the same Queens public high school as Peter, who now lives with his aunt and uncle after losing his parents to a plane crash. The rest of the story centers on Mary Jane's family woes and the stresses of starting a new school, while Peter's transformation after his spider bite and an evil plan engineered by classmate Harry Osborn's father are more peripheral. Her crush on Peter intensifies, but his newfound athletic prowess makes the rest of the girls at their school pursue him, too. Pencil drawings of characters and scenes are a good addition to the story. Serious superhero fans may wish for a little more action, but for romance, teen angst, and a touch of fantasy, this Spider-Man spin-off can't be beat.-Miranda Doyle, San Francisco Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.