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Overview
Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with her friend Delia applying a temporary tattoo to her lower back. Never one to suffer fashion doubt, trendsetter Delia knows exactly where she wants her own tattoo: on her stomach, right where her shirt ends—can you say "midriff"? Annabelle, the quiet one, chooses the back of her neck, and tomboy Zo plasters hers on the top of her foot. The tattoos will last for three days, and Delia's sure that with them, the four friends will absolutely kill at the school dance.
Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind, and Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are in for the battle of their lives. Along with her tattoo, each girl receives a gift—a supernatural power to help them in their fight. As Bailey's increasingly frightening dreams reveal the nature of their enemy, it becomes clear to the girls that it's up to them to save the world. And if they can get Delia to stop using her newfound power to turn gum wrappers into Prada pumps, they might actually stand a chance.
Synopsis
Bailey Morgan isn't the type of girl who shows a lot of skin, but somehow, she ends up in a dressing room at the mall with her friend Delia applying a temporary tattoo to her lower back. Never one to suffer fashion doubt, trendsetter Delia knows exactly where she wants her own tattoo: on her stomach, right where her shirt ends—can you say "midriff"? Annabelle, the quiet one, chooses the back of her neck, and tomboy Zo plasters hers on the top of her foot. The tattoos will last for three days, and Delia's sure that with them, the four friends will absolutely kill at the school dance.
Unfortunately, killing is just what someone has in mind, and Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are in for the battle of their lives. Along with her tattoo, each girl receives a gift—a supernatural power to help them in their fight. As Bailey's increasingly frightening dreams reveal the nature of their enemy, it becomes clear to the girls that it's up to them to save the world. And if they can get Delia to stop using her newfound power to turn gum wrappers into Prada pumps, they might actually stand a chance.
Publishers Weekly
Barnes's (Golden) book about four friends who get special powers from their temporary tattoos has some fun moments, despite the far-out premise. Even 15-year-old narrator Bailey acknowledges the surreal situation when she considers explaining what's going on to her mother: "An evil fairy princess who doubles as one of the three Fates is sucking out the souls of innocent people, and my friends and I have been imbued with the powers to stop her, but we only have the powers for like another twelve hours." But readers learn enough about the protagonist to believe that she could be a descendent of the powerful Sidhe, and the girls cleverly put to use their powers (Annabelle can control minds, Zo can see the future and Bailey can start fires). The book's best moments may come from ditzy Delia, with the power of transmogrification, who turns a hotel door lock into butterscotch pudding, plus gives the girls Rollerblades when they're on the chase, including a fashionable pair for herself that look like high heels. Delia also delivers the book's best line when facing off against evil Alecca: "You think you're bad?... I'm on the cheerleading squad; I know what realevil looks like." In the end, readers will get a few good laughs from these sassy heroines. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Barnes's (Golden) book about four friends who get special powers from their temporary tattoos has some fun moments, despite the far-out premise. Even 15-year-old narrator Bailey acknowledges the surreal situation when she considers explaining what's going on to her mother: "An evil fairy princess who doubles as one of the three Fates is sucking out the souls of innocent people, and my friends and I have been imbued with the powers to stop her, but we only have the powers for like another twelve hours." But readers learn enough about the protagonist to believe that she could be a descendent of the powerful Sidhe, and the girls cleverly put to use their powers (Annabelle can control minds, Zo can see the future and Bailey can start fires). The book's best moments may come from ditzy Delia, with the power of transmogrification, who turns a hotel door lock into butterscotch pudding, plus gives the girls Rollerblades when they're on the chase, including a fashionable pair for herself that look like high heels. Delia also delivers the book's best line when facing off against evil Alecca: "You think you're bad?... I'm on the cheerleading squad; I know what realevil looks like." In the end, readers will get a few good laughs from these sassy heroines. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)
Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.KLIATT -
Like Barnes's Golden, Tattoo is about seemingly normal teenagers who are part of "regular" teenage life. Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo are close friends who get temporary tattoos as part of their preparation for the upcoming school dance. Soon they possess extraordinary powers—and they are drawn into a battle that may destroy them and the world as they know it. Ancient beings converse in Bailey's head and they are arguing among themselves (like Greek gods in mythology), seeking to increase their own powers by stealing energy from human beings. The plot is complicated; the girls seem authentic. It's a bit strange shifting from mythic language to mall speak, but I don't think YA readers will have a problem with that. Barnes is a recent graduate of Yale and her smart contributions to YA literature are most welcome.Children's Literature -
Four best friends at a mall: Bailey, Delia, Annabelle, and Zo. Shopping, primarily, for outfits to wear to the upcoming school dance, they stop at an odd little kiosk where each girl selects something unique. Delia gets a black metal choker, Annabelle a dark silver barrette, Zo a puple crystal, and Bailey a set of temporary tattoos. Soon, the girls are in a dressing room, applying the strange emblems to their skin. Very quickly, Bailey realizes these are not ordinary tattoos. She is hearing voices. She is blacking out. And did she really just start that fire? Before too long, each of the girls recognizes a special ability. Their abilities seem to have a purpose, but what is it? Bailey seems to be the key, and she does not like what she is realizing. Someone has death in mind. Someone wants them dead; someone wants to annihilate the planet. They have just three days to figure out what's going on and stop it—or it will not matter that their tattoos are temporary, because no one will be around to see them. Jennifer Lynn Barnes' novel is a quickly-paced blend of Heroes and Cosmopolitan. Readers will enjoy the quick repartee between these devoted friends and are sure to appreciate some clever twists at the story's end.VOYA -
In yet another tale of four teenaged girls, Bailey, Zo, Annabelle, and Delia spend their time shopping at the mall, flirting with boys, and not much else. When the girls buy a set of temporary tattoos, however, something mysterious happens when they place them on their bodies. Bailey gets the gift of fire, Annabelle can suddenly read and control minds, Delia can change objects into anything she wants, and Zo has premonition. The supernatural powers are temporary, and the girls have three days to battle Alecca, the evil fairy princess who wants to destroy humans for no reason and completely kill everyone at the school dance on Monday. Because of her ancient bloodline of the Sidhe, Bailey discovers that she is descended from the Three Fates, and after Alecca is destroyed, Bailey retains her tattoo and absorbs Alecca's mystical powers. The cover will sell this book-a lifted shirt showing the title of the book tattooed on a young lady's lower back. This reviewer is unimpressed with the characterization, plot, and the stale dialogue however. The characters are difficult to know and like. There were several situations in the novel that did not integrate into the plot. This book, however, will satisfy the needs of fans of girl-power fantasies.School Library Journal
Gr 6 Up
Teenaged Bailey Morgan and her three best friends impulsively buy swirly shaped temporary tattoos to complement their outfits for the upcoming school dance. Suddenly, Bailey hears voices that say, "She comes. To fight, to live, she comes." Soon the girls discover that the tattoos have given them supernatural gifts: Bailey can start fires with her thoughts, Annabelle can read minds, Delia has the power to transmogrify objects, and Zo has premonitions. Bailey's dreams reveal that the voices in her head are from two ancient fairy warriors who are variations of the mythological Fates who control the thread of life of mortals and immortals. Adea and her sister Alecca both fell in love with Valgius, and when he rejected her for Adea, Alecca vowed to destroy the couple. She then began to gain power from young humans by giving them a vision of their secret desires, wrapping a web around them, and then pulling the life from their bodies. Zo's premonitions show that Alecca is planning to kill many students at the dance. Bailey discovers that she's one of a long line of humans who have been chosen to maintain the balance between both worlds. This chick-lit fantasy, similar to though not as dark as Neal Shusterman's fairy-tale retellings, is a fast-paced, fun read for Buffy and Charmed fans.
—Sharon RawlinsCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.