Synopsis
Conventional wisdom says that any teenager would be thrilled to suddenly have psychic abilities. They could figure out of if that person they have a crush on returns the feeling, or find out what their friends really think of them. But would it really be good to know what other people are thinking, or planning? In this challenging novel, 15-year-old Jade survives a life-threatening illness she feels strangely different — she can read minds. At first she welcomes her unexpected powers, but soon her life takes another surprising turn. What she knows — and inadvertently tells — about her friends’ most personal thoughts and feelings isn’t exactly improving her social life. In fact, many of her friends are beginning to avoid her now that she’s a freak. The fascination of being different in this way soon turns to desperation: Jade would do anything to be normal again. And what if something is about to happen, something terrible, and she alone knows it? Can she really do nothing to stop it? The Freak resonates with the reality of a teenage girl trying to navigate her world as it spins out of control.
Children's Literature
After surviving a life-threatening bout of meningitis, Jade wakes up with psychic powers. She now has the ability to hear what others around her are thinking, and she even has dreams that come true. At first, Jade thinks she is going crazy and takes the drugs prescribed by a psychiatrist to stop her visions. However, after talking to her grandmother and finding out that psychic ability runs in her family, Jade begins to realize that what she first believed was a curse might actually be a gift. When skinheads start threatening and hurting members of her community, Jade realizes she can use her powers to stop them. Then, Jade has a dream about a tragedy that will touch her own family: a bomb at the synagogue they attend. This book would make an interesting entree into the subject of the Holocaust and hate crimes for students who are reluctant readers or who do not like to read "history." The slim 100 page volume has a science fiction feel while delving into deeper social issues. This is the first book in "The Freak Trilogy." Reviewer: Caroline B. Hopenwasser