Powers - Softcover

Deborah Lynn Jacobs is a transplanted Canadian, now a Wisconsin resident. Debbie admits to having many previous careers: college counselor, college instructor, life-skills coach, newspaper and magazine freelancer. Since her children are now in college, she lives with her husband and a 100-pound Doberman. When she’s not writing, Debbie can be found in her perennial garden or paddling down a river somewhere in the wilderness. This is her first novel for older teens. Roaring Brook published Choices in Fall 2007.

Gr. 7-10. Gwen has been having dreams. An attractive boy, full of swagger and menace, is coming to her high school, and when Adrian shows up there is no doubt about the surge of power between them. Suddenly, Adrian is able to read people's minds, and Gwen uses her prescience to further her career as a photographer at a local newspaper. But neither of them really knows what to do with their power, and they try to manipulate each other for their own devices. Told in alternating voices, this novel has a great premise, and it starts strong, with chunky Gwen both attracted and repelled by Adrian, who is overwhelmed with new sensations and feelings. But things become muddled by too much repetition, strung-out plotlines, and slim justifications for the duo's machinations. What will keep readers going are Gwen and, particularly, compelling Adrian. The couple are worth rooting for despite the clunky way in which their story plays out. Ilene Cooper
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