Possessing Jessie »

Two-time Edgar Award winner Nancy Springer has written a chilling psychological thriller about a teenage girl possessed by her dead brother.

Quiet, cautious Jessie had always lived in the shadow of her dynamic younger brother-her mother's clear favorite. His recent death in an automobile accident stuns all who knew him and leaves Jessie and her mother numb with grief. That is, until the morning Jessie cuts her hair and dresses in Jason's clothes, swaggering out of the house in an uncanny imitation of her brother. Her mother is visibly cheered, and for once, Jessie is the center of attention at school. But each day Jason takes over Jessie more and more. Can she escape his power? Fast-paced, accessible, and truly creepy, this novel will have readers on the edge of their seats.

VOYA

Jason is dead—that is a fact. His mother has become unresponsive since the accident, not eating, not speaking, and completely ignoring Jessie, Jason's sister, now left behind. So Jessie becomes Jason. At first, it feels strange, wearing his clothes and walking his cool walk. Kids think she is sick. But her mother is delighted to have her beloved son return. Jessie's best friend, Alisha, suspects that Jessie's act is all part of her grief experience and tries to help by tracking down Jessie's missing father. But Alisha is racing against the clock, because very gradually, bit by bit, Jessie really is becoming Jason. This awesomely twisted plot will engage even the most reluctant of readers with its quick pacing and serious creepiness. Character development is scant but hardly necessary. And although some of the condensed plot developments are incredible, Springer masterfully controls the growing suspense. She allows the reader to entertain a variety of possible outcomes, only to pull out an ending that is perfectly unexpected. Springer is well known for her Rowan Hood and Enola Holmes books, but she has also turned out other gripping short novels such as Blood Trail (Holiday House, 2003/VOYA August 2003) and, more recently, Somebody (2009/VOYA April 2009). Recommend her books to readers who are looking for an excursion into light horror or who are fans of short, dramatic fiction such as the Bluford High series. Reviewer: Diane Colson