Fade to Blue by Sean Beaudoin. (Grades 9+)Full disclosure: review copy provided by publisher.
Sophie Blue. Goth chick who dreams about a cute guy she could never get and has to sit in therapy sessions talking about her father who disappeared.
Kenny Fade. High school basketball star and popular guy with a girlfriend who can't keep her hands off him.
Sophie and Kenny. Two high schoolers who couldn't be more different... except for the fact that they're both pretty sure they're going insane.
Weird things keep happening, like insane ice cream trucks arriving out of nowhere and little voices telling them to "go to the lab" and the weird aching wounds on the inside of both their elbows. Something's going on... or is it all inside their heads?
Dude. This book was a trip. I was glad I took notes while I was reading because by the time I got to the end, everything had twisted around so many times that I couldn't even remember where it started. I opened it, intending just to start it, and found myself reading until I was done. My mind is still kind of blown. It was totally weird and confusing, but not in the bad way. In the good way that made me want to keep reading to figure it all out.
Nothing is as it appears. And by the end of the book, you may be questioning everything in your world, too.
Fade to Blue has a seriously creepy vibe and a lot of dark comedy. It really reminded me of The Matrix and maybe a little Stepford Wives. Short chapters, nonstop action and plot twists, and the inclusion of some different media (comic book, letters, newspaper articles) all up the teen appeal.
Wanna win a signed copy? You know you do. Donna's giving one away over at Bites (ends August 18). She's got a review, too.