Gift [Kindle Edition]

Andrea J. Buchanan (Author)

Book Description

Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her life—or kill her

High school sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. It doesn’t help that she’s the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn’t even own a cell phone. But there’s a good reason for all that: Daisy has a secret, unpredictable power—one only her best friend, Danielle, knows about. 

 

Despite her “gift” (or is it a curse?), Daisy’s doing a good job of fitting in, and a gorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisy tries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers that her new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends must deal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel the power she’s always tried to hide, before it’s too late?

 

Extra features include:

•   A short graphic novel telling Vivi’s story

•   Danielle’s journal, revealing her deepest thoughts 

•   Lyrics and video links for Kevin's music (songs composed by Fredrik Larsson, otherwise known as YouTube sensation FreddeGredde)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Supercharged with an electrical power so strong she can short out any electronic device in her vicinity, Daisy must maintain constant control over her "gift." Sent one day by her teacher to check on a classmate's failure to return from the bathroom, she discovers Vivi nearly passed out from an apparent suicide attempt, babbling about it being the only way to be with Patrick again. So begins a ghost story and a rocky alliance between Vivi, Daisy, and her friend Danielle. Through a series of shared dreams/nightmares, Daisy and Danielle discover that they and Vivi share a tragic past. Coinciding with the appearance of the dreams, Patrick, the spirit who Vivi believes has been her protector since she was little, begins to appear and communicate with Daisy and Danielle. From the dreams, ghostly visits, and a little historical research, they discover that Patrick was a serial killer from the girls' past lives. He is drawn by Daisy's gift and his previous relationship to her and plans to use her power to increase his own to possess one of the girls. Despite its promise as a super-girl vs. evil ghost thriller, the plot drags with unproductive dialogue and unnecessary additions. One clever twist at the end does little to make up for the predictable, fiery climax. Strictly an additional purchase.-Cary Frostick, Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VAα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“A fantastical and historical ghost story that benefits from . . . the presence of young love.” —Kirkus Reviews

“This smart paranormal novel is more than aware of its predecessors, and subverts them brilliantly. Gift is smart, striking, and I hope the first of many YA novels from Andrea Buchanan.” —Saundra Mitchell, author of The Vespertine and The Springsweet

 

“A good story that doesn’t rely on tricks and gimmicks.” —VH1’s blog, The FABlife

 

“CREEPY. I think that's the word we're looking for here. WEIRD, dark, disturbing, with a Gothic feel.” —Tanita Davis, author of Mare’s War

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 2280 KB
• Print Length: 326 pages
• Publisher: Open Road Media E-riginal (March 27, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B006X7ZU2C
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #88,240 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars great book! March 27, 2012

By mrsinserra

Format:Kindle Edition

This story is mainly about a girl named Daisy who has an extraordinary power, she is electric. She can mess with any electrical device; and has to practice yoga and meditation in order to be able to control her ability.

This story has 4 main characters, 3 girls and a boy, Daisy, Danielle, Vivi, and Kevin. Each of the characters has an important role to play. Daisy is electric, Vivi can talk to a ghost, Kevin is Daisy's Boyfriend, he is good at research, and has a form of epilepsy that plays into the story, and Danielle is Daisy's best friend, who feels a bit left out of the group, though she does have the same dreams as Daisy.

Well I don't want to give the story away, but it was quite good. It started out really slow, and I kept thinking, how is this all going to work together. There is the new kid, Kevin, who has a history of being in a metal institute. Danielle and Daisy who believe they are reincarnated and are both having the same dreams from another life. And Vivi, who communicates with a ghost, but she can communicate with him better if Daisy is around, since Daisy's electricity helps him to channel.

The story picks up about 1/3 of the way in and the pieces start to come together, but the ending is a twist, one I never saw coming.

I would recommend this book for 6th grade- adult. The characters are in high school, but the reading level is not super difficult. This book would be enjoyable for both a girl and a boy since there is both a lot of action and mystery, but also a bit of romance for the girls.

This book has no swearing, sex, or compromising circumstances. As a teacher of parent, there should not be a problem recommending this book for your kids to read.

I received this book as an ARC. I do not get paid to review books, I do so in order to assist parents and teachers in recommending appropriate books to your kids.

Please read more of my reviews on my blog: sarahereads(dot)wordpress(dot)com

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Not plausible, but good concept April 2, 2013

By Lizzy's Dark Fiction

Format:Paperback

I liked the concept of the novel, but there were some things about this book that completely failed. First off, the opening chapters were confusing. It felt like a romance brewing between Daisy and Vivi (because of Daisy's obsession with the other girl) and then it abruptly switched to a very long explanation about Daisy's powers. There were quite a few instances where the author said what was happening rather than letting the story reveal the plot. I felt very confused for most of the book, as the reader is left purposely in the dark about very important plot details. I would have rather had some of it revealed early on into the book so I had some inclination as to why the characters acted like they did.

I understood that Daisy wasn't able to use electronic devices, but how could she have survived high school with the high usage of computers in the classrooms. Students today can't avoid computers or televisions or calculators. Not in a public school. I don't buy how someone could have not figured it out. How does she type up her reports? Pass a typing class? Research in the library (most documents are electronically recorded)? Also, it did bother me that Daisy could use a house phone. It was a normal everyday phone. If the author wanted to be somewhat plausible, then she would have made Daisy use a rotary phone. It's still electronic, but it doesn't run by a computer chip like every other gadget that Daisy messes up.

The subplot involving Mr. Terry wasn't handled logically. There is no way that a male teacher would ever house a female student in his home, especially without getting explicit permission from the principal. I have several family members who are teachers and if these exact circumstances happened to them, they might house such student over-night if that student was on the street. But only a single night and come morning the principal would immediately be made aware of the situation. If the student wouldn't return home, then CPS would be called. And even if the teacher was stupid enough to house a student of the opposite sex at their home for a prolong period of time, once the principal was informed of the situation, the teacher would immediately be suspended fired for not notifying the principal. It doesn't matter what the person who `told the principal' said. The simple fact is that the teacher was not acting appropriate.

I just don't think that there was enough research done to make sure that the events that happened in the book were plausible. And for that reason alone, I think I have to give this book a very low rating. It's not the worst book I've ever read, but it's one that I surely won't ever recommend. Still, the author does show potential to write a much better book. I might still check out another book by Andrea Buckanan. (F+)

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher/Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars twisty March 28, 2012

By R. Laney

Format:Kindle Edition

It was good story with some twists to it. I kept waiting for a while wondering what her power was and where did she get it. It was slowly panned out.
Daisy is the new kid in town. Daisy is a Sophomore at Castle Creek High.
The story opens when Mr. Terry asks Daisy to go look in the bathroom for Vivi who should have been back by now. Daisy finds Vivi on the bathroom floor not making sense saying its the only way to be with Patrick. Vivi had taken the whole bottle of Advil PM.
Vivi is a loner always seems to be drawing in class. When she is back in school she wants to talk to Daisy at lunch outside where the seniors hangout.
Vivi is a no show but Daisy meets Kevin a senior and he knows her and what her papers are like in english. He is Mr. Terry aide.
Danielle is the only person she has told about her powers. Danielle and Daisy start having the same dreams at night. Vivi says Patrick is showing them the dream and he has been her friend since she was little. Now she can only see him when Daisy is around.
The three girls meet to try and figure out what is going on. Who or what is Patrick? What do the dreams mean? Kevin is now coming to their meetings to help figure out stuff and he really likes Daisy.
It kept my attention I wanted to see how it would all play out in the end.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
03/27/2012 PUB Open Road Media

More About the Author

Andrea J. Buchanan is a New York Times bestselling author whose latest book is the multimedia young adult novel GIFT, published by Open Road Integrated Media. Her other work includes the internationally bestselling The Daring Book For Girls and seven other books. Before becoming a writer, Andi trained as a pianist, earning a bachelor of music degree in piano performance from the Boston Conservatory of Music and a master's from the San Francisco Conservatory. Her last recital was at Carnegie Hall's Weill Recital Hall. She lives with her family in Philadelphia.