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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Young Adults winner, June 27, 2008
My ten-year old loved this and Believing - can't wait for the next book in the series!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Can you be psychic?, April 9, 2008
Being a medium and psychic myself, I found that the Wendy Corsi Staub presented a believable and accurate story with sensitivity about a subject often misunderstood and/or presented as "hokey poky" or otherwise. Her examples of how one might see a spirit is accurate as is how psychic information is received. I enjoyed how the main character, a teen named Calla, slowly awakens and accepts to her psychic abilities. As well as how Odelia, her gifted seer - grandmother, doesn't push her in any way to do so. I think that the younger reader would appreciate how Calla had that freedom of choice from an adult. The acceptance of this young character of her grandmother's "unusual" psychic was handled by the writer in such a way to allow the reader to explore if a psychic reader could indeed be a "normal" person. Not that Calla's grandmother's character is--she is rather eccentric. But, the reader is introduce to others of Odelia's ilk who live in this small town in New York. The town Lily Dale does exist and is home to psychics, mediums and healers. Also, I found Calla's peers at Lily Dale believable characters. They weren't too "out there" or "clickish" but rather presented so teen reader could find interest while remaining aware of differences as developed psychic children. Quite honestly, I thought the writing a bit choppy and not detailed enough of the relationship between Calla and her mother and found the ending unsatisfactory to my curiosity. I would recommend this book to my young clients and their parents to have a clearer picture of the psychic.
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Harry Potter Who???, August 23, 2007
Being an avid fan of Wendy Corsi Staub's adult suspense novels, I couldn't resist the opportunity to read this book, her return to YA fiction, three days before its official release. (Thank you, Borders!) Fans of IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE will recognize the setting-Lily Dale, an actual community of psychic mediums located in New York. With this intriguing locale as a backdrop, WCS spins a story full of suspense, romance, and quirky characters that practically walk off the page. Case in point is the protagonist's (Calla) grandmother, the eccentric Odelia, who sings along to the Red Hot Chili Peppers, sleeps until noon, and happily admits to reading on the pot. Oh, and did I mention that she's a registered medium? Surprise! Calla has come to Lily Dale after the tragic death of her mother, and finds herself drawn to the unanswered questions of the past, including the falling out between her mother and grandmother that tore their family apart. (Just what is the significance of the argument about dredging the lake that Calla remembers overhearing as a child?) As if Calla's life hasn't taken enough unexpected turns, she finds herself seeing ghosts-or spirit guides, as Odelia prefers to call them-hearing voices, and having visions that just may unlock the secrets of the past. And it doesn't take long for Calla to realize that she may have a lot more in common with the Lily Dale community-and with the women of her own family-than she ever could have expected. As the first book in this exceptional series comes to a close, it finds Calla beginning to embrace her "gift" and choosing to stay on in Lily Dale longer than expected. Book Two, the upcoming BELIEVING, promises to find Calla confronting the burden of such powers, and it could just cost her her life, as her unwitting discovery at the conclusion of AWAKENING has marked her as a potential target. The trademark elements of suspense that set this author's adult work far above that of her contemporaries are more than evident here, and long after closing the book, the reader can't help but ponder what's going to happen next. LILY DALE: AWAKENING made me ask myself, Harry Potter who?
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