On a rainy night eight years ago, Evan Barrett's parents were lost at sea. In horror, he listened to their frantic Mayday calls on the ship-to-shore radio, to his mother's cries for mercy--and to the deafening shrieks that answered her back.
Now seventeen, Evan has gone in search of answers to his parents' strange disappearance. The only explanation that makes any sense to him is that they were swallowed up by The She, a legendary sea creature that devours ships. But when Evan's quest for the truth uncovers shocking allegations against his parents, he must deal with the possibility that everything he knows about his family is a lie.
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It only took one little tab of LSD to open the mental door 17-year-old Evan Barrett slammed shut the night his parents disappeared beneath the ocean eight years ago. As he unknowingly ingested the drug put into his drink as a prank, the whole horrible evening unfolded again: the violent storm, the frantic mayday from his parents that came through on the family’s ship-to-shore radio, the hopelessness of knowing that there was nothing he or his older brother Emmett could do. Now that the demons of his past have been re-awakened, Evan must confront his fear by discovering once and for all what really happened to his parents. Was it a botched attempt to fake their deaths due to an imminent drug-smuggling investigation by the DEA, as pragmatic Emmett believes? Or something more other-worldly? Ever since he was little, Evan has heard stories about a shrieking, ship-eating sea hag who lies in wait for victims off the Jersey shore. Called Ella Diablo Agujero by the locals, Evan simply knows her as The She. Could her scream have been the last thing his parents ever heard? Evan is determined to find out, come hell, high water, or both. While Carol Plum-Ucci’s writing style is often overly verbose and dialogue-heavy, adolescents nevertheless continue to be drawn to her complex mysteries that, like The She, blend real life with the supernatural. This thought-provoking page turner will leave teens questioning the meaning of intuition, the definition of truth, and the often slim line between superstition and faith. (Ages 14 and older) --Jennifer Hubert--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From School Library Journal
Grade 8 Up-This gripping story revolves around the sea, shipwrecks, drug smuggling, and a mythical creature known as The She. Haunted by his parents' disappearance at sea years before, 17-year-old Evan forms an unlikely alliance with a troubled, ill-tempered girl his own age. Like Evan, Grey claims to hear the terrible shriek of The She on stormy nights. Drawn together by this unique sense and their tragic pasts, the teens begin to investigate the incidents surrounding Evan's parents' disappearance. What results is a science-versus-supernatural dispute that eventually pits Evan's spiritual quandaries against his older brother's stoically scientific logic. The She delivers results similar to Plum-Ucci's previous efforts: plot, character development, and action sequences all seamlessly gel into an intriguing and structurally sound mystery novel. And, Plum-Ucci, as per usual, draws upon the supernatural to blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. However, her treatment of the mythical beast becomes less and less subtle with every page and at times interferes with important plot developments and pacing. Still, as in The Body of Christopher Creed (2000) and What Happened to Lani Garver (2002, both Harcourt), the author has created a moody, spooky page-turner that juggles profound philosophical debate with the everyday tribulations of teenage life. Hillias J. Martin, New York Public Library Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Carol Plum-Ucci received one of the nation's top literary honors for her first novel, THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED, a suspense story set in the historic woods of Southern New Jersey. The novel received one of four Michael J. Printz Honor Book Awards, sponsored by the American Library Association, recognizing the best literature published for young adults. The novel also was a finalist in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards and was named to the Reader's International Children's Choice Awards List.
She is happy to report that Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has purchased a SEQUEL TO THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED. It will be released in the spring of 2011. "For years, people asked if I would write a sequel. In fact, I don't think I've ever spoken for an audience where someone hasn't asked that," Plum-Ucci said. "I always said no because I couldn't think of anything good that would happen next. Well, one stormy Saturday night in the dead of winter, I got this totally hot idea and just went with it. It's a lot of years later, but I held out for artistic integrity--a story line that I knew would keep readers turning pages--and didn't try it just to piggy-back a book selling well. As the saying goes for me and HMH: 'We will sell no idea before its time.'"
The CREED SEQUEL focuses on Chris Creed's brother Justin, who, after four years have passed, is now 16. "The theme of bullying didn't carry over to this book--I'll be honest," Plum-Ucci said. "But that theme was always, to me, secondary to a relentless pursuit of truth theme, which engaged Torey Adams throughout. And that theme is still very present. I'm asking kids to look beyond what they can touch, see, smell--something they're not often asked to do by school districts, and I think it's both fun and important."
FIRE WILL FALL, a sequel to STREAMS OF BABEL was released by HMH in the spring of 2010. In STREAMS OF BABEL, terrorists poison the water supply in New Jersey (released in the spring of 2008), and in FIRE WILL FALL, the teenagers who drank the most WMD are fighting for their lives. "I think of FIRE as more of a character piece, so it surprised me pleasantly to see all the reviews coming in, calling it a page turner," Plum-Ucci said. Both books were immediately named Premiere Selections the Junior Library Guild upon release.
WHAT HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER, Plum-Ucci's second novel, is story of prejudice, friendship, popularity, tolerance, and individuality. The story raises a most important question: Might angels exist on earth? The novel has been selected as a featured book both in Seventeen Magazine and YM Magazine. It is named to the 2003 Best Books for Young Adults List, sponsored by the American Library Association, and is a 2004 Teen Top Ten nominee. It was nominated for the Michael L. Printz Awards for excellence in Young Adult Literature.
Plum-Ucci's third novel of THE SHE, was was nominated for BBYA (Best Books for Young Adults, The American Library Association) and received a starred review in Booklist. Her fourth novel, THE NIGHT MY SISTER WENT MISSING, was named a finalist in the Edgar Allan Poe Awards.
Plum-Ucci spent her childhood growing up on the barrier island of Brigantine, New Jersey, where her father was a funeral director. She lived overtop of the funeral home.
'My bedroom was such that if the floor were made of glass, I would have been gazing down into the face of a casket dweller,' she frequently tells audiences. 'When people ask me how I became a writer, I say it was in the middle of nights while growing up there.'
Plum-Ucci loves to tell her childhood funeral home antics, which have captivated teenage audiences across America.
She attended the Brigantine Public Schools, Atlantic City Friends School, and Holy Spirit High School, graduating in 1975. She earned her bachelor's degree in Communication from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 1979. She attended Rutgers University and received her Master of Arts degree 2004.
Plum-Ucci worked as Staff Writer and Director of Publications for the Miss America Organization in Atlantic City from 1984 through 1999. She is the third generation of women in her family to contribute to Atlantic City's well-known fanfare. Her mother, Ellen Plum, was the first woman President, and her paternal grandmother, Ads Plum, was a member of the Hostess Committee. She retired from corporate employ in June of 1999, 'about two days after my advance arrived for The Body of Christopher Creed,' she says. 'I loved being part of something historical like Miss America, and I have many great memories of working there. But I'd spent many years trying to become a published novelist, and I wanted to started enjoying that lifestyle as quickly as possible."
Her husband Rick owns the Ucci Piano Service. Together, they love gardening, going to the Margate Beach in the summers, watching Academy Award winning movies, and raising their daughter, Abbey.
In this book, a teenager must grapple with the mystery of what killed his parents: officially a boating accident. In doing so, he meets a girl his age, grappling with her own demons. The existence of a mythical sea creature "The She" which may or may have not been responsible for Evan's parents' deaths is debated for the entire 300 plus pages. While intriguing at first, this quickly becomes tiresome.
The protagonist Evan is smart and good looking and rich and belongs to a clique of Rich Spoiled Kids With Seriously Weird Names. In fact, Evan is the only character in the book with a normal name. I couldn't help but feel that this added to the soap opera effect in the book.
The climax is intriguing, but none of the characters are particularly likeable, and some are downright obnoxious. The book begins with a good premise and a hilarious opening scene but quickly goes downhill from there. Think "Beverly Hills 90210" with a little "Ordinary People" thrown in for good measure.
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Carol Plum-Ucci has established a niche for her mysteries by blending realism and the unexplained. Following upon the success of The Body of Christopher Creed and What Happened to Lani Garver, the author penned a credible tale that is part problem novel and part supernatural thriller. THE SHE takes the reader to familiar territory in young adult fiction--death, drug abuse, rebellion against authority, and dysfunctional families--while also presenting a haunting overtone that prevails from the first page to the last.
As a child, Evan overheard his parents' death at sea from the radio in their bedroom and continues to struggle with the circumstances that claimed their lives over ten years later. Were they drug smugglers who faked their death only to escape the authorities? Or were they the victim of a legendary sea monster rumored to have caused many shipwrecks along the neighboring shores?
As he struggles to find the truth, he is joined by an unlikely female ally, a mentally-unstable "wild child" named Grey. Evan distrusts her initially due to their "bad history," but mutual sympathy and affection grows as they realize they both need to discover the truth about the local legendary sea monster, known only as "The She."
As in her earlier novels, Plum-Ucci presents likeable anti-heroes as her main characters. Evan is popular at school but rebellious; Grey is infamous and feared, a practitioner of cruel jokes. They are the kind of characters one is drawn to, despite parental wishes. As their own tangled pasts are unwound, they grow more and more sympathetic to each other and the reader.
Another subplot is Evan's relationship with his brother, a source of tension in his life. The brothers ongoing debate about their parents disappearance represents the dichotomy of rationality/skepticism vs. curiosity/faith; the reader will identify with both sides of this "coin." We are drawn to believe in myths and legends, but steeped well enough in the 21st-century to want a rational explanation for the unexplained. Each of them is forced to confront the other's point of view at critical junctures of the story, leaving the reader in suspense. Is there a sea monster? Or is there a rational explanation for their parents' disappearance?
This tension remains to the very end of the novel, making it an enjoyable page-turner. It comes highly recommended.
Reviewed by: Mark Frye, author and reviewer
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The book had an interesting premise but failed to live up to it. The book was exciting for about 10-20 pages. The rest was based on teenage suicide, drugs, and sex with no real stunning writing engaging in the characters feelings and emotions. It boiled down to a story of unrealistic characters trying to find themselves.
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