"A fun young adult paranormal tale"
Skye Jones was one of the most disliked kids in her sixth
grade class. She has no friends and all of the popular
kids hate her. They all think she is weird, and that her
aunts are witches. All she really wants is a friend.
Someone to spend time with, someone who likes her just the
way she is and won't make fun of her. One day she gets up the nerve to try and make friends with
another one of the girls in her class, Kristen O'Malley.
Kristen is not popular either, but that doesn't seem to
bother her at all. When Skye attempts to talk to her,
Kristen teases her about a couple things, and this just
crushes her. Even the other odd children in her school
won't be friends with her. While sitting at home with her aunts, Skye finds an ad for
a mail-order fiend, in the Kindred Spirits catalog.
Assuming that is a typo, and that what the ad is really
for is a friend, like a pen pal, she jumps at the chance
to order one. She finally will have a friend who likes the
same things she does, and who won't make fun of her or
think her strange. What arrives in the mail is not at all what Skye expected.
What she gets is a fiend, a monster, who will be living
with her forever, because of a contract Skye signed. On
the surface, Hobby, looks like what Skye expected, a young
girl who is sweet and will like Skye no matter what. She
never expected a mind-reading monster that will turn
things upside down, causing all sorts of mischief! In her
attempts to get rid of Hobby and save more embarrassment,
Skye will learn a very important lesson... What REALLY
matters where friends are concerned. This is a cute story about judging others and learning the
true meaning of friendship. Skye is a lonely little girl,
trying to make the best of her life in a town where she
thinks no one likes her, or will take the time to get to
know her. She is a shy child, afraid to put out the effort
to make friends, thinking they will all hate her. Hobby is a riot, with many humorous moments surrounding
her attempts to adjust to her new life with Skye. Her
magic skills often go awry, as she tries to make Skye
happy and prove she is a good friend. Kristen is a delight
as well, determined to grow up to be a famous magician.
She spends much of her time trying to prefect her talents,
and learning events abound, bringing some humor to this
already delightful story. But what is best about this book is that underneath all of
the misadventures, there is a moral to the story. It
teaches a valuable lesson about friendship, and what
really counts in the world. This is a wonderful book for
young adults to read, especially those who may often feel
like Skye in their lives. © Kelley A. Hartsell, December 2002. All rights reserved.
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted April 22, 2006
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