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Poltergeeks / Student Bodies by Sean Cummings


Michelle

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Poltergeeks...

 

 

Poltergeeks is one of the first titles from Strange Chemistry, a promising new YA imprint. It’s about 15 year old Julie Richardson, who’s trying to deal with being an everyday teenager, as well as being a witch.

 

Julie is being taught and trained by her mum, which puts even more of a strain on the usual teenager-daughter relationship, and of course, being a teen, Julie tries to take on more than she should.

 

The joy of this book is that it’s not like the usual YA urban fantasy book – there’s no swooning romance or teenage angst, and thankfully not a vampire in sight! It’s based firmly in reality, where witchcraft is about the ability to harness the power inside, and it’s actually quite easy to believe that this could be going on around us, unseen.

 

The action starts early on in the book, when Julie comes across an elderly lady thrown out of her house by a poltergeist. It’s soon apparent that there are powerful forces focusing on Julie, and when her mum’s life is put in danger, she has to learn a lot more about her powers and her heritage.

 

There’s a good balance in the book, of humour, adventure, magic and darkness, and is highly recommended.

Student Bodies...

 

Student Bodies takes over from where Poltergeeks left off, with Julie trying to get used to being both a witch and a Shadowcull. Once again the action starts on early in the book, and it takes a darker tone as teenagers are being targeted by a malevolent force.
 
Sean takes the story up a level in Student Bodies - not only do we finally see the coven, but there's the very interesting addition of old, powerful magic.
 
There's also a dark undercurrent to the story, as Sean looks at bullying, and the affects it can have.
 
Poltergeeks was all about Julie, and setting up the magical world she lives in, whereas Student Bodies brings in many more levels. It seems nicely set up for the next book, which I hope to hear is coming soon. This is a good series for teens from about 12 up - it's refreshing to see it dealing with family, friends and relationships, all without swooning or love triangles!

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I read and enjoyed Poltergeeks last week.  I loved that the story starts straight, no hanging about, just gets straight into it.  There's plenty of humour and the sense of the rebellious nature of being a teenager when you're trying to find out who you are, and push the boundaries set by your parents.  I thought it was interesting that it, being written by a man, the lead character was a teenage girl - I'm not sure I've ever read a book like that before, and I thought for the most part, it was a believable teenage girls voice.  

 

Like Michelle said earlier, the magical element of the story has an authenticity to it, and I like the development of the story with Julie discovering more about her lineage and the prospects for her future.  There is a sense of urgency throughout the story, and builds to a thrilling climax to the story.

 

As an adult who enjoys reading YA books, I liked this book, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to teenagers as the target audience.

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