Sparked

by Helena Echlin, Malena Watrous

Overview

Fifteen-year-old Laurel Goodwin wakes up to find her older sister Ivy missing from their Airstream trailer in the Oregon redwoods. A recurring nightmare convinces her that Ivy was abducted, but no one takes her dream seriously, including her mom. Laurel, a loner, has to learn to ask for help, and Jasper Blake, a mysterious new kid who shares her love of old books, quickly becomes her ally. Together they find their quiet town holds a deep secret and is the epicenter of a dark prophecy.

Laurel soon learns that her worst enemies, mean girls Peyton Andersen and Mei Rosen, are developing powers that she needs to find and save Ivy. With time running out, Laurel realizes that power doesn't always take the form that you expect. And once she learns to look beyond her snap judgments, she develops an unexpected gift of her own.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781942645641
Publisher:	Inkshares
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Helena Echlin, a native of the UK, is the author of the novel Gone (Random House UK, 2002) and for five years wrote "Table Manners," an etiquette advice column for CHOW, the online food and drink magazine. She has also written on topics from belly-button reshaping to cardio strip tease for publications such as the Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Telegraph in the UK, and Yoga Journal and The San Francisco Chronicle in the US. She lives in Berkeley, California and teaches fiction-writing online for Stanford.

Malena Watrous is the author of the novel If You Follow Me (Harper Perennial, 2010). She spent her adolescence in Oregon, which inspired the book's setting. She was a Stegner Fellow at Stanford and helped to found the Online Writers' Certificate, Stanford's two-year online novel-writing program. She teaches fiction-writing for Stanford as well as working on her own fiction, and has written for numerous publications, including The New York Times. She lives in San Francisco.

Editorial Reviews

"A rush of missing sisters, supernatural powers, breathless crushes, ancient prophecies, and deadly secrets revealed at glamorous parties... spooky and fun!" —Daniel Handler aka Lemony Snicket, author of A Series of Unfortunate Events

"Suspenseful, atmospheric, and romantic—Sparked transported me." —Lauren Kate, author of the New York Times-bestselling Fallen series

"Supernatural teens in literature are old hat, but Echlin and Watrous inject their novel with zeal and ingenuity. Characters, for one, are expertly drawn. The narrative playfully reveals supertalents one at a time while the greatest mystery is who the demon-esque Druj will inhabit... A fresh, enthusiastic, and wholly satisfying take on a familiar subgenre." —Kirkus Reviews

"Sparked is a masterful mélange of action, the supernatural, and teen romance. Every character is unique and every twist is unexpected. The story, told with wit and candor, just kept accelerating until its rip-roaring ending. I tore through this book." —Katie Crouch, author of New York Times bestseller Girls in Trucks and The Magnolia League series

"Sparked is that rare thing—a gripping mystery with psychological depth. It's a hauntingly accurate portrayal of the complex relationships between sisters and the lengths that the younger will go to save her older sister. I was riveted from the beginning and hooked to the satisfying end." —Erica Lorraine Scheidt, author of Uses for Boys

"Sparked proves its worth from page one. It's a supernatural thriller that reads with an easy, almost effortless, flow. Really, really impressive." —Mike Rich, author of Skavenger's Hunt, screenwriter of The Rookie, Radio, and Finding Forrester

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
Gr 7–10—This prosaic tale of paranormal suspense is set in a remote area near a state park in Cascade, Oregon. It opens with artsy elder sister Ivy suddenly absent from the underwhelming trailer she shares with her unreliable mother and her sister Laurel, the primary narrator. It's Laurel who is most alarmed at Ivy's disappearance and unconvinced by the note found by the coffee machine about visiting a friend. Laurel's attempts to find her sister soon turn to rescue as her dreams are haunted with a revelatory overlay of events from Ivy's own viewpoint; these snippets of shared experience confirm kidnapping, complete with handcuffs, a trapdoor, and a menacing man in a ski mask. The cause for alarm rises when Laurel gets to know an adorable new boy in her English class. Jasper, gifted with an ability to start fires himself, reveals that he knows Ivy and has helped her to develop her emerging telekinesis. A cryptic 3,000-year-old Zoroastrian prophecy involving an apocalyptic evil to be unleashed on the world from Cascade if not for the linking of four locals with magical powers to combat it is coming to pass. Ivy is one of the "sparked," but others must be found and convinced to save Ivy and the world—all by Halloween, less than a week away. Certain niggling, real-world incongruities—like a jukebox in a school cafeteria and the teenage characters' minimal use of cell phones and social media—make the work feel a bit out of touch. VERDICT Like a somewhat forgettable episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this entertainment will transport less demanding readers with accelerating momentum even if truly felicitous prose and plotting aren't along for the ride.—Suzanne Gordon, Lanier High School, Sugar Hill, GA

School Library Journal

2017-07-28
Teens with newfound powers may be the only ones who can stop an ancient evil from rising in Echlin (Gone, 2002) and Watrous' (If You Follow Me, 2010) supernatural mystery.Laurel Goodwin gets worried when she awakens one morning and sees big sis and bestie Ivy isn't in their Airstream trailer in Cascade, Oregon. Ivy's note still leaves Laurel anxious since the handwriting doesn't quite match her sister's. She and mom Sheila, however, are reluctant to involve authorities, fearing Child Protective Services will reopen Sheila's old negligence case and split the family apart. Ivy's friends haven't seen her, and hunky new kid in school, Jasper Blake, is also looking for her. He's been "tutoring" her, and Laurel's shocked to learn both Ivy and Jasper have special abilities. This validates Laurel's ominous dream in which Ivy displays her power—as a masked man's kidnapping victim. According to an ancient prophecy, an evil force called Druj will rise during a lunar eclipse unless four people with special powers unite. Such powers could also help find Ivy. Unfortunately, two possibilities are Cascade's resident mean girls, Peyton Andersen and Mei Rosen, who may be disinclined to help if for no other reason than spite. Supernatural teens in literature are old hat, but Echlin and Watrous inject their novel with zeal and ingenuity. Characters, for one, are expertly drawn. Jasper can't be one of the select four since his power, as he enigmatically states, has caused harm. Similarly, Laurel's first-person voice intermittently gives way to perspective from Peyton and Mei, providing both with much-needed sympathy. The narrative playfully reveals supertalents one at a time while the greatest mystery is who the demon-esque Druj will inhabit, if it hasn't already done so. There are perhaps a few too many references to Jasper's "incredible" green eyes or Ivy's beauty. Despite this, potential romance between Laurel and Jasper is superbly understated, and the ending even teases a sequel.A fresh, enthusiastic, and wholly satisfying take on a familiar subgenre.

Kirkus Reviews