Slide

Starred review from March 5, 2012
Hathaway debuts with a gripping paranormal thriller that takes the concept of “empathy” to a new level. Whenever high school junior Vee Bell comes in contact with an object another person has touched, she unwillingly “slides” into his or her mind, leaving her own body vulnerable. After she awakens beside the corpse of a cheerleader named Sophie—
­a friend recently betrayed by Sophie’s younger sister, Mattie—Vee realizes she’s in the body of a killer. Everyone assumes Sophie’s death was a suicide, and Mattie is guilt-ridden. When another cheerleader dies, Vee decides to recognize her ability as a gift and solve the mystery before her sister becomes the next victim. The shifting perspectives—as Vee enters the bodies of her friends, love interest Rollins, and others—give the story an exhilarating momentum and an absorbing, cinematic quality. The interactions between Vee, Mattie, and their withdrawn father are especially well-done, as all three try to remember how to be a family five years after the death of the girls’ mother. An emotionally taut mystery with depth. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency.

March 1, 2012

Gr 8 Up-Warmth has always been a trigger for Vee Bell, making everything go blurry and seem as though the world is pulling apart at the seams. But lately it has been happening more and more-not just when it's warm-and at unexpected times and with unexpected consequences. The folks in Vee's life have learned to spot the signs, the moments right before she slips into unconsciousness; they think she has narcolepsy. But what they don't know is that Vee isn't just falling asleep: she is sliding into another person's consciousness. As disconcerting as her astral projection is already, her episodes intensify when she finds herself sliding in and out of minds of those connected to a series of murders, including the murderer's in the midst of killing her friend. Unfortunately, the community believes that Sophie's death is a suicide, and it is up to Vee to find out the truth while keeping the secret of her metaphysical skills. This supernatural mystery employs some more positive tropes of young adult literature-identity formation and discovering who your real friends are-alongside more frustrating images, such as out-of-control mean girls, unnecessarily complicated drama, and inconsistent character motivation. Its innovative premise, though, is memorable.-Jennifer Miskec, Longwood University, Farmville, VA

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2012
Vee is the only one who knows that instead of the narcolepsy everyone assumes she has, her episodes actually entail her temporarily sliding into someone else, thus seeing the world through his or her eyes. When Vee witnesses the murder of her sister's friend (from the perspective of the unknown murderer), a case that is labeled a suicide, she knows that no one is going to believe in her unusual ability or her insistence that the police pursue the case. While she attempts to unravel the mystery herself, things go decidedly awry, as her hunky new boyfriend turns out to have some horrible secrets, another cheerleader dies, and her father, the one anchor of which Vee was always certain, seems tied in some way to the death of the two girls. Red herrings abound in this novel, and the ultimate reveal (conveniently viewed by Vee using her sliding power) strains credulity; however, the mystery is far less the point than the vulnerable, slightly lost Vee seeking any sense of home she can find. Her dependence on others will both frustrate and evoke sympathy in readers, who will be relieved that the last glimpse of her shows that she may finally be headed toward a stronger sense of self. april spisak

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2012
Vee has the unusual ability to temporarily see the world through someone else's eyes. When she witnesses the murder of her sister's friend (from the perspective of the unknown murderer), she attempts to unravel the mystery herself, but things go decidedly awry. The mystery is far less the point than the vulnerable, slightly lost Vee seeking any sense of home she can find.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

February 1, 2012
Pink-haired, rebellious Vee isn't really narcoleptic, as everyone believes; when she suddenly falls asleep, she "slides" into other people and sees through their eyes in this intriguing mystery. Vee's unwanted paranormal ability becomes a serious problem when she witnesses a murder, but she doesn't know through whose eyes she's seeing. She does know that no one will believe her if she tries to explain, especially not her physician father. The police and everyone else believe the murder victim committed suicide. When yet another apparent suicide occurs, Vee begins to suspect two people she trusts, her best friend, Rollins, and her cool psychology teacher. Could either be the murderer? Rollins appears to back away from her when Vee falls for handsome newcomer Zane in the well-crafted romance subplot, and she worries that the teacher might be too close to his female students. High-school rivalries complicate the issue. Although the paranormal aspects of this book pale before its unfolding mystery and human drama, the mystery plot turns on Vee's sliding ability. Alas, the solution seems to pop out of nowhere, but the back story to the mystery adds real depth. Hathaway guides readers through family turmoil, integrating it well with her murder mystery. She makes Vee's unwanted ability seem quite real, but it is the history of family betrayal that finally takes center stage in this above-average mystery. An intriguing whodunit. (Paranormal mystery. 12 & up)

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April 1, 2012
Grades 8-12 Teenage drama meets Quantum Leap in this exciting debut about secrets and murder. Vee has an inexplicable ability; when falling into what appears to be a narcoleptic state, she is really sliding into the mind of someone elsewatching events through their eyes. The mere touch of an object can trigger an episode, and they seem to be getting more frequent and more intense. When she slides into the mind of a murderer who has killed a friend and made it look like a suicide, Vee tries to channel her ability to solve the crime without revealing how she knows the truth. The story is intriguing and provides just enough information for the reader to piece together the mystery alongside Vee. The characters are well developed, with the exception of the murderer, whose motive, while believable, is not executed well enough to lift the climax above melodrama. Still, the novel is difficult to put down. While Vee's questions about sliding remain unanswered, the knowledge that she can live with who she is may be the greatest truth uncovered.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)