Another Review at MyShelf.Com

Bad Connection
The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, No. 1

by Melody Carlson



      Paranormal books are hot with the YA market right now, but many Christians don’t want to load up on the whole "psychic" thing, so this series: "The Secret Life of Samantha Mcgregor", brings in God’s power instead of psychic powers. Samantha Mcgregor has prophetic dreams and visions. Her dad understood about them, but her mom doesn't - at all. When Samantha’s visions seem to be trying to show her things about a missing school friend, Samantha has to decide who she can tell and how best to use the gift God gave her. Bad Connection had some great moments that were both tense and believable. Also, the characters felt considerably more real and three-dimensional than a lot of religious fiction I’ve read. Sometimes the exposition got a little overwhelming (really, we believe it’s okay to get gifts from God - honest!) and sometimes I did wonder if I really believed Christian teens thought about God every other moment all day long. Still, Carlson was handling a touchy subject in Christian circles - the manifesting of spiritual gifts - and she understood her audience well. I’ll admit that when the author resorted to the old "look in a mirror so I can describe myself," I groaned out loud, but that was the only groaner in a genuinely interesting book that is definitely a step above the norm for the market. Bad Connection made me curious about the series and eager for the next book, especially with the cliffhanger ending of this one!

The Book

Multnomah
August 2006
Soft Cover
1590526929
Teen Fiction / Christian interest
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
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The Reviewer

Jan Fields
Reviewed 2007
NOTE: Reviewer Jan Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of stories and articles for the children's magazine market.
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