Heidi Hauser Green (Children's Literature)
Calla’s mother has died. With her father headed to the coast, the girl has a choice between spending the summer with her paternal uncle and his unruly brood, or her unusual maternal grandmother. Yearning for some connection with her mother, Calla chooses the latter. She makes the trip to Lily Dale, which she soon discovers is a community of spiritualists. Most of the residents--including grandmother Odelia--are psychic; it soon becomes clear that Calla may be too. Mysteries abound in this complicated story. Who is the girl in the old-fashioned white dress who appears to Calla at her mother’s funeral, then again in Lily Dale? Why does the number 3:17 keep flashing on Calla’s alarm clock? What is the meaning of the strange dreams she is having? What really happened to Calla’s mother? Who is the sad-eyed woman who comes to Odelia for help, and who is the girl following her? Why does Blue Slayton seem to run hot and cold with her? What was that current she felt when she met Jacy Bly? The plotline is intriguing and the story feels plausible (with the sole exception of Odelia’s surprised reaction to Calla’s newfound abilities). However, Wendy Corsi Staub raises many more questions than she answers in this slender book. Readers who like their books to end with clarity may be wise to wait to read this one until its sequel, Lily Dale: Believing, is released in May 2008. 2007, Walker Books for Young Readers, $15.95. Ages 12 to 16.

Bonnie Morris (Library Media Connection, January 2008)
After losing her mother in an accident, Calla goes to live with her grandmother, whom she barely knows, in Lily Dale, a town known for paranormal phenomena. Calla realizes that her grandmother is a psychic and she begins to experience strange happenings. She feels closer to her mother staying in her old room, but she experiences nightmares about the mystery concerning her mother's separation from her grandmother. The subject of the book would be of interest to many teens, and the author evidently intends to make this a series because none of the mysteries are solved. The ending will make students want to read a sequel, but as a standalone book there are just too many unanswered questions. I was left confused and disappointed. Additional Selection. 2007, Walker and Company, 240pp., $15.95 hc. Ages 12 to 18.

Kim Carter (VOYA, December 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 5))
During the summer before her senior year, Calla's life is turned upside down. When Kevin, Calla's boyfriend and her best friend Lisa's brother, makes the "let's be friends" speech, Calla is crushed, thinking that nothing could be worse-until she comes home to find her mother dead from a fall. Unwilling to stay with Lisa's family and have to face Kevin on a daily basis, Calla goes to visit her estranged maternal grandmother, Odelia, in Lily Dale, New York, while her father starts a new job in California and hunts for housing for the two of them. Knowing nothing about her grandmother, Calla is startled to learn that she is a psychic, living in the "world's largest center for the religion of spiritualism." Determined to leave as soon as she can, Calla finds herself instead wrapped up in relationships with two young men of Lily Dale, as well as contacted by the spirit of a young woman who has been missing for months. Working through her confusion, Calla comes to believe that her mother's death was not what it seemed, and the secrets of the past hold the key. Deft characterization couples with a compelling plot in a somewhat unique setting to create appeal particularly to young teens seeking meaning and agency in the face of life's difficulties. Awakening is the first in a new series for the prolific Staub, who grew up a few miles from the real-life Lily Dale, where as a teenager, she was given a glimpse of her future husband's name. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Walker, 240p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.

Krystalyn Bundy, Teen Reviewer (VOYA, December 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 5))
Awakening is a very good book, as you can see just by looking at its cover. Calla, who just got dumped by her boyfriend, thought that nothing bad would ever happen again. Then one day she comes home to find her mother dead. She has to go to her grandmother's house, where she begins to realize that a journey and an unsolved mystery are about to begin. Can she find her family secret before other things happen? I suggest this book to people who like mysteries that have a surprise twist ending and secrets. VOYA CODES: 5Q 5P M J S (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Every YA (who reads) was dying to read it yesterday; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Walker, 240p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.

Raven Gill, Teen Reviewer (VOYA, December 2007 (Vol. 30, No. 5))
I rather enjoyed this book. Finding out that your grandmother and the whole town you just moved to are psychic might not be easy-except for Calla, who soon starts to see things as well. If you love suspense, you'll love this book. It might not be for everyone, especially if you like a plot that you can follow. But it is definitely worth your time. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P M J S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12). 2007, Walker, 240p., $15.95. Ages 11 to 18.