Once upon a time, there was a girl named Tess who could see the future.She was very good at pretending she was like everyone else. But one day, the facade crumbled, and everyone stopped talking to her. Her only friend was Tabitha, the most unpopular girl in school. Five years later, life still sucks, but it's bearable. Tess has Tabitha, their regular viewings of Sixteen Candles, and her spot on the track team. But when frizzy-haired, chubby Tabitha returns from summer vacation with a shiny mane, a thinner body, and previously unattainable popularity, it's suddenly as though they were never friends. When Tabitha dies, Tess feels intense guilt and shame for not warning her former friend that she dreamed of her coming end, and Tess finds herself at the center of the mystery surrounding Tabitha's death. A subplot dealing with Tess' mother's severe mental illness collides with the primary plot in a satisfying but slightly sappy conclusion. Unfortunately, Tess makes repeated, unchallenged references to her "crazy" mother, undercutting the book's treatment of the condition. The book is titled after the Thompson Twins' tune from the end credits of Sixteen Candles, and like most of John Hughes' films, it seems Yabroff's novel is mostly devoid of people of color, Tess' Turkish heritage (the source of her gift) generations distant. A lukewarm work of realism layered with elements of fantasy and mystery. (Fiction. 12-18)

Gr 6-9An ill-fated tale of a best-friends-forever duo. When Tabitha decides to join the popular crowd by hook or by crook, she turns her back on Tess. Tess foretells that her friend will die that night, but she cannot get Tabitha to listen, and Tabitha's plan for social mobility results in tragedy. Tess turns amateur sleuth and hounds the popular crowd with single-minded intent, certain that Tabitha died under unnatural circumstances. Complicating matters is Tess's mother, who has debilitating bipolar disorder, incurring the ridicule of the student body. Told in an effective, straightforward writing style, the plot-driven story will be enjoyed in one sitting by most readers. The early chapters imbue the novel with realistic paranoia, and readers will wonder whether the populars are accepting of Tess or are just manipulating her. Tess attempts to work out the populars' role in Tabitha's death while trying to answer the question of her and her popular friend Zoe's unnatural abilities. However, this semi-magical plot point is neither fully explored nor explained, casting some confusion on its relevance. What starts as a complicated study of psychology and the paranoia of teen dynamics warps into a whodunit that ends with an easy-to-spot conclusion. The book boasts quality writing but fizzles out with an uninspired ending that will leave readers mildly unsatisfied. VERDICT An additional purchase for large collections only.Brian Hoff, Elmwood Park High School, IL