THE ELIFER CHRONICLES: EPIDEMIC (Julie Boglisch)

It is amazing that this excellent young adult novel was written by a woman in her early 20's!  Part mystery, part magical realism, and part dystopian, this engaging novel will hold your interest from start to finish.  Fast-paced and exciting, the novel is very appropriate for almost any age.  It is the story of 14-year-old twins, Karina and Maxwell, living in a decidedly unsettling version of America and searching beyond their apparently comfortable small town for their recently gone-missing mother.  Along the way they encounter a variety of menacing adversaries and some wonderful friends while trying to figure out the secrets of this unfamiliar larger world.  Politically savvy readers will find some thought provoking and scary ideas here.  I recommend it!