THE SECRET OF KA

Fifteen-year-old Sara Sashee Wilcox developed a major crush on Amesh Demir moments before she tried to take a package from him in the lobby of a Turkish hotel. He later agrees to escort her to her father’s construction site, where the pair uncover a mysterious carpet that flies them to a remote location occupied with djinn temples. When the carpet of Ka is stolen from her, Sara learns that the djinn are involved in an epic battle with forces that may yet destroy the world, and her destiny is tied into that battle. Narrator Sara embraces the American-abroad stereotype with enthusiasm: Foreign people are loud, the boys are hot and conservative men ignore advice from girls. There’s very little characterization, but Pike’s work is about action and twists, both of which are packed into the narrative. Shallow self-examination and inevitable betrayal crop up, but as plot devices rather than character elements. The soap-opera model has propelled Pike through the literary world, and there’s no reason to change now. (Fantasy/thriller. 12 & up)