THE NEW YOU

In this slim and breezy read, Leverich combines the universal problem of fitting in at a new school with a thought-provoking fantasy. When Abby, 13, moves to a new town and school, she believes she's misplaced her identity. A bad hair cut and a slight name change_to Abigail_have given her the feeling that she doesn't know who she is anymore. One day after school, a feverish Abby takes a strange excursion to an abandoned beauty salon called The New You, where three independent young women live. It is there that Abby literally finds herself_her future self, called Gail_although she doesn't realize it at the time. The experience_written off as a fever dream by adults_gives her the confidence to be herself when she returns to school, where she does make friends. Leverich (Best Enemies Forever, 1995, etc.) drops subtle hints while introducing an interesting concept: What if a girl could travel within her past, present, and future? The fast-paced action satisfies, and the portrayal of Abby's isolation and dilemma is right on target; this novel has the speed and compactness of a short story, and will leave readers craving more. An engaging and enjoyably limned journey to self-discovery. (Fiction. 12-14)