Fade to Blue

October 1, 2009
Gr 8 Up-On Sophie Blue's 17th birthday, a nurse at her father's lab gave her a mysterious injection and her father disappeared, leaving behind a swirl of rumors about what really happened to Sophie, who has gone Goth. A year later, she has strange dreams that involve being smashed by a Popsicle truck, hears a constant hum ("gotothelabgotothelabgotothelab"), and copes with her comics-obsessed and increasingly obese younger brother O. S., as well as her out-to-lunch mom. Kenny Fade, basketball star and school heartthrob, also hears and sees bizarre things and, like Sophie, fears for his sanity. And his mother is a nurse! "Fade to Blue" takes off with a crunch (that Popsicle truck!) and careens wildly to a thought-provoking screecher of an ending in a manic rampage of plot twists, crazy characters, dark comedy, and virtual reality taken to the extreme. A fast, highly entertaining read, this novel will appeal to graphic-novel enthusiasts, techies, and anyone looking for a cleverly written, inventive romp in which every detail counts."Joyce Adams Burner, National Archives at Kansas City, MO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
Grades 8-11 To begin with, theplot of Beaudoins novel is indescribable, perhaps even incomprehensible, but deviously suggestive and, put simply, absolutely, frustratingly engrossing (which may not necessarily be a good thing). It revolves around a goth girl named Sophie Blue, a dreamy jock named Kenny Fade, and a laboratory that may be injecting kids with software code. Also, theres aice creamtruck that repeatedly kills Sophie; multiple skips between various levels of reality and virtual worlds; and a neat introduction of a comic book thateither explains everything or draws readers off into another detour. What this all boils down to is a stylishly outfitted, bafflingly structuredhead trip that's quite funny, occasionally poignant, andsince you wont understand what youre not supposed to understand, itll definitely keep you guessing. Answers? Define answers. Beaudoins written either a slim Infinite Jest for teens, or pure gibberish. So expect cultish adoration or hostile dismissal, with little in between.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
Goth teen Sophie Blue lost her father, possibly to evil scientists, maybe to the "other woman"; she also could be delusional. Readers proceed from chapter none to chapter twenty, take a comic-strip break, then return from twenty to none. This funhouse melange of action-adventure, romance, and dystopian science fiction also includes social commentary about the global economy, consumerism, and bio-engineering.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

September 1, 2009
Pity the poor assigner of fiction subject headings. Sophie Blue, an artistic Goth teen in therapy, might be delusional or even another character and gender. She has lost her father, possibly to the clutches of evil scientists, or maybe to the "other woman," who might be a deranged ex-nurse who also exists in graphic novel form. There is a vacuum repair shop in space (think Douglas Adams), a barrage of absurdist pop-culture send-ups (think Neal Shusterman), and some yodeling (think... original emerging voice in young adult fiction). As we attempt to solve a surprisingly gripping mystery, we proceed from chapter none to chapter twenty, take a brief comic-strip break, and then return from twenty to none. This funhouse mlange of action-adventure, romance, and dystopian science fiction also includes social commentary on such issues as the global economy, consumerism, and bio-engineering. Whizzing along, we become truly invested in Sophie and are relieved at the happy ending -- or was that a happy beginning?

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)