Strange Girl

Strange Girl by Christopher Pike, 413 pages

Aja is unusual.  When she appears in Elder, South Dakota, Fred is almost immediately drawn to her.  She is beautiful, quiet, and fascinating.  It becomes quickly clear that odd things happen when Aja is around: people who were injured or ill are healed and angry mobs become calm.  Many people think that Aja is the cause, but disagree on whether her power is good or evil.  Aja herself is somewhat enigmatic about the power.  Fred is uncertain about what he believes but is determined to protect Aja.  This was a well written book that might appeal to teens who like books with a science fiction bent.  The one drawback is that this book doesn’t have a lot of action.  Although the main character is a boy, I don’t feel like the book has strong boy appeal.