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Library | Call Number | Status |
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Searching... Sheridan Public Library | YA Cabot | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Lyons Public Library | YA CABOT | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | YA Fic Cabot, M. 2007 | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Newberg Public Library | TEEN CABOT | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
The only thing Jean Honeychurch hates more than her boring name (not Jean Marie, or Jeanette, just . . . Jean) is her all-too-appropriate nickname, Jinx. Misfor-tune seems to follow her everywhere she goes--which is why she's thrilled to be moving in with her aunt and uncle in New York City. Maybe when she's halfway across the country, Jinx can finally outrun her bad luck. Or at least escape the havoc she's caused back in her small hometown.
But trouble has definitely followed Jinx to New York. And it's causing big problems for her cousin Tory, who is not happy to have the family black sheep around. Beautiful, glamorous Tory is hiding a dangerous secret--one that she's sure Jinx is going to reveal.
Jinx is beginning to realize it isn't just bad luck she's been running from. It's something far more sinister . . . and the curse Jinx has lived under since the day she was born might just be the only thing that can save her life.
Author Notes
Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana on February 1, 1967. She recieved a fine arts degree from Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City, intent upon pursuing a career in freelance illustration. Illustrating, however, soon got in the way of Meg's true love, writing, and so she abandoned it and got a job as the assistant manager of an undergraduate dormitory at New York University, and writing on the weekends.
Meg wrote both The Princess Diaries and The Mediator: Shadowland (under the name Jenny Carroll), the first books in two series for young adults which happen to be about, among other things, teenage girls dealing with unsettling family issues. Her latest book is entitled, Insatiable.
Meg now writes full time, and lives in Key West, Florida with her husband.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up-Jean Honeychurch is so unlucky that even her family calls her Jinx. To escape an unpleasant situation with a boy who refuses to let her end their relationship, Jinx moves from Iowa to Manhattan to live with her aunt and her family in their swanky Upper East Side townhouse. It's no surprise that the klutzy, small-town 16-year-old doesn't fit in with uber-chic cousin Tory and her friends, and she definitely doesn't share their fondness for drugs and alcohol. Tory, who has been practicing witchcraft for some time, soon realizes that Jinx also has the gift and invites her cousin to join her coven. But Jinx knows the dangers of playing with magic and refuses. Tory sees Jinx's snub as a threat and plots against her. Though she wants to leave magic behind, Jinx must learn to harness the mysterious powers that are her birthright before Tory does too much damage. Cabot creates believable conflict and avoids being too fantastical, as Tory's mental instability is more dangerous than her Wiccan powers. In the vein of Avalon High (2006) and "The Mediator" series (both HarperCollins), the author delivers her signature blend of romance and wit, successfully combining upper-crust chick-lit and a tad of the supernatural into an entertaining potion that is sure to please her fans and draw in new readers.-Emily Anne Valente, New York Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Jean, aka Jinx, has been a "bad luck magnet" since the moment she was born, when a freak thunderstorm caused a hospital blackout. Now, due to a vaguely described incident involving a stalker, she has moved from Iowa to stay with her aunt's family in a ritzy New York City townhouse. Jean's regular bad luck gets worse thanks to Tory, the snotty cousin who is now her classmate at an exclusive private school. After Jean mysteriously prevents a cute neighbor from a terrible accident, Tory is convinced that Jean is a witch-just like herself, and as proof she dredges up a story their grandmother used to tell about magic in their bloodline. Jean refuses to join Tory's coven, saying, "I don't think messing around with magic is such a good thing, you know" (though she soon performs a binding spell to prevent her cousin from hurting the family's au pair). Tension between the girls rises, causing Tory to ominously declare, "I have a very special thank-you I've been saving up, just for Jinx." With its assurance of a satisfying outcome despite the odds, predictability is a virtue in a Cabot (Princess Diaries) novel, and readers will guess most plot points, including the truth behind the stalking story. Readers will enjoy the premise and the naivete of the heroine, and they'll wonder, as Jean does, how much magic is actually at play. The final supernatural showdown proves that Cabot can do harrowing just as well as she does pop romance. Ages 12-up. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
Iowa preacher's daughter Jean (known universally as Jinx) has been shipped off to rich Manhattan cousins. Farm-fresh and country-sweet, Jinx is unprepared for the cynicism, substance abuse and sexual hijinks of bitchy cousin Tory. As children, Tory and Jinx were friends, but Tory's grown selfish and vicious. She'll befriend Jinx, but only if Jinx will practice black magic with her--and since it's a spell gone awry that got Jinx sent away from Iowa, magic is definitely off limits. Meanwhile, Jinx has fallen for Zach, the hot next-door neighbor who's her best friend in New York and the object of Tory's desires. Tory's paranoid selfishness leads her to non-magical but still-devastating viciousness, and it will take all Jinx's strength of will to remain unbowed. Highly idealized, Jinx is moral, smart and powerful; her only flaw is her low self-esteem. Zach is gorgeous, quick-witted and the shining light in a pack of amoral rich teens. While too-perfect Jinx isn't as compelling as Cabot's usual heroines, the fluffy gothic romance will keep her readers happy. (Fantasy. 12-14) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Cabot has written another fast-paced teen pleaser, this time about a teenager with supernatural powers and her cousin who craves them. Since the day she was born, bad luck seems to have followed Jinx Honeychurch. Even after her parents send her to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in New York City, Jinx seems plagued by bad luck. Then Jinx's cousin Tory reminds her that their great-great-great-great-grandmother, a witch who was burned at the stake, had special talents that have been passed on to one granddaughter in each generation. Jinx, a preacher's daughter, has no intention of competing with Tory for that honor, until she discovers Tory's sinister plans. With a cauldron full of jealousy, cute boys, ample cash, and a typical high-school setting, this story has plenty of popular appeal. This isn't great literature, but it is great fun.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2007 Booklist