cover image Beatle Meets Destiny

Beatle Meets Destiny

Gabrielle Williams, Marshall Cavendish, $17.99 (352p) ISBN 978-0-7614-5723-7

This quirky Australian import is founded on the notion that an 18-year-old named John Lennon (and thus known as "Beatle") might find his destiny in a girl named Destiny McCartney. Highly superstitious Beatle, who already has a wonderful girlfriend, believes that his meeting Destiny on the night of Friday the 13th—when he normally avoids being out after dark—signifies they are meant to be together. Destiny, one of nine siblings all bearing meaningful names (Hope, Faith, Frank, Ernest, etc.), does not believe in destiny or in "signs," as her friends do, but is attracted to Beatle. The boy-with-girlfriend-meets-new-girl scenario is the only traditional aspect of Williams's quick-paced novel, set in the suburbs of Melbourne; she delivers a romance filled with highly original characters, multilayered plots, and idiosyncratic twists. The book's offbeat nature is established on the first page, when Beatle is introduced as a "nonidentical" twin with a "nonidentical" birthday: his twin sister was born six weeks after him, earning them a Guinness record. Clever, amusing, yet surprisingly thoughtful, the book will appeal to readers looking for something a little different. Ages 13–up. (Oct.)