cover image Stork

Stork

Wendy Delsol, Candlewick, $15.99 (368p) ISBN 978-0-7636-4844-2

Virulent, communicable cradle cap is an improbable candidate for the next big paranormal trend, but that is the manifestation bestowed upon 16-year-old Kat Leblanc, newly relocated to Minnesota from California and in revolt against everything in her new life. Kat is a fashion diva—arrogant, sharp-tongued, and hurting from her parents' divorce. After an impulsive episode in a backseat with someone else's boyfriend, she's also a social outcast. The only acceptance she finds is among a group of strange old women who acknowledge that she is a "Stork"—one who mystically chooses which women will become pregnant. Kat's outbreaks of cradle cap, "scratching my darn head until blood and pus trickled down," call the group to meet ("Once you start scratching, we will all get the cap"). It's a strange and gross misstep, as the book strains for novelty while Kat works her way through romantic minefields and the blossoming of her powers. First-time author Delsol is more than capable of writing convincing imaginative scenes, but they form more of a bumpy patchwork than a well-paced whole. Ages 12–up. (Oct.)