Big Bad Me

O’Loughlin offers up a gleeful gambol through paranormal pop culture in this energetic tale, which follows two indomitable sisters searching for their missing mother. Fifteen-year-old Evie Wilder, who’s diabetic, feels that her life is perfect: she has the best, if overprotective, older sister in 17-year-old Kate, and their scientist mother’s mysterious experiments and frequent research trips keep things interesting. But when the siblings learn that their mom disappeared during one of her work trips, everything starts to unravel, especially since Evie relies on her mom to administer her medication. After Evie is attacked by an unknown entity, she learns that she’s not diabetic, but a lycanthrope, and she and Kate go on the run to their mother’s last known location: a small Canadian town called Brightside. There, they meet Kevin, a 16-year-old local with secrets of his own, who helps them in their search. While the girls’ characterizations often lean on familiar tropes, their kinetic alternating perspectives—brimming with fourth-wall-breaking asides and well-timed humor—propels this lively, Buffy-esque tale. Central characters read as white. Ages 14–up. (Apr.)