The Freak — Carol Matas

Conventional wisdom says that any teenager would be thrilled to suddenly have psychic abilities. They could figure out of if that person they have a crush on returns the feeling, or find out what their friends really think of them. But would it really be good to know what other people are thinking, or planning? In this challenging novel, 15-year-old Jade survives a life-threatening illness she feels strangely different  -- she can read minds. At first she welcomes her unexpected powers, but soon her life takes another surprising turn. What she knows  -- and inadvertently tells  -- about her friends' most personal thoughts and feelings isn't exactly improving her social life. In fact, many of her friends are beginning to avoid her now that she's a freak. The fascination of being different in this way soon turns to desperation: Jade would do anything to be normal again. And what if something is about to happen, something terrible, and she alone knows it? Can she really do nothing to stop it? The Freak resonates with the reality of a teenage girl trying to navigate her world as it spins out of control.