Title: Out of Body
Author: Kimberly Baer
Genre: Young adult paranormal/sci-fi
Book Blurb:
Those weird dreams Abby Kendrick has been having? Turns out they aren’t dreams after all. They’re out-of-body experiences, like the ones her cousin Logan is having. At first Abby has fun with her new ability, using it to spy on her neighborhood crush and spook a mean girl. But when Logan gets in trouble on the astral plane, the game changes, and Abby must bend the rules of out-of-body travel as she journeys to a distant realm. Her mission is a perilous one, and success is not guaranteed. Can she save Logan and find her way home again? Or will the cousins be lost forever on the astral plane?
My Review:
What if you could move through time and space unseen, floating through doors and roofs? No, you’re not a ghost. You’re experiencing astral projection, the ability for your spirit to leave your body and travel near and far.
That’s the gift Abby Kendrick, 15, discovers she has. And she’s not the only one in the family with the power. Her best friend and cousin, Logan, has been having out-of-body experiences for a while.
We meet Abby when she believes her life couldn’t get any worse. At one time, she had plenty of friends and a full social life. Wait. Those friends belonged to Logan. When his family moves, the friends scatter and she’s trying to pick up the pieces. This is before she discovers her gift.
When she realizes her weird dreams are really out-of-body experiences, she tests her ability, by bobbing in and out of neighborhood houses. Later, she spies on the mean girls of her high school and seeks a bit of spirited revenge.
Things become serious when Logan is lost on the astral plane and she must find him somewhere in the vastness of the universe, even if it means putting her own life in danger.
This novel works so well because the author has captured the essence of teen angst. Ostracized by the cool kids, Abby desperately wants to be accepted. It’s the story every teen can relate to (some of us older folks too). It’s also the story of the bonds of friendship, family ties, and universal love.
Baer’s descriptions of astral travel, and especially Abby’s adjusting to it, are exquisitely written, taking the reader not only around the world—Mount Rushmore and the Eiffel Tower—but throughout the entire universe (or universes).
This is no easy feat. Astral projection is not the topic of your ordinary dinner table conversation. But she embraces the subject with grace and skill, as she shows its possibilities and its dangers.
And the compassion shown by these teen travelers restores your faith in humanity as they encounter an evolving world with inhabitants as different from humans as one could possibly imagine.
There are so many things to love about this book, starting with Abby’s hometown, Eerie. It comes with a past that fits its name and the streets are appropriately named. Dancing Demons Drive, and Hellfire Place are two examples.
Then there’s the obvious, the topic of astral projection.
Thanks to Kimberly Baer’s imagination and her gift for words, we’re swept along the astral plane right along with Abby and Logan. And it’s a wild, wonderful ride that shouldn’t be missed.
My Rating: 5+ stars
Buy it Now:
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/book/1144460559?ean=9781509253074
Author Biography:
Kimberly Baer is an author and professional editor who was born and raised in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a town marginally famous for having endured three major floods. She even lived there during one of them. She enjoys power-walking on days when it’s not too hot, too cold, too rainy, too snowy, or too windy. On indoor days, you're likely to find her hard at work on her next novel or binge-watching old episodes of Survivor, her favorite guilty pleasure.
Kim has had her nose in a book practically since birth. Her first story, written at age six, was about a baby chick that hatched out of a little girl’s Easter egg after somehow surviving the hard-boiling process. These days she writes in a variety of genres, including adult romantic suspense, young adult, and middle-grade. Her books are published by The Wild Rose Press and have won several awards.
Social Media Links:
Website: www.kimberlybaer.com
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/kimberly_baer
Reviewed by: Terry