The Weatherboy 


PARANORMAL/SUSPENSE:  Reed Darby may not be your typical sixteen-year-old. After all an aspiring meteorologist who is obsessed with all things weather probably doesn’t factor into most teenage descriptions. Being considered a little strange is the least of his problems compared to the turn his life is about to take. A stray bolt of lightning, a random rock, and a whole lot of magic will change the course of Reed’s future. Suddenly it seems that his boss may be more than just a little eccentric, and the titles or arch-nemesis, and supervillain, no longer belong solely in the pages of comic books, and it may be up to Reed to save the world! If his life is about to take on superhero qualities, he hopes this at least comes with the chance of getting the girl of his dreams. You know, the important things!

This is a cute young adult adventure, a little throw back to when kids just randomly acquired some kind of superpower from things such as a spider bite. Unlike many books in the genre, there are no magic schools, dystopian style events, or ridiculously grown up teenagers. If anything, this skews a little to the younger side and allows moments of childlike joy to permeate what could so easily turn into another mopey teen angst drama. Although edging a little too far into areas of disbelief that pulled the reader out of the story, overall, this is a fun read with original characters.

Melanie Newton