Prom Dates from Hell, by Rosemary Clement-Moore
Clement-Moore, Rosemary (2007). Prom Dates from Hell. NY: Delacorte Press. 308 pages.
Soon-to-graduate high school senior Maggie has made a career out of avoiding the popular crowd and living on the fringes of her high school’s social world, at least, as far as her jobs at the school newspaper and yearbook will allow. When Maggie notices some odd accidents at her school–made odder by the paranormal goo left at the scenes of said accidents–she becomes convinced that someone has placed a revenge curse on select members of the student body. Fortunately, Maggie has a bit of “The Sight” and an “in” with a local paranormal-studies college student to help her get to the root of the problem.
Ever since Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it’s like every young adult novel that deals with a ghost-fighting female teen has to have an ironically hip and sarcastic narrative (yes, I’m talking about you, Meg Cabot and your “Mediator” series, and you, Jennifer Barnes and your “Platinum” books). Prom Dates is no exception. The plot is a bit more complex than your average story of this ilk and, I have to say, the ending was a bit of a surprise. This type of novel would not be complete without a glimmer of love interest and the torn-between-two-potential-lovers plotline is not unsatisfying, though a bit rote.