Review: When Lightning Strkes by Jenny Carroll

"Just because her best friend wants to exercise, Jessica Mastriani agrees to walk the two miles home from their high school. Straight into a huge Indiana thunderstorm. And straight into trouble. Not that Jess has never been in trouble before. Her extracurricular activities, instead of cheerleading or 4-H, include fist fights with the football team and monthlong stints in detention - luckily, sitting right next to Rob, the sexiest senior around. But this trouble is serious. Because somehow on that lond walk home, Jess acquired a newfound talent. An amazing power that can be used for good... or evil. Run, Jessica, Run."

This book was written by Jenny Carroll, aka Meg Cabot, and is the first in her 1-800-WHERE-ARE-YOU series. I really loved Cabot's Mediator series so I decided to try these ones. In the Mediator series, the main character, Suze, helps ghosts pass on to the next realm/life/whatever and uncovers the mysteries of their deaths to do so. In the 1-800-WHERE-ARE-YOU books, the heroine is Jess, and she has the power to locate children and people that are missing. She goes to sleep and when she wakes up she knows where they are. This aspect of the book is really good.

However, I did have a problem with Jess. She was just too obnoxious at times I thought. She is supposed to be "tough" I think, but just sounds really immature at times. Then other times she sounds like the 16-yr old she's supposed to be. I had the same problem with the first of the Mediator books and Suze, so I think that the next books in the series might not have this problem.