I vaguely remember seeing a book or two from this vintage ChristFic YA series when I was a kid or kid-adjacent. I believe updated editions of the books came out about a decade ago, but my nostalgic self wanted to try one of the originals.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this first book. It's funnier and, well, smarter and somewhat grittier than I anticipated. Not too corny or simplistic, and while it isn't the kind of story that would keep me guessing at every turn, I also wouldn't have predicted every little thing these characters say and do.

Granted, some of the dialogue, especially in the beginning, is obvious info-dumping to introduce members of the cast, and there are little moments when the characters don't exactly talk like teens, I'd say. For instance, I wouldn't imagine an everyday adolescent in the 1990s using phrases like, "We mustn't...!" in normal conversation with their friends.

On another note, I've got to say that people, young people included, don't necessarily exude something great or "special" just because they're Christians. For whatever individual reasons, Christian folks vary in personality, attitude, sense, etc. as much as anybody else, whether particular attributes of theirs are positive, negative, or neither. I've often seen a general picture painted in certain Christian books, movies, skits, and such implying that if you put a bunch of random people in a room, then the kindest, wisest, most at peace, most welcoming, "special" people full of light in the room are bound to be Christians. A religious idealistic idea that isn't an accurate one.

But, hey. I'm reading a ChristFic teen novel from the '90s. So, it's no surprise that in the case of the key players in this story, the young character who has something "really special" about her happens to be a Christian.

Even so, while she's open about her faith, she isn't preachy or pushy about it here, and the overall story doesn't revolve around her or what she has to say just because it's ChristFic. Without any forced sermons or come-to-Jesus moments that wouldn't have fit the story, the book is entertaining while also offering some serious ideas and realistic questions worth thinking about.

I'm quite looking forward to continuing the series. ( )

Interesting concept about having a high school broadcast/journalism class, however, I found the character development a bit lacking in the early going. A large cast gets introduced with very little reason behind it and it's hard to know who's who and who's important. ( )

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