REVIEW: When Lightning Strikes (1-800-WHERE-R-YOU #1)

Title: When Lightning Strikes
Author: Meg Cabot
Series: 1-800-Where-R-You
Published: 2001
Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

Jess Mastriani has never been what you'd call a typical Midwestern teenager—her extracurricular activities, instead of cheerleading or 4-H, include fist-fights with the football team and month-long stints in detention. A part of Jess would like to be the prom queen her mother has always envisioned her being, but another part is secretly counting the days until she's saved up enough money to buy her own Harley.

Then something happens that guarantees Jess will be one of the in-crowd...at least until her newfound talent ends up getting her dead.

I have loved Meg Cabot since I was in high school and I first read The Princess Diaries.  So with my love of The Princess Diaries I decided to give another shorter lived series by Meg Cabot a try, and on a personal level I have really liked it.

This first book reminds me of the writing style of The Princess Diaries, Jess Mastriani is writing the story of what had happened to her.  The events of what had caused her to be able to find missing children.  Personally this is a very quick and easy read but I did love the story telling style of Jess telling the FBI her side of what happened.  This book has been in my TBR pile not because it was written by on of my all-time favorite authors, Meg Cabot, but because I watched the TV Series that was loosely based on the books.

Now onto the review, if you are one of those people who like to take a red pen to everything you read, you may want to skip this one.  I like to think that this is supposed to be written by a 16 year-old and I have read some papers I wrote at that age, I do not understand why the teacher gave me a passing grade (and there are times I still can not seem to form a sentence correctly.)  But other than a few hard to understand sentences this is a very good book.

Jess Mastriani is writing her statement of events to the FBI that led to her being able to find missing children on the milk cartons as well as the events afterwards.  Everything from being struck by lightning because her best friend wanted to walk home, to the escape from the "closed" military facility she goes to because her brother has a problem with the press on the front lawn.  Jess has a lot going on within just this first book even some everyday teen girl problems - boys.

Loved it and can not wait to enjoy the next 4 books in the series.