Tattoo

TATTOO: Jennifer Lynn Barnes: Delacorte Press: Young Adult: 260 pgs.

It started out like a typical Saturday. Delia dragged Bailey, Annabelle, and Zo to the mall. Zo is barely hanging on in their shopping adventures, however with the promise of a triple chili-cheese dog at the food court she agrees to stop at one last kiosk. The woman in charge of the kiosk is rather mysterious, but helps the girls select some great accessories. She doesn’t give Bailey anything specific, but rather lets her choose for herself. Bailey through an act of klutzily knocking out a drawer finds some temporary tattoos. After they put on the tattoos, Bailey begins to hear voices and later discovers she can start fires with her mind. Delia receives the power of transmortification, the ability to change an object into something else just by thinking about it. Annabelle can read minds and Zo has premonitions. All of these powers, they discover, become necessary to protect the girls and their classmates at the high school dance when an ancient mythical goddess comes to town.

Tattoo combines Greek mythology with superpowers. Bailey and her friends are strong female characters that learn how to use their unique gifts for good. Delia is often the comic relief character as she turns locks to butterscotch pudding and shoes into roller blades during a chase scene. Boys may not be as interested since the protagonists are girls and there is quite a bit of dialogue concerning shopping and accessorizing.