Devilish -- Maureen Johnson

Devilish is a re-telling of Faust, set in an all-girls Catholic school.* What better way to round out the week, right?

Jane Jarvis is described as the "angry, brainy type" in the guidebook given to incoming freshmen. Not the most flattering description, but apt. Her best friend, Allison Concord, is torn to shreds -- unfortunately, the personality quirks that Jane finds adorable in Ally are not deemed very attractive by the rest of the school populace. And the guidebook entry was written BEFORE Ally pulls a Linda Blair at the first school assembly of the year. Senior year is looking bad.

A gorgeous, smart and sweet transfer student swoops in and saves the day by appointing herself Ally's personal defender and makeover consultant. Practically overnight, Ally changes -- she's got better clothes, better hair, better posture. She's confident, she seems smarter -- and she has no time for Jane.

Then she tells Jane that all of the changes are due to the fact that she (oops) sold her soul to a demon.

Sudden hailstorms, an ex-boyfriend and a freshman stalker, a self-immolating textbook, The Big Dance and lots and lots of cupcakes figure in.

Try this one out on fans of Blue Bloods. It also deals with private school, cliques and the supernatural, so it should be an easy sell. But get this -- you won't feel guilty about recommending it, because unlike Blue Bloods, it's actually a good book. The characters are well-rounded and likeable, the plot twists are twisty and there's genuine suspense. There was a sense of closure at the end and the book works well on its own, but there's plenty of room for more. I'd definitely read a sequel.

_____________________________________

*Sorry, guys. As far as I know, there are no movie plans in the works. Yet.