Never Pick On a Jaguar Princess…it's dangers even when she doesn't
know what she is.
Hairy legs, acne and bad hair days—typical teenage traumas like this
fill young adult stories. But in this fast-paced novella, fifteen
year-old Juli Perry's problems are way beyond those things. First she
sees strange freckles on her legs—and, girl, do they itch! Then her
fingernails start to grow almost instantaneously whenever she gets
upset, her hair changes color and she has frightening dreams that come
true. Turns out she's a shapeshifter, a jaguar princess, and the Onca
Lake community to which she moved after her parents died is full of
other shapeshifters.
Add in four mean girls called the Track Pack and it's no wonder Juli
is feeling a little stressed. Her great-aunt tries to comfort her. The
cute boy in homeroom stands up for her. But in the end, it's up to
Juli to deal with everything life has thrown at her. And she's not the
only one who learns that it's a bad idea to pick on a jaguar princess.
One reviewer said: "Really interesting plot and the characters, as is
usual for T. Lynn Odom (aka Teri Thackston), are superbly
well-written. She captures the angst of teenagers in general, but also
the grief of the recently bereft. The story flowed so smoothly it was
like watching a movie in my head. I can't wait for the next book in
this series."
Inspired by the title of a video game, this story proves that
interesting ideas can come from anywhere…and that a trip to a casino
can pay off in more ways than one.