Book Review: Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Prom Dates from Hell
Author: Rosemary Clement-Moore
Publication: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; Reprint edition (April 22, 2008)

Description: Maggie Quinn, girl reporter. Honors student, newspaper staffer, yearbook photographer.

Six weeks from graduation and all she wants to do is get out of Avalon High in one piece. A sensible nerd would have kept her head down, done her drive-by photo shoot of the prom, and continued the countdown to Deploma Day. But fate seems to have different plans for Maggie.

High school may be a natural breeding ground for evil, but the scent of fire and brimstone is still a little out of the ordinary. It's the distinct smell of sulfur that makes Maggie suspect that something's a bit off. And when real Twilight Zone stuff starts happening to the school's ruling clique—the athletic elite and the head cheerleader and her minions, all of whom happen to be named Jessica—Maggie realizes it's up to her to get in touch with her inner Nancy Drew and ferret out who unleashed the ancient evil before all hell breaks loose.

Maggie has always suspected that prom is the work of the devil, but it looks like her attendance will be mandatory. Sometimes a girl's got to do some pretty undesirable things if she wants to save her town from soul-crushing demons from hell. And the cheerleading squad.

My Thoughts: Maggie Quinn is just holding on and laying low and waiting until graduation. She wants to let all the high school drama pass her by. But when she asked to prom by one of the nerds and then witnesses his being hazed, actually tortured, by the high school elite, she finds herself getting involved in more than she wants to.

Maggie has some sort of psychic gift that she has been denying most of her life. She doesn't want to believe any of that irrational stuff. But when the group of Jocks and cheerleaders - all named Jessica - start having some strange accidents and exhibiting strange behaviors, she finds herself involved. In fact, she was almost one of the victims when a fellow student takes her place in line for the diving board in PE class and suffers an accident. Maggie has a terror of water if she can't see the bottom and when she sees a strange shadow in the water, she just can't force herself onto the diving board.

But bad dreams and high school drama aren't enough to keep her from dredging up her hidden Nancy Drew and investigating the strange occurrences. 

This was a fun story of an intrepid - and sarcastic - high school student. I liked her circle of friends and helpers including a new love interest. I liked her supportive parents and grandmother. I liked the pop culture references which might be a bit dated for a new generation of teen readers since it was written in 2007.

This book has been sitting on my TBR mountain since 2008. But now I bought the other two books in the series and hope to read them without waiting for fifteen years. 

Favorite Quote:

I'd always thought Hamlet was a dumb play about a guy who can't make up his mind. I mean, I face the same drama in the lunch line. But at that moment I understood: When it comes to the big stuff, it is hard to decide whether to let things just happen, especially when it's to other people, or to take a stand and cause yourself a world of trouble.

I bought this one July 19, 2009. You can buy your copy here.