Meg Cabot - Missing You (2006)

This is the fifth and final book in Cabot's Missing series.

Years have passed and Jess is in New York with her friend Ruth, studying at Julliard and trying to forget the past. After stopping the True Americans Jess joined the FBI  and ended up in Afghanistan fighting a war. The trauma burnt out her abilities and she returned home, broken, lost and unable to find herself. Then the last person she wants to see turns up, her ex-boyfriend Rob Wilkins, and he wants her to do the one thing she can't, find his missing sister.

This was a great ending to the series. I loved seeing Jess all grown up and coming to terms with her abilities and her life. It was great seeing her brother Douglas striking out on his own after he'd spent most of the series ill too. All very satisfying as bittersweet endings go. The subject matter was dark, child pornography, but the new adult Jess dealt with it without blowing anything up (so disappointing, I love explosions!). Cabot had brought about full character development over the years, Jess went from a young angry girl to an adult who understands that violence doesn't solve anything.

Meg Cabot - Sanctuary (2002)

This is the fourth book in Cabot's Missing series.

It's Thanksgiving and Jess is busy trying to get out of dinner with her family so she can make it to her boyfriend Rob's house to eat with him and his mother. On her way home she's stopped by police who've found the body of her neighbour, covered in racist carvings, left dead in a field.

Jess had known he was missing, but she'd thought he was out with friends so she hadn't tried to 'see' where he was. Now she blames herself and when another boy goes missing Jess is determined to use her abilities to find him and put the racist murderers in gaol, even if it outs her to the FBI.

Another dark storyline, but well-written. Cabot finds solutions to the darkness and gives us the happy ending we rarely get in real life. It's difficult to write books like this for young adults without making them adult books, but Cabot manages it. I really like this series, there's so many great characters with simple lives that are so interesting. Jess may have psychic abilities thrust on her, but she's an ordinary girl in all other ways. The books are worth reading just to experience the interactions between Jess, her family, friends and the FBI.

Meg Cabot - Safe House (2002)

This is the third book in Cabot's Missing series.

Jess is back from summer camp and finds herself blamed for the death of fellow student Amber Mackay. Amber had disappeared while Jess was away and didn't know she was missing, but that doesn't make the students at Ernest Pyle High School any less angry at Jess. When another girl goes missing everyone looks to Jess to save her and she's forced into trying to save Heather, whilst keeping her family safe from the FBI.

Considering this was a murder mystery it wasn't too heavy. Cabot is good at writing books where the subject matter doesn't draw you into the dark too deeply, but you're still wanting good to win and evil to be pummeled into gooey pulp. You can recognise that you're in Hell, but it doesn't overwhelm you. I like that about these books. They're darker than Cabot's Princess Diaries (which was more light than dark), but I can see how they're the next level up for kids developing. This is their first look at the horrors of the world and how to live with or fight it.

Meg Cabot - Code Name Cassandra (2001)

This is the second book in Cabot's series 'Missing'.

Jess, aka Lightning Girl, has told the world she's lost her powers to protect her family and friends from the media and government's constant harassment. To get away from it all she takes a job at a musically gifted summer camp, hours from home, and hopes it's far enough to put the last few months behind her. Everything's going great until a desperate father turns up needing Jess to find his daughter and the outcome has her running for her life.

I like any Meg Cabot book. They're fun young adult books. Lots of adventure and none of the trauma that the equivalent adult book throws at you. This is a great book, it's part of my I'm-stuck-in-bed-sick-and-need-a-happy-book shelf of books.

Meg Cabot - Love you to Death (Mediator 1) (2000)

Susannah Simon is a mediator - she resolves issues for the dead and sends them on their way, sometimes a little forcefully with a bit of chicken's blood, some vanilla scented candles and a small exorcism.  No big!

All this was fine in New York, who'll notice the crazy amongst rushing millions? But, Suze's mother re-married and moved to California, the land of sun, surf and homicidal ghosts. Not to mention her lush new bedroom is already occupied - by a dead-cute boy.

Between a new high school, family and the undead Suze might just be in over her head.

This was an AWESOME book! I love Cabot's take on 'I see dead people'.  It's nice to see (mostly) ordinary ghosts who are just like when they were alive and generally need one thing resolved so they can move on. It's teenage fiction, so I didn't expect horror anyways, but Cabot brings a cheerfulness to the story that really draws you in and makes you happy.