Maggie Quinn, Girl Vs. Evil: Prom Dates from Hell by Rosemary Clement-Moore

I have just one question for you, my adolescent friends: How the HELL did I miss reading this cheese-tastic gem when it first came out?! Part Buffy, part Supernatural and all kinds of awesome, PDFH is the first volume in the Maggie Quinn chronicles (Girl vs. Evil), the story of a reluctant high school seer and her propensity for attracting demons and their cloven-hoofed ilk. Maggie is an almost-graduated senior who enjoys a bit of amateur sleuthing when she’s not behind the camera in her role as girl-reporter on the school paper. Her nose begins to twitch with the smell of brimstone when one by one, the ruling senior clique begins to suffer a series of near-fatal accidents. Now, Maggie’s always had a little precognition going on, but seeing as she prefers logic over lunacy, she tends to downplay her telepathic talent. This time she has no choice but to heed what her third eye is showing her, especially when it becomes apparent that a certain something summoned from the PIT OF HELL is stalking Avalon High’s Barbie & Ken set. But don’t worry, Maggie’s got plenty of help on her side, namely in the form of college hottie Justin, one of her dad’s research assistants who is practically a certified ghost hunter himself; and bo-hunk Brian, a muscle-y Ken doll who’s defected from the football crowd because he’s decided that quirky Mags is more his six pack of beer. What makes things even more complicated is that not only does Maggie have to banish demons, finish her English paper and decide which boy toy to snog, she also has to find a decent prom dress. Because what demon in his right mind could resist the levels of “grief and terror and angst and woe” that can only occur on prom night? Maggie will have to meet the demon on Prom Ground Zero if she wants to vanquish it, and the results are NOT gonna be pretty! I just loved this outrageous supernatural romp. Among  the sheer number of Buffy rip-offs and Twi-wannabes that crowd the book and DVD shelves these days, Rosemary C-M’s mystical offering manages to stand out, mainly because of Maggie’s snarly, sassy voice. The teen psychic’s one-liners are to die for, and how’s about those wicked, kick-ass covers? Although I’ve only read the first episode of Maggie’s eerie adventures, I look forward to tearing through the rest soon some dark and stormy night. Fun with a capital “F”!