Youth Group

In middle school and high school, I was very involved in the Methodist Youth Fellowship group at a United Methodist Church. It met every Sunday evening for an hour, and I went every week. I think at one point, I might have been the corresponding secretary, which meant that I wrote letters to other youth groups? It's all kind of fuzzy. There were a number of people from my school who went there, and it was something I looked forward to. There were retreats, Bake-a-thons, Christmas plays, service projects, and, oh yeah, some religious stuff. 

Had it involved fighting demons, I would have been even more interested! 

Morris, Jordan and McCurdy, Bowen (illus.). Youth Group
July 16, 2024 by First Second
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Kay's parents are divorced, and she doesn't see her father very much, since he's bought a jet ski and recently been possessed by a demon. Kay isn't his biggest fan, but it hurts when he doesn't even answer her phone calls. Her mother is trying to make new connections, and asks Kay to go to church with her. Kay isn't thrilled with the cheesy youth group, run by young adults Meg and Cortland, who work with the bearded minister who likes to tell dad jokes and quote The Pina Colada song in the worship service. When Kay runs into the three in the woods trying to perform an exocism on Cortland's roommate, she finds out that the youth group fights demons. Not only that, but other religious groups in the area (Catholics, a Jewish Temple, and even Wiccans) fight them as well, although the groups tend not to get along very well. Kay turns out to be a "Blight", which is someone whom demons are not able to possess, but because of this, the demons are out to get her, since if they have the blood of a Blight, they can walk the Earth in their true demonic forms instead of having to possess a host. While Kay thinks that Meg is a bit overly cheery, and is a little alarmed at Cortland's past, she is enjoying training to fight demons. Meg arranges a party for the other groups so they can combine forces, and it's somewhat successful. Some of the groups even have Blights of their own. When the minister meets a horrible end, and the demonic forces are becoming a bigger and bigger threat, will Kay and her new friends be able to fight them and keep California safe before heading off to college in New York City?

This is more of a young adult book, with lots of mentions of drugs and alchohol, but isn't too bad as far as language and other activities. I wish more time had been spent on Kay's family, because the difficulties with her father make her desire to fit in with a group all the more compelling, even if it isn't exactly the group she would have chosen. Her mother was an interesting character. The illustrations are appealing, and fighting demons is always an intriguing premise for a book. 

I have very few students who are involved in youth groups, and I wonder if they might have more traditional views that would frown on reading about demons, so the audience for this could be tricky. It's more likely to hit the mark with disaffected youth like Kay, who like to wear all black and dream about leaving home for greener pastures, which are always wherever they are not currently. It's a good choice for high schools where graphic novels are popular.