Review The Freak Essay, Research Paper

Carol Matas is the award-winning author of many highly acclaimed young adult novels. The Freak is another wonderful book. Her previous stories include, Lisa, Jesper, The Burning Time, Sworn Enemies and her latest book, Telling.

The Freak, a fiction for young adults, tells a thrilling adventure story. A marvelous heroine who turns what she considers a terrible liability into a powerful gift. Jade, a fifteen-year-old who is stricken with life-threatening meningitis one summer, but recovers and has new powers added. Jade is psychic, she can predict the future.

“I told nobody about my family,” he whimpers. “You tied into the police or something?”

“No,” I say, “I can see things. I’m a witch!”

Many of her friends are avoiding her because she is different, a freak. Jade wants to do anything just to be normal again. Some gang at school is threatening all the Jews including her. The problem is they can’t prove anything. Jade goes through difficult times in her life. She experiences conflicts with the skinheads because of her religious status. She tries to ignore her predictions of the future and attempts to go on with her life.

Suddenly everything she foresaw happened. Her parents tell her it was just a coincidence and she had nothing to do what happened. Jade’s powers now become more real, more alive. She finds out the truth behind all this and has to make a decision.

This is a well-written book, its clear, concise and fast paced adventure. It has a lot to with teenagers these days. Many of them are in conflict with themselves. They don’t know which choices to make when they have to live up to other people’s expectations.