MYSTERIOUS WAYS

Overwhelmed by her mysterious power, Maya Storm, who’s cued white, has a breakdown and begins the story while on a six-week “Grippy Sock Vacation” at a psychiatric hospital. Upon her discharge, she starts fresh at a new school, where she’s befriended by Lucy, a queer Korean American girl with a quick wit and entrepreneurial ambitions, and develops an instant attraction to Tyler, an olive-skinned boy with a spiritual streak. But Maya can’t shake off the anxieties of her classmates, whose unquiet thoughts plague and fuel her own: a deep generational angst over the pending climate apocalypse and other social crises, plus the constant barrage of everyday teenage stressors like body image, college admissions, and social awkwardness. A tragic accident spurs Maya to take on a personal challenge: She founds Save the Bobcats, a club that will help the local bobcat population (which would look great on her Common App) while also giving Maya a way to use her powers to help her classmates with their own challenges. Maya’s wry, older-than-her-years narration moves at a fast clip and is peppered with references both modern and retro. The depiction of Gen Z anxieties feels spot on, though Maya’s voice stretches credibility as that of an authentic teenager.