We’ve all heard of the people who find Jesus or The Virgin Mary in a grilled cheese or a slice of toast. We’ve heard of these things becoming internet phenomena, being sold on eBay, attracting millions.

VIRGIN TERRITORY, the latest from James Lecesne, is the story of a guy who gets wrapped up in the latest Blessed Virgin Mary hullabaloo when her face supposedly appears on a tree at the half-rate golf course where he works as a caddy. Of course, Dylan — named for Bob Dylan, his mom’s favorite poet and singer — is confused that so many people from around the country would travel to Jupiter, Florida to see the BVM (as her followers sometimes call her) and ask for a miracle. To Dylan, it’s just a tree with a funny scar on it. But then he meets Angela, a girl unlike any girl he has ever met. And she inducts him into the Virgin Club, a club with two rules: You must “a) want something and b) take a risk.”

Together, Dylan, Angela, Desiree, and Crispy begin a summer of mischief. Which is fine with Dylan — he’s had nothing to do since his father, Doug, took away his computer and with it his internet access, due to certain indiscretions with a much older and sexily screennamed e-pal. And aside from Doug and his grandmother who lives in the place due to her quickly progressing Alzheimer’s, it’s not like Dylan has anyone else to hang out with. He hasn’t heard from his supposed best friend in weeks. So The Virgin Club it is.

Soon, though, Dylan realizes that he’s falling in love with Angela, and Crispy is telling him she can’t be trusted. Dylan’s grandfather, Marie, is escaping the place more often than usual, resulting in city-wide searches for the elderly woman. And Dylan’s boss, a former golf pro just one slip away from his next stint in rehab, is willing to do just about anything to get the “Holy Rollers” off his property so he can get back to business as usual. It’s not long before Dylan starts to empathize with the BVM-followers, realizing that all these people have a story. Remembering his mom, Kat, who died when he was little, changing his life for ever, Dylan has to wonder how their lives would have been different if she were still around.

This is a lovely story, filled with charm and insight, with a fun and eclectic cast of characters who feel like your friends by the time you turn the last page. The setting is brilliant — you can almost feel the humidity of Jupiter, Florida as you read, following The Virgin Club’s antics. Not quite a love story, not quite a family drama, VIRGIN TERRITORY is an entertaining and heartfelt look at a pocket of our culture that so often gets swept under the rug. It’s definitely worth checking out! ( )

After Dylan's mother died, his father decided that they should move to Florida to be close to his mother, who suffered from Alzheimers. Dylan works as a caddy on a golf course, until a sighting of the Blessed Virgin Mary brings hundreds of people to see a tree on the course. Among the people are a group of teens, including a very beautiful girl, whose mothers have brought them along. Dylan, a loner since arriving in Florida, becomes part of their group. ( )

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

You've seen the reports on the news -- the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary appears on a grain elevator or on a grilled cheese sandwich. Well, it has happened on a Florida golf course where Dylan Flack works as a caddy, and the whole thing is about to throw his life into a tailspin.

Dylan and his dad left New York City after his mother's death. It wasn't his idea, but his dad thought it would be good to start over somewhere new. Mr. Flack left his videographer job and now works as a landscaper, perhaps in an effort to bury his problems instead of facing them. Dylan is along for the ride and trying to make the best of it.

Named after Bob Dylan by his poet mother, Dylan has never been very close to his dad. Now, enough time has passed since his mother's death that he is disturbed to realize he is unable to remember her face. The fact that his father left all the family photos behind in New York City hasn't helped their father/son relationship. Dylan's job caddying at the golf course is about the only thing getting him through the summer.

When the figure of the Virgin Mary is discovered in the bark of one of the golf course's trees, everyone begins to descend on the sleepy little town of Jupiter, Florida. That's when Dylan meets Angela. She is one of several teens who arrive in town because their mothers are Virgin Mary groupies. They follow what they call the BVM sightings like roadies following a rock band.

The teens welcome Dylan into their group and use his knowledge of the local area to create interesting entertainment to while away the time until their parents move them to the next location. Dylan is struck by Angela's beauty and drawn by her risk-taking behavior. He has hopes that with her around the summer might offer more than attempting to please his father and helping old guys cart around their golf gear. For him, the appearance of the Virgin on the tree may be a "blessing" of another kind.

VIRGIN TERRITORY by James Lecesne is a quirky tale of one young man's struggle to face his mother's death and form some sort of bond with a father he doesn't really understand. While many are struggling to "see" the Virgin in the tree bark, Dylan and his father are struggling to figure out what's next for them after losing the one connection that held everything together. ( )