Cherie Bennett

Two related but distinct series of books based on the terrific Smallville television series were published back in the day; one aimed at junior high to early high school age fans, the other geared more toward older young adults, and/or adults who loved the show. So far I’ve read two books in the older young adult series, Hauntings and Whodunnit, of which Whodunnit was clearly the best.

See No Evil is the second book I’ve tackled in the series aimed at junior high age students. Having show more previously read Flight, written by the same authors — Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld — which I really enjoyed as a nostalgic breather from more serious books, I found See No Evil to be every bit as good as Flight, if not better in some ways.

I realize some stress over timelines and minuscule details relating to the show, of which I’m a big fan as well, but when I read these, it is simply for enjoyment and a bit of nostalgia for the show. I really don’t nitpick such unless it’s really glaring, so you won’t find that here. The main thing in series based on a television show is to get the characters right, and Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld do a wonderful job with that. In addition, they’ve provided fans with a very charming and mildly thrilling story in the Smallville world. See No Evil captures the vibe of the early years of Smallville, and the story feels like it could be a lost episode from those seasons.

Clark’s got his crush on Lana, of course, but here in See No Evil it seems more endearing and less annoying than it became over time in the show. When Lana asks Clark to help out with the sets on the school’s play of Cyrano de Bergerac, it’s a foregone conclusion that Clark will say yes. But this is the freak-of-the-week era for the show. The leading lady, Dawn, is not only mean-spirited and full of herself, but has discovered those green rocks can make her invisible. Her huge ego and vindictiveness, not to mention her growing obsession with Clark, leads to dangerous mayhem.

What transpires is actually wonderfully done. We get the freak-of-the-week stuff, we get some spot-on exchanges between the Smallville characters, we get some very real danger and, in the end, some wistful longing by Clark concerning the secret he can’t reveal, which leads to him missing out on his big chance with Lana. The writers have imbued this entry with warmth and affection, and it has some really nice moments I can’t spoil. There is even a moment of insight when Clark discovers his superpowers can’t help him act, but thanks in part to Lex, feels a rare sense of accomplishment when he achieves something using only his human ones.

See No Evil is a quietly enchanting look back at those early years of Smallville, has a very good story for this age level — but adults can enjoy it as well — and reminds you how much you miss this show. Great stuff, highly recommended. show less

I guess I just don’t understand the language of the heart, Clark thought. Maybe it’s something you see with more than just your eyes. — Sparks

A light, fun read in the book arm of the Smallville world, Sparks is a breezy and humorous entry written by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, who penned several good entries in the first of two series based on television’s Smallville. Like their others, this one is in the younger adult category, so it’s simple but also great fun, and true show more to the characters.

Sparks is very much steeped in high school and that precarious world; notably Homecoming and all that entails. This really is a fun one, with the gang interacting in a natural way as the romantic situation between Clark and Lana is yet to be settled, and Chloe also has feelings for Clark. Pete is Pete here, but not as annoying as he could sometimes be in the serious episodes, because this is lighter fare.

Allison Mack’s Chloe was always a favorite in the show, and Chloe gets lots to do in this very sweet story sure to please fans — young or older. When Chloe gets touched by a green rock spark from the big fireworks show at the high school which Lex has arranged, it turns Chloe’s cool girl you want to hang with persona into an irresistible attraction from any boy in her sphere. Always in Lana’s shadow, especially where Clark has been concerned, every boy in school, including all the jocks, and a young artist friend of Lex’s who has come to lecture, suddenly wants to be with her.

Even Clark is not immune — though he realizes fairly early on that something is not quite right. Chloe is skeptical of her sudden appeal at first, thinking it must be a prank or even a cruel joke. Once she realizes it’s happening for real however, she embraces her newfound popularity with the boys in a big way, finally getting a taste of what it’s like to be her friend Lana. This provides some chuckles throughout, and a few real laughs.

Clark finally gets to the bottom of it all with some help from his dad; Clark knows what the meteor rock does to his powers, and it is only teenagers who fall under Chloe’s spell, making Johnathan and Lex immune. What happens once the effect of the meteor rock is reversed on the eve of the Homecoming King and Queen voting is warm and sweet, a small but nice message that adds to the book’s charm.

Fans will fly through this immensely readable entry in the series, of which there is far too few. It’s difficult to find at this juncture, but a fun breezy time if you are able to track one down somewhere. Recommended for Smallville fans, but remember this was written for a much younger audience. show less

I read this as an impressionable seventh or eighth grader, already saddled with a substantial amount of body dysphoria. I think about this book all the time, similar to Go Ask Alice; it's so irresponsible and exploitative and I can't believe it was still in schools 9 years after publication, and more, that people have read it in the last decade and think it has any value.

Lara's life is picture perfect: she is pretty, popular, talented, has a loving perfect boyfriend and a "perfect" family and most of all, she is thin. Then her life takes a 180 degree flip: she gets fat. She goes from 109 pounds to over 200 in a matter of months. It ruins her social life as well as disappointing her image-obsessed parents. At home, the family begins to crumble.

Lara learns a lot about physical beauty and its hold it has on adolescent young women. She no longer has (popular) show more friends, and, as a result, finds herself gravitating toward the "unpopular" kids, kids she never thought about or even shunned when she was thin and popular.

I think this book is important: it's not a shallow book even though it deals with topics such as beauty pageants, popularity, boyfriends, etc. and it describes a (possible) eating disorder which is not Anorexia or Bulimia. We empathize with Lara as she keeps gaining weight for no foreseeable reason (though at one point in the book the diagnosis of [the fictitious disorder] "Axell-Crowne is discussed), and she remains obsessed with her weight, as she did when she was thin, but for very different reasons.

The one bright spot in Lara's life is her best friend Molly. She sticks by her side even as she gains weight and falls out of the popular crowd. Eventually the family moves to Michigan, and Lara starts high school as the "fat" girl. However, she continues playing the piano, and ends up with a teacher who sees her talent and invites her to a club where she performs. She meets yet more people who are "different" and as a result becomes much less image/weight-obsessed, less shallow, and more accepting of people who are not perfect, as she once was. Ultimately, while she doesn't totally accept her weight (and she does lose a few pounds toward the end of the book), her outlook on life is changed forever. show less