BAD CONNECTION: The Secret Life of Samantha McGregor, Book One
Melody Carlson
Multnomah
Fiction
ISBN-10: 1590526929
ISBN-13: 9781590526927
256 pages

Melody Carlson begins a new teen series featuring protagonist Samantha McGregor, an almost 17-year-old Christian with a gift for seeing prophetic events, both before they happen and in the present. Carlson's ability to convey the emotional highs and lows of growing up is already proven, so tackling the not-so-common topic of spiritual gifting seems like an appropriate next step for this prolific author. Unlike her other fiction titles, Carlson writes a friendly yet cautionary foreword to her audience --- telling them to always seek the Giver (God) of any spiritual gift, not the gift itself.

Throughout her text, Carlson frequently uses Samantha herself to remind readers that she isn’t into the occult, is not a psychic, and doesn't call on dark spiritual forces to tell the future. Fans also will find Carlson’s final remarks following the end of the story to be helpful for further study of this topic of spiritual gifts, the blessings and the warnings included.

When Samantha McGregor says that she sees things, she’s not kidding. Way back when she was only about six years old, Samantha first "saw" dreamlike yet real occurrences, pictures, places, people and events --- and her now-deceased police officer dad listened and believed her. He also told a confused Samantha that his mom had the same "gifting" and helped his daughter study God's Word to confirm and guide her to better understand how God might use this gift to assist others. Unlike her father, Samantha's mother wasn't so comfortable with the whole prophecy thing; after he died, life pretty much fell apart. Samantha grew angry with God and tried to ignore Him for a few years, her brother started using drugs and got into trouble, and her mom became a workaholic.

As time goes on, Samantha starts to draw closer to God again and the visions begin multiplying. Best friend Olivia is the only one who really understands her gift, so they try to piece together and decode the facts as they play out in front of S