The She: A Chilling Young Adult Mystery About a Mother's Disappearance at Sea and Shocking Family Secrets

by Carol Plum-Ucci

On a rainy night eight years ago, Evan Barrett's parents were lost at sea. In horror, he listened to their frantic Mayday calls on the ship-to-shore radio, to his mother's cries for mercy--and to the deafening shrieks that answered her back.

Now seventeen, Evan has gone in search of answers to his parents' strange disappearance. The only explanation that makes any sense to him is that they were swallowed up by The She, a legendary sea creature that devours ships. But when Evan's quest for the truth uncovers shocking allegations against his parents, he must deal with the possibility that everything he knows about his family is a lie.

Includes a reader's guide.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Horror, Supernatural, Fantasy, Paranormal, Teen

372 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Carol Plum-Ucci is a young adult novelist and essayist. Plum-Ucci’s most famous work to date is The Body of Christopher Creed, for which she won a Michael L. Printz Award in 2002 and was named a finalist to the Edgar Allan Poe Award. Describing her subjects as "the most common, timeless, and most heart-felt teenagers," Plum-Ucci is widely recognized for her use of the South Jersey shore to set scenes for engaging characters embracing suspense themes.

Reviews

[Sarah Hadd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loooove this author. A YA author which this kind of depth and imagery, and I never meet anyone who even knows she exists. Highly recommended anything by Carol Plum-Ucci.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evan Barrett and his older brother, Emmett, grew up listening to tales of sea monsters and superstitions from their sea captain father. Therefore, when his parents went out for a simple voyage, and their cries of Mayday mix with the terrifying shriek of an unnatural being, Evan is convinced that the The She claimed another set of victims.

Blocking out the events of that horrible night, Evan's memories flood back as he interacts with Grey Sheiley, a classmate who watched The She suck a girl from her capsized boat. As they try to discover the fine line between fact and fiction, they develop a growing respect as well as an understanding of each other's personal demons. And, Evan finds out that with Grey, still waters run deep.

I had to work to read this novel. The cover was so cool that I figured it had to get better, but the reality is that it never did - "don't judge a book by its cover." The author took nearly 300 pages to get to any kind of action, and the love story was too contrived and predictable. In fact, the entire story was cliche and boring. Very disappointing.

[Jaemi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book it's hard to form an opinion about. On the one hand, I really liked it, on the other I wanted to throw it at something. If you're prepared to have your feet knocked out from under you time and again, you'll be just fine.

It's funny, because the storyis about a teenager trying to come to grips with some haunts of his past, and adolescence alone will surely do that to you, let alone the ambiguity surrounding his parents' death. So in that respect, the style is really right on. And I suppose a good thriller will keep you on your toes, have you sure you've got it just to yank it away again.

My favorite Plum-Ucci book is still What Happened to Lani Garver, but The She was definitely and interesting and fairly exciting read. If you're into local myths and legends (The She hails from New Jersey, here), then this book may well be right up your alley. Same if you like the author or a good mind-twist. But if you want a nice, simple, easy and calm read...this is not the book you want to get your hands on.

[Morgan F · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read The Body of Christopher Creed and What Happened to Lani Garver by Carol Plum-Ucci, and I have to say I liked this one about the same.

Plum-Ucci has a way of mixing teen problems with almost-supernatural mysteries. I've long ceased expecting any definite conclusions to come from her work. While there was A LOT of talking in this book, I give props to the characters. The characters in this book, particularly Grey, and complex and endearing. The plot was a little slow, and I wasn't at the edge of my seat, but by the end of the book I was certainly absored. And I still have oh so many questions.

If you liked other books by the author, than you will like this one.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was enjoyable enough and held my interest. The ending was not unsatisfying exactly. It's more I don't feel the characters reacted to the events of the ending in a believable way, and I don't agree with the philosophical conclusions the characters' reactions imply about the ending.

For those into brothers: The relationship between Evan and Emmett is central to the story. There was a little too much emphasis on childhood bullying and teasing for my taste, but overall the relationship is depicted positively. My main complaint is, for me, Emmett's flaws went beyond the flaws necessary to make him a well-rounded and believable character, and actually made him not function in the fictional big brother role the way I would have liked.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed by Mark Frye, author and reviewer for TeensReadToo.com

Carol Plum-Ucci has established a niche for her mysteries by blending realism and the unexplained. Following upon the success of THE BODY OF CHRISTOPHER CREED and WHAT HAPPENED TO LANI GARVER?, the author penned a credible tale that is part problem novel and part supernatural thriller. THE SHE takes the reader to familiar territory in young adult fiction--death, drug abuse, rebellion against authority, and dysfunctional families--while also presenting a haunting overtone that prevails from the first page to the last.

As a child, Evan overheard his parents' death at sea from the radio in their bedroom and continues to struggle with the circumstances that claimed their lives over ten years later. Were they drug smugglers who faked their death only to escape the authorities? Or were they the victim of a legendary sea monster rumored to have caused many shipwrecks along the neighboring shores?

As he struggles to find the truth, he is joined by an unlikely female ally, a mentally-unstable "wild child" named Grey. Evan distrusts her initially due to their "bad history," but mutual sympathy and affection grows as they realize they both need to discover the truth about the local legendary sea monster, known only as "The She."

As in her earlier novels, Plum-Ucci presents likeable anti-heroes as her main characters. Evan is popular at school but rebellious; Grey is infamous and feared, a practitioner of cruel jokes. They are the kind of characters one is drawn to, despite parental wishes. As their own tangled pasts are unwound, they grow more and more sympathetic to each other and the reader.

Another subplot is Evan's relationship with his brother, a source of tension in his life. The brothers ongoing debate about their parents disappearance represents the dichotomy of rationality/skepticism vs. curiosity/faith; the reader will identify with both sides of this "coin." We are drawn to believe in myths and legends, but steeped well enough in the 21st-century to want a rational explanation for the unexplained. Each of them is forced to confront the other's point of view at critical junctures of the story, leaving the reader in suspense. Is there a sea monster? Or is there a rational explanation for their parents' disappearance?

This tension remains to the very end of the novel, making it an enjoyable page-turner. It comes highly recommended.

[Anita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very engrossing, the main character reminds me a little of Odd Thomas, but without Odd's gift. All the characters are believable and the author makes you care about all of them. Someone else wrote a review that it is "pretty good at blending the real and supernatural, and having ambiguity that isn't annoying." That says it way better than what I had originally!!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting. It is about a kid who's parents died in a boat crash and he hears this screetching sound that only animals can hear. The way he can hear it is b/c his ears are deformed. He tries to prove his parents are inocent from a drug ring. The sad part at the end of the book is that he doesn't end up w/ the love of his life. :(

[Sam Kroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

For most of the book, i ricocheted between loving it and hating it. I'm still not sure if i love or hate it either. A good book, and a read that makes you think, with some supernatural forces in the book along with people who try to scientifically explain these forces. Read it and decide for yourself

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book, but unless you are a sailor or maritime expert it got hard to understand at times. The ending was a little predictable , but a must read.....

[Nick Whatever · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost feel bad giving this one star but that's my personal rating. In all honesty, I did not finish it and I did not want too. I read to page 85 and I honestly could not force myself to read any more.
Where do I start?... I did not like the characters, the writing style or the subject. The plot sounds interesting but it just fell flat really quickly. It wasn't exactly horrendous... but I definitely did not like it. If I couldn't force myself to finish a book thats extreme but I couldn't even force myself to read halfway through this one. I just found it extremely hard to keep track and understand what was going on in this book. I never really knew what was happening and who was who. ALSO they introduced Sammy like out of no where with no introduction and apparently he had a whole back story. I found it really hard to believe that they made a book this hard to understand. I even tried to read back into the book to try and understand and I still couldn't. It was not written well at all and I wish I had never wasted my time getting this book. Lastly, it was extremely off putting. One moment I am reading like something excited is about to happen, then the next somebody dies. This book was just awful and I would NEVER recommend anybody reading this or wasting there time looking at it.

[Sidney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I gave this book three stars because I didn't really find this book interesting. I picked it out because I thought the cover was really cool but overall the book was just boring to me. To me the book was very slow and it didn’t get to the point fast. This story is about Evan Barret and Emmet his older brother listening to stories of monsters in the sea and just made up fairytale stories about the sea from their father that is a sea captain. Because their father was a sea captain their parents were always in the sea sailing. One day something happened in the sea and the boat sank and they lost both of their parents. Now that they lost their parents their aunt adopted them. They were a very private person and didn’t really talk about what happened or how they feel about the situation. Until a few years later Evan got assigned with a girl named Gray and she also lost her parents due to the same thing. Gray is the type of person to want to know what happened to her parents death and tries to figure out the mystery while Evan isn’t but Gray starts getting Evan sucked into those things like thinking of how they passed away. The town made up a rumor that the boat got eaten by a monster in the sea called The she and then everyone just started to think that was the reason why his parents passed away.

[Isaiah Macleay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evan Barrett and his older brother, Emmett, grew up listening to tales of sea monsters and superstitions from their sea captain father. Therefore, when his parents went out for a simple voyage, and their cries of Mayday mix with the terrifying shriek of an unnatural being, Evan is convinced that The She claimed another set of victims. I felt like this was sort of a cool way to enter a book but in the end, I was very upset with how the book turned out. to read this novel. The cover was cool so I figured it would get better but no. The author took almost 300 pages to get to any kind of action, and the love story was too contrived and predictable. In fact, the entire story was cliche and boring. I don't like this book in any type of way.

[Joy Slykhuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Evan was 8, his parents disappeared at sea, making desperate mayday calls that he heard. He has always believed that they were taken by "The She", (short for "The She-Devil of the Canyon", a legendary sea creature. Now 17, Evan is desperate to discover what really did happen, as well as help a fellow high school student with her own nightmarish experiences with "The She" Awesome, of course...consider the brilliant author.

[Matt Jennings · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was young.
I don't know why but it's stuck with me ever since. I need to re-read it to update my sense of the book. It's a weird thriller, slow-paced character driven. If you run into it, I guess I recommend it

[Nova · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know I’m gonna get yelled at, but I’ve read about 20-30 pages, and I’ve had to read almost EVERY page over again because I can’t get into it. I can’t focus because it honestly seems very boring.

[Andra Vltavín · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting exploration of mystery. Kind of basic in the writing style.

[Lisa Calvert]

in a sentence or two: Evan Barrett is haunted by the cloudy memories surrounding the death of his parents, and wants some real answers as to what really happened to his mom and dad on their last night at sea. he has faint, yet terrifying, memories of a horrible screeching coming from the sea - from a local legend he once firmly believed in called simply 'the she'...

okay first of all, how cool is the title / cover of this book? regardless of my immense enjoyment of "the body of christopher creed" by the same author, i probably would have snatched this off the shelves of the library based on the sheer creepiness of the cover. that, and the intrigue of a sea-monster...

Evan's parents disappeared when he was young. note, i say disappeared, not died...necessarily. there is a big fat cloud of mystery surrounding their last night at sea, and Evan, his brother Emmett, his aunt Mel, and his grandpa (opa) have all come to their own separate conclusions about what happened that night and why. Evan was never really sure what his theory was, mainly because his memories were suppressed for the most part until Grey slipped him some acid at a party...whoops. Emmett and aunt Mel have much more 'factual' opinions as to what happened, while Evan is increasingly convinced that 'the she' is responsible for what happened to his parents.

now enter Grey - the girl who slipped Evan acid at a party without his knowledge. she too experienced something very similar to what Evan remembers...the screeching that only they could hear that happened right before someone died. that's right, only SOME people can hear the creeptastic screeching from 'the she', and it only happens when someone (typically a romantic couple, because apparently 'the she' gets jealous of lovers-on-the-sea) is about to meet their doom. while Evan lost his parents, Grey lost a person she hardly knew after her boat tipped and sucked the young girl to her death care of 'the she'. that event (as well as some unpleasant family history) bumped Grey into the mental hospital where she's trying to become a better and healthier person as well as discover what the heck is going on with 'the she'. of course, Grey and Evan join forces...though a bit reluctantly and awkwardly at first. he's still not over that whole i-slipped-you-acid thing.

Plum-Ucci weaves a very intriguing story. she uses broken characters to create a mystery/coming of age hybrid that keeps you intrigued while genuinely caring about what happens to the characters. it's a tough line to walk, and at some points in the story, it begins to show. for the most part however, the balance is attained through the discovery of self and discovery of the mystery of the she. the characters discover just as much about themselves as they do anything else in the story.

i was honestly able to feel the haunting presence of 'the she' at times while reading this. the descriptions of the sea, the houses, the boats, and everything else is so vivid and realistic that you feel sucked into the little sea-side town. i cared about the people and i cared about what was discovered about 'the she'. i can't say i was surprised at the ending, especially after having read one of her books before, but i did appreciate the compromise of solution that she came to to explain it all. overall, a pretty darn good read.

fave quote: "I want to jump through the radio to get to my mom's screaming Maydays, and I want to bolt upstairs to get Emmett. I end up backing out slowly, hearing The She until she has almost overpowered my mother's voice, which is screaming. The sound is all through me then, coming from the sky, the beach, the radio." (13)

fix er up: i was a bit irritated at referring to high-fives as 'skinning'...as in, he held his hand up for me to skin it, so i did. sometimes attempting to use teenage vernacular in stories really bugs me. also, like i previously mentioned, at times the story lost a bit of it's balance by focusing too much on the relationship between Evan and Grey - but that was an interesting sub-plot none the less.

[Cathleen Ash]

Ella Diablo Agujero – She-Devil of the Hole. It’s a legend in West Hook, but not to Evan, who hears her shriek.
One time, his brother Emmett got creeped out by the way he put his fingers in his ears and shouted that he heard The She shrieking, that he beat Evan so hard he bruised. Evan’s mom, captain of a ship and scornful of sailor superstitions, told him he should be glad Emmett had beaten him, because if she’d got her hands on him…
Evan had buried this next memory deeply. Very deeply, but it came back. Almost eight years later, it was like it was happening all over again. He remembers the night clearly:
I was playing with my army and navy guys on the floor. Mom called Emmett on the ship-to-shore radio.
“Where are they?” I asked.
“About 80 miles southeast.”
I return to my game, where the navy always wins. But tonight, I talked to my navy guys. “Go to sleep.” I never talk to them like that. It feels weird. The curtain is blowing from the open window, like a storm will start. And all of a sudden, I hear her. I try to put my fingers to my ears, but my arms are too heavy. I know the She and this time it sounds different. It’s definitely her. But she’s shut up in a box or a tomb. The sound is buried. She’s…behind me.
I spin. It’s darker back there but I have to go there, and the closer I get to Dad’s office, the louder She gets.
“Coast Guard, this is the vessel Goliath. We are caught in a heavy current…are being sucked…Mayday. Mayday, Coast Guard….”
I grab the handset and push the button down “Mom? Mom? What’s wrong? Over”
The shrieking mixes with her voice while she’s talking to me, to Dad, it’s all mixed together. “Oh crap, we got the baby, Wade! Evan! Tell Emmett to…Wade! What the hell is that? Over the port stern! Look with your eyes! Mother of God!”
It’s the last time Evan heard from his mom and dad. It’s the last time he was in West Hook long enough to hear The She.

[Brittney · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars.

Potential triggers: Drugs, alcohol sexual abuse (talked about), depression, death.

I've grown up with the ocean less than a ten minutes drive away, so naturally I'm drawn to books that have a large focus on it and all the creatures to fear in it.

The prologue in this novel made it seem like it was going to be some lowkey fantasy novel and I was totally ready for that. It had the same vibe that The Scorpio Races has. But once the prologue ended, so did that vibe. At first I was disappointed, but then I fell back in love with the story.

The She makes you want to believe in all those ghost stories, folktales, and magic. This novel had quite a few different theories to what could have happened to those who have been lost at sea in this specific part of the Atlantic, some being more logical than the others. And you know which I wanted to believe? Which I did put my faith in while reading this novel? The well-known sea witch.

All the characters are likable. One of the main characters, who I probably wouldn't have liked in any other novel, I actually loved. The sibling relationship is spot on. Literally my sister and me. Only problem I had with this novel is that some sentences looked as if they had been changed in the editing process but they hadn't been completely changed, you know? The ending was open too and that's not that big of a problem for me, but I would have liked more closure.

[Mary Brayton · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about a boy named Evan who lives near the ocean. There is a legend about a she devil that devours boats while they are in her part of the sea. Evan hears "The She" as he call it, whenever she takes a boat. His parents died at sea when he was nine and he believes it was The She because he heard her shriek. The book takes place when Evan is 17 and he finds out that what he believes might not be the truth, and the truth might not be very great. Throughout the book he tries to find out how his parents really died.

I liked this book, but it had a very big swearing problem. I couldn't even count how many times this book said the f word, it was a lot. If you can over look swearing in a book, or you have a marker handy, this book is very interesting. I would suggest it if it didn't swear so much.

[Brewer Community School · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Evan, he experienced the loss of his
parents over a ship-to-shore radio supposedly by The She. I takes
place 8 years in the future when Evan learns the truth about his
parents. Him and his friend travel to the canyon that his parent died
and they experience The She. The She is a mythological creature off
the coast of New Jersey, she kills anyone in a jealous rage if couples
travel together on the water. The setting of the book is essential to
the story because if they had a different setting the story would not
make sense, the setting in this story keeps it sane. This book was
pretty good, but mostly I like how each puzzle piece falls into place
at the end of the book, I would recommend this book to people who love
mystery, and a little bit of romance and action.

-MP

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, Evan Barrett's parents died in a mysterious boating accident. All they know is that a big wave is what killed them. However, they believe that there must be something more to the story. In this book, Evan and his friends try to solve the mystery of his parents' death.

One connection I can make is text-to-self. If I were in the same situation as Brian, I would also want to know what happened to my parents. Especially is there were possibly some weird mystery to it similar to the Lochness Monster.

I gave this book three stars. One reason for this rating is because I was a little confused throughout the book. Also, I was very dissapointed by the outcome of the mystery. I wish it would have been much more mysterious.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Evan Barrett loses his parents out at sea when he is very little. He teams up with a snot from school who also had an experience with losing someone at sea and is now in a mental institution. They believe a legend called the She which takes boaters out at sea and has a terrible shriek that only Grey and Evan can hear. His brother Emmett tells him that their parents were smuggling drugs and were trying to escape the DEA by abadoning the Goliath and boarding another boat that happened to get caught in a documented hurricane. Turns out that the She is real and that is what took Evan's parents.

[Krista · Rating 5 out of 5]

The truth of the matter is, this book is very boring and has a very slow pace. However, the character's make up for it. The development of Evan and Grey is very nicely done, and both characters are very different by the end.

I found the story mystifying in a way that really grabbed my attention--it really keeps you turning the pages--not because of non-top action, but because you wat to know what happens next. I also really Plum-Ucci's writing in general, and I found at least a few quotes worth writing down. It's the kind of book you want to read on a rainy sunday afternoon.

[Shae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was really good. The book is mainly about a boy named Evan, and his parents died in a boating accident. So his principal asked him to go to the mental institution to visit a girl named Gray. The principal wanted him to visit her because she's been through the same thing he has. The saddest part about the book was when his parents were in the boating accident. The funniest part about the book was when he brought his rabbit to the institution and Evan showed Gray how the rabbit does tricks. I would recommend this book to read.

[Charlie Deer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The She so far is about an 18 year old boy that wants to find out what happened to his parents 9 years ago when they went out for a ride on a boat. Evan supposedly forgot everything that happened on that day and had no recollection of his parents even leaving that day. When even turned 18 he wanted to find out what happened to his parents that one day. He searches for answers and comes close to find out what happenends to his parents. Read the book to find out about all of the mysteries and secrets his parents didn't want him to know about. Enjoy the book!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evan’s parents died at sea eight years before this story takes place. He has been haunted by their deaths, which he has attributed to “The She,” an inhuman force living in the ocean that claims sailors as her own, dragging them and their boats to the ocean’s depths. Now he’s a high school teen, and his principal enlists him to assist Grey, who has recently been impacted by loss at sea. Together they journey to their own truths, exposing the lies that have been part of their own separate families.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve reread this book several times growing up, this is my first reread as an adult. I don’t reread books often but I always seem to come back to this one. Must be a personal favorite. I loved that I had a general idea of the bigger storyline but that I had forgotten most of the finer details, so it was similar to reading it for the first time. I enjoyed the main points of the story, felt the love connection was kind of unnecessary but okay, and that overall it’s a really good read. Personally, I still have some unanswered questions that I wish had been addressed, but it’s still a good book!

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 9-12. Not recommended for MS due to language plus the fact that the narrator/protagonist is a senior in HS. A good suspenseful story that will appeal to boys. A mystery surrounds the loss at sea of Evan’s parents eight years ago. As he seeks to find answers to the mystery, he begins to unearth buried memories and has to deal with his older brother’s explanation of the disappearance.