Imogene is a tough girl trying to make a fresh start for herself at a new school. Maxine is a smart girl controlled by an overbearing mother. They’re unlikely friends, but right from the start they bond, granting each other strength and protection against the world. Over time, they both change for the better, even if Maxine still chafes at her mother’s rules and Imogene keeps much of her sordid past hidden. But not all is normal at Redding High. Malevolent fairies dwell in the shadows and secret places, and a restless ghost haunts the halls. When these supernatural elements take notice of Imogene, and the mundane teenage bullies follow suit, things go sour in a hurry, and before she fully realizes the consequences, Imogene is embroiled in a major problem. With a lovesick ghost after her heart, an ancient nightmare after her soul, and the bullies after her body, Imogene has to rethink her entire belief system, and draw upon the survival skills honed by running with a gang back home. Luckily, she has a few allies, including Maxine and some faces familiar to those who’ve read de Lint’s earlier works. In the end, though, only Imogene can chart her own destiny.

Though set in the mythical North American city of Newford like most of de Lint’s urban fantasy work, The Blue Girl doesn’t feel as connected to that setting. For one thing, it’s over a hundred pages before any of his usual repertoire of characters appear, even in cameo. For another, the story is so focused around Redding High that one doesn’t take much notice of the city surrounding it. However, this does mean that de Lint knows, quite intimately, the details of his setting, and weaves them into the narrative seamlessly, providing nice little Easter eggs for longtime readers, and a strong sense of familiarity for newcomers. Imogene and Maxine are strong new characters with a lot of potential to them; I’m hoping it’s not too long before they make return appearances. A chance line referring to Newford’s status as center of “Otherworld activity” is a nice nod to the way it seems every second person in that city is either magical, or has experienced the supernatural.

In many ways, this may be de Lint’s best YA work to date. It’s certainly one of his strongest novels in a while, in part because he maintains such a tight focus on three characters and on a relatively small geographical location. Even if the mixture of ghosts -and- fairies does risk supernatural overkill, it still feels intimate and understated, the threat real and present to only a very few people. It’s a nice change of pace from stories where the entire universe seems to be in danger. Ultimately, The Blue Girl is de Lint at his very best, showcasing all of his strengths, and very few weaknesses. Given that Charles de Lint is a master of urban fantasy, this sets The Blue Girl head and shoulders above an already strong crop of books coming out this season, and one that mustn’t be missed.