Full Shift by Jennifer Dugan, illustrated by Kit Seaton
Our heroine in this story is Tessa, a high school student who is part of a large pack of werewolves. Her father used to be the leader of the pack but he passed away from cancer shortly before this story begins. Tessa hates being a werewolf. She can’t fully shift like her siblings and her annoying sister Kylie, and the rest of the family, are tired of Tessa’s moping and open hatred of shifting into her werewolf form. Because she hates it and can’t fully shift, Tessa refuses to try at all. Not letting her wolf out can be harmful to her health in the long run. This also means that sometimes she shifts unexpectedly because she isn’t really good at controlling the process.
Tessa and Kylie go to school with humans, who are unaware that werewolves exist, and the pack is incredibly careful to keep it that way. There are other supernaturals in this world too, but again, the humans don’t know. Tessa has had a long-lasting crush on Madeline Mehta, aka Maddie, and acts as awkwardly as one would expect. When the book opens, Tessa is reading a note that Maddie left her that says she (Maddie) thinks they’re a lot more alike than Tessa realizes. Now Tessa is incredibly excited that the girl she has a crush on is also a supernatural so she won’t feel so alone. They make a date to meet up at Maddie’s house and have a talk.
Later, Kylie tells Tessa that there are apparently werewolf hunters nearby. Word on the street is that these hunters are trying to capture werewolves and give them a substance that will make them permanently human. To become a werewolf, you’re either bitten or born that way but as soon as Tessa hears there might be a cure for what is troubling her, she intends to seek out the hunters on her own.
This book is about belonging and acceptance and community and yes, a bit of romance. I really enjoyed the story and the artwork. The illustrator has a talent for facial expressions, both human and wolf alike, and it really added to the reading experience.
