Reviewed by Marta Tandori for Readers' Favorite

The Age of Amy: Mad Dogs and Makeovers is a highly imaginative and entertaining work of YA fiction by author Bruce Edwards, whose former career as a film animator and musician has clearly influenced this delightful offering that’s sure to please fans of young adult fantasy.

Sixteen-year-old Amy Dawson and her sleepy little town of Shankstonville are rudely awakened by the FBI one night after she receives a disturbing phone call from a man in a pickup truck, who’s being chased by authorities while being filmed by the local news. After their brief phone call ends with her mystery caller’s cryptic statement, “You can escape justice but you can’t outrun your conscience,” Amy watches the TV in horror as her caller pulls a Thelma and Louise by attempting to jump the Grand Gorge - Shankstonville’s version of the Grand Canyon – only to crash and burn. The FBI tell Amy and her parents that the man is a suspected terrorist and what’s crazy about the whole thing is that although his truck crashed to the bottom of the canyon floor, there was no body found – only a singed business card for Ravi’s 2-Bit Solution, a local hair salon. With Amy being the man’s last contact, the FBI shifts their focus – and their suspicions – onto her. Not one to shy away from a challenge, Amy is determined to learn the identity of her caller, which soon leads her on a wild adventure as a receptionist at Ravi Hakeem’s hair salon, a strangely busy place where hair care seems to be the last thing on each customer’s mind as they eagerly subject themselves to owner Ravi Hakeem’s secret ministrations in a back room of the salon.

While The Age of Amy: Mad Dogs and Makeovers is a tale of fantasy, it’s nevertheless grounded in reality, artfully combining grim subject matter such as terrorism and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with more unlikely fare like the healing waters and the tribes of the Amazon rain forest. Edwards’ prose is entertaining, yet manages to convey touching vulnerability, especially when it comes to the relationship between Ravi and his war-scarred son, Alec. The character of Amy is spunky, determined, and highly likeable as she forges ahead to get at the truth, with her ever-faithful friend, Hubert, at her side. Although the book deals with the issue of good versus evil and the concept of doing something for the greater good of mankind, it’s the unusual way in which the villain presents itself in the book, and the special powers of the mirror that give the story its unusual edge and the extra oomph, raising it head and shoulders above most in this genre. Definitely two thumbs up!