Block, F ( 2012).  The Elementals. New York: St. Martin's Press. Block provides a  charming coming of age story about Ariel for the New Adult category.  Ariel has just been told that her mother has cancer, she feels immediate separation from her parents as they seem to have closeness and protection of each another. In addition to this news, her best friend, Jeni has been missing on a college prep trip that she should have been on with her.  Jeni simply disappeared and it appears no one care and has stopped looking for her.  Ariel decides to go to Berkeley as they had first planned together despite it is where Jeni went missing.  She believes if she goes, she can continue to look for Jeni and the clues of her disappearance.  Somehow, she will be able to unravel the mystery of what really happened to her. Ariel adjusts to the hard reality of being in college in a new town and dorm life.  She is miserable and does not have any friends, her roommate and her are nothing alike. She starts to wander the city looking for Jeni, talking to the police and handing out flyers but no one is interested but the giant homeless man that takes a flyer.  It is not until the night of Halloween when she is handed a flyer about a party at a house off campus.  She is somehow drawn to the house where she meets three eclectic magical people, one she particularly attracted to is John.  His strange dressing friends invite her to a wonderful meal and she drinks a delicious concoction that makes her crave for more.  As she drinks it is like something awaken within her. The book follows Ariel's journey over the next couple years of college as she becomes more distant from her parents and the outside world.  She is magically drawn to these three enchanting people and longs to become one of them.  They soon invite her into their quirky world and John's roommates always seem to push her further than she really want to go.  She loves John and he is drawn to her, nothing else matters.  Ariel embarks on new experiences, feelings and fears but she is willing to risk it all to spend more time with them.  They accept her and she becomes one of them, part of their enchanted world with peculiar friends and places.  While Ariel is embarking on this new life, she feels somehow being with them will help her understand what really happened to Jeni. Will it be too late when she discovers the truth?Frances Lia Block writes a captivating story that quickly draws the reader into Ariel's world, fears and passions.  It is definitely written for an older student due to the frankness and sensualness of the book. It filled with mystery and romance  Block has written many books over 25 years including The Weetzie Bat Block, House of Dolls and Girl Goddess #9. Among her awards, she has been awarded with a ALA Lifetime Achievement Award. Block's stories usually contain magical elements but she said when she wrote The Elementals it was a reflection of the pain she was in at the time according to her interview with The Rumpus. She wanted an escape from that reality of her mother's cancer diagnosis and death during that time.  Block draws you in as the reader wants to warn Ariel of potential danger but eager to see her transition from girl to woman and how her mysterious friends play a part. Her book reflects theme of loneliness, fear and the adventure of becoming an adult.  The discussion of the benefits/perils of reckless abandonment is a topic that might be discussed with students along with the universal themes mentioned previously.Block provides online classes on writing and manuscript consultation.  She also conducts coaching both online and in person.