For her senior capstone project, Pip researches the disappearance of former Fairview High student Andie, last seen on April 18, 2014, by her younger sister, Becca. Pip has known and liked Sal since childhood he’d supported her when she was being bullied in middle school. There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.Įveryone believes that Salil Singh killed his girlfriend, Andrea Bell, five years ago-except Pippa Fitz-Amobi. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.Īutumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart their mothers are still best friends. Primary characters are Black.Ī gripping, supernatural twist on the no-win decisions created by the cycle of poverty. The exploration of foster care and related fears around the ramifications of entering the system are well written, with just enough information to cultivate understanding without overexposing young readers to trauma. The positioning of school as a hindrance to earning money for daily survival expertly shines light on the experiences of people facing food insecurity. There are pacing challenges toward the end as the narrative stalls due to some repetition, but the character development is outstanding, and each character is drawn in a way that evokes a reaction-even if it is anger or disgust. When bad things start happening and she attracts the attention of some dangerous people, she must decide whether the money is worth it. Understanding that a live body is worth a lot more than a ghost-and she might not have to worry anymore about the bills each week-Katrell moves forward with this lucrative new business even as each resurrection makes her sicker than the last. When she accidentally brings her dog back from the dead, everything changes. She doesn’t know why or even how her powers work, but for a small fee, clients pay her to communicate with their deceased loved ones. Desperate for money, a teen uses her superpowers to connect with the dead.

Bad witch burning jessica lewis