Kids Book Index
Jason Walz
After Theo’s best friend dies, he is overwhelmed by sadness that others around him seem not to notice or respect. His town then turns upside down, leaving him in an alternate world with only a shape-shifting monster and a sharp-tongued teenage girl who understands the place. Theo must face this frightening reality, which embodies his depression, and question whether he can escape the state he has entered.
This book appears on 1 reading list across 1 edition.
American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad That Haunted a NationBarb RosenstockThis nonfiction account traces Maggie, Kate, and Leah Fox, sisters whose alleged communications with a spirit began after unexplained rapping in their Hydesville, New York, home in 1848. The messages were said to come from a murdered traveling peddler. As public attention grew, the sisters held séances in cities for wealthy clients seeking contact with dead relatives, helping spur the Modern Spiritualist movement.Historical People, Places, and EventsOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Toxic SummerDerek Charm, illustrated by Derek CharmBest friends Ben and Leo plan to spend the summer after graduation as lifeguards in the seaside town of Port Dorian. Instead, a mysterious toxic spill makes the water unsafe and covers the beach with dead fish. Their expected lifeguarding work turns into beach cleanup, and the summer’s social plans vanish along with it. The story begins as they confront the spill’s effects on their town and an unsettling situation at the shore, mixing a beach setting with spooky mystery elements.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details
Gay the Pray AwayNatalie NaudusValerie Danners has been raised within a fundamentalist Christian homeschooling group, without realizing that it is a cult. Finding a queer romance novel in the library makes her begin to question the life she knows. She meets Riley, a rebellious new arrival, and the two connect over being multiracial teens in a community that is largely white and deeply religious. As their relationship grows, Valerie and Riley exchange secret notes and kisses while confronting the limits surrounding them.Kids Favorites — 9th–12th GradeOn the same reading list for the same age or grade groupView book details