November 5, 2018
Kennedy Jones, 16, and Nolan Chandler, 17, have suffered tragic losses. Two years ago, Nolan’s brother Liam disappeared without a trace from a family picnic at the Freedom Battleground State Park, just after Nolan had a premonition about it. And six months ago, Kennedy’s mother was killed in her home, which abuts the same park. The two cross paths when they independently begin to investigate a strange signal picked up by Kennedy’s brother’s satellite and Nolan’s EMF reader. Finding each other on a SETI message board, the two join forces to find the signal’s provenance, each hoping that it will lead them to answers about their family members. Miranda (Fragments of the Lost) weaves a convincing tale of teens grasping at straws to make sense of personal tragedies. The well-paced mystery unfolds carefully, with Kennedy and Nolan slowly doling out information to readers that leads to the surprising truth. While much of the plot depends on coincidence, robust characters with fully formed backstories keep the story sufficiently grounded, excusing some of the more implausible developments. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary.
November 1, 2018
Two tragedies--and something far stranger--unite two teens.Six months ago, a violent event in their home claimed the lives of 16-year-old Kennedy Jones' family. Now she's staying with her well-meaning uncle and trying to come to terms with what happened on that terrible night. She finds solace in the work of her beloved older brother, Elliot, who used an array of electronics to search for extraterrestrial intelligence. When the program registers a strange signal, she leaves a message on the SETI forums, which eventually leads her to Nolan Chandler, whose older brother, Liam, disappeared while walking his dog at a family picnic two years ago. His parents started a nonprofit that helps find missing children and are consumed with finding Liam; Nolan feels like a ghost in his own home. Nolan has been hunting for evidence of paranormal activity after glimpsing Liam while in the throes of a flu-induced fever dream, and when he picks up an unusual signal in Liam's room with his EMF reader, it leads him to Kennedy's message. Eventually, Nolan and Kennedy uncover the sad truth about the horrible events that indelibly shaped their lives. Their search for answers and the bond that forms between them is riveting, and Miranda's (Fragments of the Lost, 2017, etc.) exploration of how grief transforms us is realistic and sensitively drawn. All main characters are presumed white.Eerie and emotionally resonant. (Suspense. 12-18)
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December 1, 2018
Gr 9 Up{amp}mdash;Six months ago, two sudden deaths changed the course of 16-year-old Kennedy Jones's life. To cope, she turns to her brother Elliot's abandoned research station in their family's old barn, where he used a satellite to scan for signs of extraterrestrial life. One county over, Nolan Chandler searches for his older brother Liam, whose disappearance remains unsolved after two years. Though his parents scour missing persons reports, Nolan has a sense that the explanation may be paranormal after picking up an unusual signal in Liam's room with his EMF reader. When Kennedy posts on a technology forum about the strange signals she's picking up with Elliot's satellite, it draws Nolan and Kennedy together in their search for answers. Their individual journeys through grief are multifaceted and utterly believable, though the thread of mystery that ties them together feels muddled by the book's conclusion. This novel excels particularly in Kennedy's strained relationship with her young uncle Joe, whose unexpected guardianship Kennedy views with a nuanced mix of gratitude and reluctance. This quiet portrayal of two families rocked by tragedy is not particularly fast-paced, but the dynamics among the characters as they all search for their own version of peace is gripping all the same. This sensitive and nuanced depiction of grief in all of its forms will surely engross fans of crime stories and family dramas alike, though any readers hoping for a paranormal mystery will find those elements lacking. VERDICT A solid addition to any teen collection.{amp}mdash;Madison Bishop, Plymouth Public Library, Kingston, MA
Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
Starred review from November 15, 2018
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Kennedy Jones, 16, and Nolan Chandler, 17, are both searching for answers: her brother sits in jail awaiting trial for the murder of their mother; his brother took the dog for a walk and never came home. The rest of the world has accepted the obvious explanations and moved on, leaving Kennedy and Nolan to follow the trails no one else believes to follow. While Kennedy listens for signs of extraterrestrial intelligence, Nolan takes a Ghostbusters approach, but when they both pick up a bizarre radio frequency, they find each other in the same online forum. When they cross paths in real life, the unexplainable signs they've been following seem to be pointing them straight to each other. Are their mysteries not just similarly devastating but cosmically entwined? As the two teens find answers?some they wanted, others they feared?they also find something unexpected in each other. Miranda (All the Missing Girls, 2016) has created a compelling pair of protagonists, filled with heartfelt angst and relentless tenacity. Her latest book for young adults ages the kids from Stranger Things and puts them in Gillian Flynn's Dark Places for a smart, dark, and ultimately hopeful story of the power of belief. This delivers on every level of tension and storytelling and will draw readers into its pages as strongly as it draws its protagonists together.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)