Hysteria

Gr 9 Up—In this suspenseful page turner, readers quickly discover that 16-year-old Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian, with a knife. The details of what exactly happened that night-and why-prove more elusive, trickling out bit by breathless bit over the course of the story. Though Mallory isn't charged with murder, her parents send her away to a rural boarding school to escape the gossip as well as Brian's unstable, grief-stricken mother, who won't leave Mallory's family alone. But Mallory can't escape her disturbing dreams or the sense that Brian is haunting her. It's unclear whether the strange events have a supernatural cause, are a stalker's doing, or are all in Mallory's mind as she struggles to cope with her guilt and fear. At Monroe, her new school, she finds that she doesn't fit in. She might be falling for Reid, the son of an old family friend, but the romance seems doomed from the start. Another shocking event, and a visit from her parents and best friend, bring all of the secrets and lies out into the open. The protagonist is not always a sympathetic character; some of her actions leave room for doubt about whether she actually did commit murder. This is a satisfying novel, if sometimes overly melodramatic. Mystery and suspense fans will be hooked from the moment Mallory describes the puddle of blood on her kitchen floor.—Miranda Doyle, Lake Oswego School District, OR