If You Can Hear This

Gr 9 Up–Award-winning high school journalist Posey Spade has habitually been told that she’s “too much,” an energy that she’s determined to curb as the new student at Wild Pines High. When she discovers that her only outlet for news production will be the AV Club, comprised of five unfocused students who would rather watch episodes of Tiger King than participate in her icebreakers, she doesn’t let the lack of drive stop her from pitching a student news show. The Club’s saving grace is its sponsor, Ms. Moses, a charismatic teacher who is widely beloved. But after Posey witnesses an inappropriate moment between the club’s surly president, Salvatore ­Zamora, and Ms. Moses, she grows concerned. Then, Ms. Moses goes missing. United by a desire to investigate her disappearance, the members of the Club rally behind Posey in filming a YouTube news show that attracts widespread attention, and some of it is sinister in nature. Propelled by Posey’s earnest, indefatigable voice, twists of the investigation, and simmering romantic tension between Posey and Sal, this novel will hook mystery readers, although an unsatisfying final twist and lack of resolution to several plot threads is frustrating. Interview transcripts are interspersed throughout the third-person narrative. Posey is white and “bisexual and/or pansexual,” while other members of the AV Club are diverse in terms of race, ability, and sexual orientation.