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eBook editions

The Shattering

by Karen Healey

The Shattering Cover

ISBN13: 9780316125727
ISBN10: 0316125725
All Product Details

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Seventeen-year-old Keri likes to plan for every possibility. She knows what to do if you break an arm, or get caught in an earthquake or fire. But she wasn't prepared for her brother's suicide, and his death has left her shattered with grief. When her childhood friend Janna tells her it was murder, not suicide, Keri wants to believe her. After all, Janna's brother died under similar circumstances years ago, and Janna insists a visiting tourist, Sione, who also lost a brother to apparent suicide that year, has helped her find some answers.

As the three dig deeper, disturbing facts begin to pile up: one boy killed every year; all older brothers; all had spent New Year's Eve in the idyllic town of Summerton. But when their search for the serial killer takes an unexpected turn, suspicion is cast on those they trust the most.

As secrets shatter around them, can they save the next victim? Or will they become victims themselves?

Review:

"Healey (Guardian of the Dead) delivers an intense and powerful novel that explores the effect of suicide on families by way of a magical conspiracy tale. In the small New Zealand tourist town of Summerton, 17-year-old Keri is contending with the unexplained suicide of her beloved older brother, Jake. When her childhood friend Janna — whose brother killed himself years earlier — tells her there might a reason for Jake's death, Keri slowly starts believing what she hears from Janna and a boy named Sione: once a year, a teenage boy visiting the village (or occasionally a native son) is compelled to kill himself. They discover that the killings might be connected to the town's history, and as they get closer to the truth, they are threatened by magic aimed directly at them and at their friends, and left uncertain whom to trust. Juggling multiple viewpoints, Healey skillfully keeps her characters on an emotional roller-coaster even as they deal with physical threats. The climax delivers a gut punch that only underscores the sensitivity of the subject matter (without lessening the thrill at all). Ages 12 — up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 2 comments:

Sarah MacQueen, January 22, 2012 (view all comments by Sarah MacQueen)
This young adult suspense/murder mystery is well worth the read at any age! Healey specializes in creating characters who are diverse in all ways, yet completely ordinary. These are not your picture-perfect, problem free storybook kids, and they are all the more real for it.

Of course, the story is beautifully crafted as well, and keeps you jumping at every turn. I don't want to give a bit of it away; I hope you get the chance to enjoy it as much as I did.
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Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club com, November 15, 2011 (view all comments by Courtesy of Mother Daughter Book Club com)
Keri can’t believe her brother would kill himself. She and Jake were very close, and she’s astounded that he could do something like that without her having a clue he was troubled. So when a former friend whose older brother also committed suicide suggests Jake may have been murdered, Keri is sure she’s right. Especially when Janna point outs a pattern of suicides among older brothers over the years.

The two team up with Sione, who has also lost a brother, to find out who may be killing these boys and why. But their search has not gone unnoticed by those who would rather not be discovered.

The Shattering by Karen Healey is a thriller that also looks at the grief that family members feel after suicide. Keri, Janna and Sione want to know the truth about their brothers’ deaths, and they dig up lots of secrets about local townspeople in their quest. But they are also painfully aware that their actions may put them in danger, and they want to avoid hurting their parents any further. Undercurrents of racism, sexual orientation, and social class gives readers a lot to think about as they turn pages to solve the mystery. Teens aged 15 and up should be fascinated by the issues and the twists and turns of the story until the end.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780316125727
Author:
Healey, Karen
Publisher:
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Subject:
Children s-General
Publication Date:
20110931
Binding:
HARDCOVER
Language:
English

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Related Subjects

Children's » General
Children's » Middle Readers » General
Children's » Paranormal Fiction
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Children's » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Children's » Science Fiction and Fantasy » General
Languages » Foreign Languages » Spanish » Children's Middle Readers » General
Young Adult » Fiction » Horror
Young Adult » Fiction » Paranormal
Young Adult » General

The Shattering New Hardcover
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Product details pages Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - English 9780316125727 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Healey (Guardian of the Dead) delivers an intense and powerful novel that explores the effect of suicide on families by way of a magical conspiracy tale. In the small New Zealand tourist town of Summerton, 17-year-old Keri is contending with the unexplained suicide of her beloved older brother, Jake. When her childhood friend Janna — whose brother killed himself years earlier — tells her there might a reason for Jake's death, Keri slowly starts believing what she hears from Janna and a boy named Sione: once a year, a teenage boy visiting the village (or occasionally a native son) is compelled to kill himself. They discover that the killings might be connected to the town's history, and as they get closer to the truth, they are threatened by magic aimed directly at them and at their friends, and left uncertain whom to trust. Juggling multiple viewpoints, Healey skillfully keeps her characters on an emotional roller-coaster even as they deal with physical threats. The climax delivers a gut punch that only underscores the sensitivity of the subject matter (without lessening the thrill at all). Ages 12 — up. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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