Synopses & Reviews
When the truth about her past is disclosed
the effect works like gangbusters.”
New York Times Book Review
A girl's letters to her best friend reveal two lives derailed by anorexia in this haunting debut that's Laurie Halse Anderson's Wintergirls meets The Sixth Sense.
Zoe knows she doesnt belong in a hospitalso why is she in one?
Twin Birch isnt just any hospital. Its a strange mansion populated by unnerving staff and glassy-eyed patients. Its a place for girls with serious problems; skinny, spindly girls with eating disorders who have a penchant for harming themselves.
Zoe isnt like them. And she cant figure out why she was sent here. Writing letters to her best friend Elise keep her sane, grounded in the memories of her pastbut mired in them, too. Elise never writes back.
Zoe is lost without her, unsure of how to navigate tenuous new friendships and bizarre rules without Elise by her side. But as her letters intertwine with journal entries chronicling her mysterious life at Twin Birch, another narrative unfolds. The hidden story of a complicated friendship; of the choices we make, the truths we tell others, and the lies we tell ourselves. The story of a friendship that has the potential to both saveand damage beyond repair. And Zoe finds she must confront the truth about her past once and for all, before she can finally let go.
Nora Prices debut young adult book is a heart-wrenching meditation on the bonds of friendship with a gripping psychological twist.
Review
An ALA Quick Pick for YA Readers
A NYPL Book for the Teen Age
"First-timer McCormick tackles a side of mental illness that is rarely seen in young-adult literature in a believable and sensitive manner. . . .. A thoughtful look at teenage mental illness and recovery." --KIRKUS REVIEWS, starred review
"Like E. L. Konigsburg's Silent to the Bone and Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, Cut is another authentic-sounding novel in which elective mutism plays a part, this time with humor making the pain of adolescence gone awry more bearable...an exceptional character study of a young woman and her hospital mates who struggle with demons so severe that only their bodies can confess." --BOOKLIST
Review
"Without passing judgment, Averett addresses the issue of free choice versus protective care. . . Readers will have no trouble recognizing the impact of Cameron's hallucinations and his burning need for independence."
—Publishers Weekly
"Cameron's first-person narration allows access to an absorbing glimpse of schizophrenic behavior. . . . Thoughtful and eye-opening."
—Booklist
"This is a well-written, taut, and empathetic novel that provides readers with an unnerving vicarious experience."
—School Library Journal
"This novel is a nuanced treatment of a difficult topic, sustained by narrative drive."
—Horn Book
"Averett does a good job of developing Cameron's situations in a way that helps the reader understand the true depth of the struggle that Cameron is facing; he uses language that makes the internal conflict explode off the page. This is a raw, real, quick read that looks into darkness of mental illness."
—VOYA, 4Q 3P J S
"[Averett's] accessible writing makes Cameron and his struggle vivid to young readers, and they'll find this an eye-opening walk in somebody else's shoes."
—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Review
Advance praise for FELL OF DARK:
“Here is a book built of darkness and gleam, of raw emotion and shattering poetry, of harrowing compulsions and zero compromise. Patrick Downes possesses blazing, beautiful, terrifying talent. His characters walk the shadows. His language bursts like sky.”—Beth Kephart, National Book Award nominee
“Patrick Downes is a writer in the metamodernist style. He is utterly brilliant, and so honest and sincere it hurts.”—Martine Leavitt, National Book Award nominee for Keturah and Lord Death
“Luminous and pure. A masterwork of astonishing authority and beauty.”—Julie Berry, author of All the Truth Thats In Me
Synopsis
From National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick, a new look for her debut novel, which THE BOSTON GLOBE called "Riveting and hopeful, sweet, heartbreaking."
A tingle arced across my scalp. The floor tipped up at me and my body spiraled away. Then I was on the ceiling looking down, waiting to see what would happen next.
Callie cuts herself. Never too deep, never enough to die. But enough to feel the pain. Enough to feel the scream inside.
Now she's at Sea Pines, a "residential treatment facility" filled with girls struggling with problems of their own. Callie doesn't want to have anything to do with them. She doesn't want to have anything to do with anyone. She won't even speak.
But Callie can only stay silent for so long....
Synopsis
Zoe knows she doesn't belong in a hospital. So why is she in one? Twin Birch isn't just any hospital. It's a strange mansion populated by unnerving staff and glassy-eyed patients. It's a place for girls with serious problems; spindly girls who have a penchant for harming themselves. Zoe isn't like them.
Through letters to her best friend, Elise, Zoe tries to come to terms with why she was sent to Twin Birch against her will. But Elise never writes back. Alone and trying to navigate tenuous friendships and bizarre rules, Zoe finds that the reason for Elise's silence lies in memories of their beautiful, inescapable, and sometimes suffocating friendship. A friendship that has both saved her and may still destroy her--unless she is able to confront the truth about her past once and for all.
"A psychological zinger . . . will keep readers invested to the last page."--Kirkus, starred review
Synopsis
Zoe knows she doesn't belong in a hospital. So why is she in one? Twin Birch isn't just any hospital. It's a strange mansion populated by unnerving staff and glassy-eyed patients. It's a place for girls with serious problems; spindly girls who have a penchant for harming themselves. Zoe isn't like them.
Through letters to her best friend, Elise, Zoe tries to come to terms with why she was sent to Twin Birch against her will. But Elise never writes back. Alone and trying to navigate tenuous friendships and bizarre rules, Zoe finds that the reason for Elise's silence lies in memories of their beautiful, inescapable, and sometimes suffocating friendship. A friendship that has both saved her and may still destroy her--unless she is able to confront the truth about her past once and for all.
"A psychological zinger . . . will keep readers invested to the last page."--Kirkus, starred review
Synopsis
A contemporary YA drama about a young man suffering from schizophreniform disorder, who falls into a love triangle with a girl in his class . . . and a girl in his head.
Synopsis
“A well-written, taut, and empathetic novel that provides readers with an unnerving vicarious experience.”—
SLJFourteen-year-old Cameron Galloway of Lexington, Washington, understands that he has schizophreniform disorder and needs to take pills to quiet the voices in his head. But he likes the voices, especially the gentle, encouraging voice of The Girl. Conflicted, he turns to his friend Nina Savage, who is clinically depressed and can relate to his horror of the numbing effects of medication. They make a pact to ditch the pills. At first they feel triumphant, but soon Camerons untreated mind goes haywire—to disastrous effect.
Synopsis
A book that challenges the word "powerful" and obliterates it
Written in searing prose, this is the story of two boys: Erik, who performs miracles, and Thorn, who hears voices. The book chronicles their lives as their minds devolve into hallucinations, and shows the way their worlds intersect, culminating in a final stand-off.
This debut novel offer a raw, insightful look at the forces that compel us to act against our will. Even more so, it captivates and dares us to look away, knowing full well we can't.
Advance praise for FELL OF DARK:
Here is a book built of darkness and gleam, of raw emotion and shattering poetry, of harrowing compulsions and zero compromise. Patrick Downes possesses blazing, beautiful, terrifying talent. His characters walk the shadows. His language bursts like sky.”Beth Kephart, National Book Award nominee and author of Small Damages
Patrick Downes is a writer in the metamodernist style. He is utterly brilliant, and so honest and sincere it hurts.”Martine Leavitt, National Book Award nominee for Keturah and Lord Death
Luminous and pure. A masterwork of astonishing authority and beauty.”Julie Berry, author of All the Truth Thats In Me
About the Author
Patricia McCormick, a finalist for the National Book Award, is the acclaimed author of CUT, MY BROTHER'S KEEPER, SOLD, and PURPLE HEART. Her debut novel, CUT, was an ALA Quick Pick for YA Readers, an ALA Best Book for Teenagers, and a NYPL Book for the Teen Age. McCormick was named a New York Foundation on the Arts fellow in 2004. She is also the winner of the 2009 German Peace Prize for Youth Literature. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and lives Manhattan.