Shadow People

Five voices combine to tell the chilling tale of what happens in a small town when teenage fury is unleashed.

Gabriel, Lydia, Alec, and Hollis are four totally different teenagers who were thrown together by accident. Or maybe they were destined to meet, for they all share emotions that unite them and drive them—loneliness, frustration, and anger. Apart they are ordinary enough, unremarkable and not much noticed. Together, in the dark of night, they are drawn to violence like moths to a flame. Gem is a girl who path crosses theirs when she falls in love with Gabriel. Will she offer a way out for Gabriel? Or will the whirlpool of destruction swallow her, too?

Praise for Shadow People:

In this chilling story, McDonald introduces four teens who come together by chance and get caught up in a destructive spiral of anger and violence. . . . What begins as random acts of vandalism escalates to more serious and more violent crimes. . . . The characters are all well drawn and the surprise ending is true to our justice system today. This look behind today's headlines about the rising number of violent acts performed by teens and the roots of their rage could be a topic for discussion. -- School Library Journal

"Unrelenting in its dark vision, Shadow People throws the reader into a swarm of angry tensions as it conveys the emotional ties that transform a gang into a "family." . . . . In this chilling story, McDonald introduces four teens who come together by chance and get caught up in a destructive spiral of anger and violence. . . . What begins as random acts of vandalism escalates to more serious and more violent crimes. . . . The characters are all well drawn and the surprise ending is true to our justice system today. This look behind today's headlines about the rising number of violent acts performed by teens and the roots of their rage could be a topic for discussion. -- Booklist

"Fast-paced and instantly absorbing . . ." -- Kirkus Reviews

"The chilling premise and credible depiction of the gang dynamic propelled by fear will keep the pages turning." -- Publishers Weekly

". . . a complex and ambitious novel" -- Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)