Period 8
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this terrifying and provocative novel by the bestselling and award-winning author of Deadline and Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, a teenage boy tries to uncover what happened to a girl who has vanished from his high school. Was she abducted, or did she run for her life?
Paul "The Bomb" Baum tells the truth. No matter what. It was something he learned at Sunday school. But telling the truth can cause problems, and not just minor ones. And as Paulie discovers, finding the truth can be even more problematic. Period 8 is supposed to be that one period in high school where the truth can shine, a safe haven. Only what Paulie and Hannah (his ex-girlfriend, unfortunately) and his other classmates don't know is that the ultimate liar is in their midst. Terrifying, thought-provoking, and original, this novel combines all the qualities of a great psychological thriller with the controversy, ethics, athletics, humor, and raw emotion of a classic Crutcher story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The coolest teacher at Heller High is "Logs," as the students call him, who hosts an extended therapy session in his classroom during lunch, the "Period 8" of the title. Even in Crutcher's normally sure hands, this premise doesn't work, largely because the action of the story isn't remotely believable. Basically, a psychopath is roping the school's prettiest girls (including one nicknamed the Virgin Mary) into a sex ring. Logs and his mentee, 17-year-old distance swimmer Paulie Baum, slowly unravel what's going on, leading to a high-octane finish that will keep readers furiously flipping the pages to uncover who the good guys really are. But subplots about Paulie's parents' marital woes and Paulie's struggle to finish his senior essay on "adolescent decision-making," coupled with cartoonish villains and implausible details when the Virgin Mary goes missing, police recruit the Period 8 crew to help them scour the woods for her body may stop some readers from reaching the exciting conclusion. Ages 14 up.
