The Girl Who Wasn't There
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
For fans of Karen M. McManus and Kara Thomas comes this riveting new young adult crime thriller packed with mystery and suspense, from the acclaimed author of I Have No Secrets
Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. And Kasia would know, because her chronic illness keeps her stuck at home, watching the outside world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she's not sure whether she can believe her own eyes…
There had been a girl in the window across the street who must have seen something too. But when Kasia ventures out to find her, she is told the most shocking thing of all: There is no girl.
Emotional and full of twists, The Girl Who Wasn't There is perfect for readers looking for:
•teen mystery books
•diverse, complex characters
•chronic illness representation
•books for teens that deal with social issues
•young adult suspense novels
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Joelson (I Have No Secrets) draws on her experience with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in the story of 15-year-old Kasia Novak. After a bout of tonsillitis leaves her with ME/CFS, Kasia is unable to walk more than a few feet at a time. Stuck in her room for months, she watches the world outside her window. After she sees a girl pushed into a car against her will, and another girl, Reema, watching from the window opposite hers, Kasia investigates, enlisting neighbor Mrs. Gayatri for information on their English town's neighbors. Kasia's probe intensifies when she meets Mrs. Gayatri's inquisitive grandson, Navin, who is intent on helping Kasia get better and finding out why no one knows about the girls whom Kasia sees. Joelson (I Have No Secrets) tackles complex issues of modern-day human trafficking, yet a didactic tone and a focus on Kasia's experience at the expense of the other girls' overwhelms the story. With a healing garden, watchers in the windows, and individuals hidden away, echoes of The Secret Garden and Rear Window are woven into Kasia's and Reema's alternating first-person narratives. Joelson excels in painting the atmosphere of Kasia's warm, loving home with her Polish immigrant family while sensitively portraying her struggle with classmates who question her illness. Ages 14 up.
