Needy Little Things
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In this debut speculative YA mystery, a Black teen with premonition-like powers must solve her friend's disappearance before she finds herself in the same danger, perfect for fans of Ace of Spades.
Sariyah Lee Bryant can hear what people need—tangible things, like a pencil, a hair tie, a phone charger—an ability only her family and her best friend, Malcolm, know the truth about. But when she fulfills a need for her friend Deja who vanishes shortly after, Sariyah is left wondering if her ability is more curse than gift. This isn’t the first time one of her friends has landed on the missing persons list, and she’s determined not to let her become yet another forgotten Black girl.
Not trusting the police and media to do enough on their own, Sariyah and her friends work together to figure out what led to Deja’s disappearance. When Sariyah’s mother loses her job and her little brother faces complications with his sickle cell disease, managing her time, money, and emotions seems impossible. Desperate, Sariyah decides to hustle her need-sensing ability for cash—a choice that may not only lead her to Deja, but put her in the same danger Deja found herself in.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Because of a genetic trait passed down by her paternal ancestors, clairvoyant Black teen Sariyah Lee Bryant possesses the ability to hear other people's thoughts—specifically about things they need ("Paper clip. Crayon. Shoelace. Chewing gum"). Though she often dons noise-canceling headphones to drown out the voices, ignoring them for too long causes painful migraines. Therefore, she sometimes grants these unspoken desires, earning her the nickname Santa Bag, as well as free tickets to the Atlanta Afro Alt Music Festival from a grateful stranger. While attending the festival with friends Deja, Jude, and Malcolm, Sariyah insists they stay together. Then Deja disappears, prompting traumatic memories surrounding Malcolm's twin sister Tessa's disappearance and launching an unsettling series of events into motion. As Sariyah searches for Deja, her loved ones' secrets come to light. In this mesmerizing speculative thriller, debut author Desamours eschews standard plotting surrounding superpowered individuals: instead of secrecy, isolation, or derision, Sariyah receives genuine support and ample resources from family and friends alike, who help her manage her gift and its side effects. The high-concept premise serves to balance instances of intimate partner violence while bolstering themes surrounding spirituality, grief, and racism. Ages 13–up.
