The Girl in the Wall
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
YALSA Quick Pick Award Winner
Named by Huffington Post Books as a Top 10 Book For Kids Who Hate Reading
Ariel's birthday weekend looks to be the event of the season, with a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters on the grounds of her family's east coast estate, and all of Ariel's elite prep school friends in attendance. The only person who's dreading the party is Sera, Ariel's former best friend, whose father is forcing her to go. Sera has been the school pariah since she betrayed Ariel, and she now avoids Ariel and their former friends. Thrown together, Ariel and Sera can agree on one thing: this could be one very long night.
They have no idea just how right they are.
Only moments after the concert begins and the lights go down, thugs open fire on parents and schoolmates alike, in a plot against Ariel's father that quickly spins out of control. As the entire party is taken hostage, the girls are forced apart. Ariel escapes into the hidden tunnels in the family mansion, where she and Sera played as children. Only Sera, who forges an unlikely alliance with Hudson Winters, knows where her friend could be. As the industrial terrorist plot unravels and the death toll climbs, Ariel and Sera must recall the sisterhood that once sustained them as they try to save themselves and each other on the longest night of their lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a violent thriller from author and PW contributor Benedis-Grab (Alive and Well in Prague, New York), two high school seniors re-evaluate their failed friendship under dangerous circumstances. Sera and Ariel have been estranged for nearly a year, after Sera betrayed a secret about Ariel, but Sera is forced to attend Ariel's birthday bash at her enormous Connect-icut mansion. During a private concert by rock star Hudson Winters, shots are fired, and a botched attempt to steal a multibillion-dollar fortune turns into hostage-taking. Ariel escapes into the mansion's network of secret passages, with Sera the only one who knows she's there. Benedis-Grab alternates between the two girls' perspectives; nearly every chapter ends with a cliffhanger, keeping tension high. Both girls respond capably to the chaotic situation, even finding time for romance amid the carnage (Ariel, a bit unbelievably, with one of the men responsible for her father's murder). Some late revelations about the perpetrators don't hold up to close scrutiny, but the action and high stakes should keep readers engaged. Ages 12 up.
