The Stranger Game

August 29, 2016
It’s been four years since 15-year-old golden girl Sarah Morris disappeared from Pennsylvania’s MacArthur Park. Her sister, Nico, now 15 herself, has gotten used to Sarah’s disappearance eclipsing nearly every aspect of her family life. When they get a call from a children’s center in Florida claiming that Sarah is alive and suffering from amnesia, they immediately hop a plane. Nico doesn’t know what to think, but she does know that this thin, pale girl is a shadow of the sister she once knew, the sister who physically and emotionally abused her on an almost daily basis. This Sarah is kind and warm, and as Nico spends more time with her, the evidence mounts that a stranger may be among them. Busby’s (Blink Once) tense mystery alternates between Nico and Sarah’s points of view, using the tactic of an unreliable narrator to great effect while exploring how tragedy can alter every detail of a family’s existence. A final twist leads to a surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion. Ages 13–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

September 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-This drama mystery follows Nico, a sophomore in high school, as she and her family come to terms with her sister's disappearance. Nico was 11 when her big sister, Sarah, left to meet a boyfriend at the park down the road. Four years later, Sarah is still missing and the protagonist still has nightmares about how Sarah screamed at her right before disappearing. Her older sibling always yelled at her, or hurt her, but Nico knows she's supposed to love Sarah and miss her and be devastated that she is still gone. Mostly, however, Nico feels confused, like there is a big hole in her family's life, one that her mother fills by becoming an expert on missing persons, and one that the teen can't hope to fill. Nico's internal monologue and the dialogue among the other main characters (her parents and new friend Tessa) move the story along at a good clip and will keep readers engaged. The paragraph headings will help readers understand who is narrating, a device that is not only needed but is also used well. Similar in feel to Carol Plum-Ucci's The Body of Christopher Creed, this work carries teens through strife, crises, and a mystery that desperately needs solving. Enough clues are spread throughout that teens will enjoy piecing together important plot points, but the author places enough surprise elements to keep mystery fans engaged through the end. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase where mysteries and thrillers are popular.-Cathleen Ash, Manor High School Library, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2016
Nico was the last person to see her cheerleader sister, Sarah, before she went missing four years ago at the age of 15. Sarah's bike was found in a large park where she was going to meet her boyfriend, Max. Four years of investigation and sightings have turned up nothing until now, when the Florida police find Sarah on a beach. She has amnesia and remembers little more than her name. The awkwardness of the well-to-do white family's struggle to adjust to life with the changed, somber 19-year-old Sarah is narrated by Nico. Nico's now the same age that Sarah was when she disappeared; she's never really gotten over how awful Sarah was to her when they were younger. Nico's confusion about how to handle the damage her family has endured is evident is her hesitant first-person account. Brief chapters from Sarah's point of view that recount her experiences locked in a dark room and suffering abuse at the hands of a cruel couple are scattered throughout the book. As Sarah tries to remember what happened, she too has to come to grips with changed relationships with her family, with Max, and with Paula, who had been her best friend. Busby has skillfully constructed a plot with enough suspenseful twists to keep readers on their toes from start to finish. An unusual, captivating mystery. (Mystery. 12-17)

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