The Stranger Game - Softcover

Busby, Cylin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0062354612 ISBN 13: 9780062354617

Publisher: Balzer + Bray, 2018

Synopsis

The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty novel that is Gone Girl for teens. Perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart.

When Nico Morris’s older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah’s daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She’s thin and drawn, when Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah’s retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she’s been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . . .

About this title

About the Author:

Cylin Busby is the coauthor of the acclaimed memoir The Year We Disappeared and the author of the teen novels The Stranger Game and Blink Once and the middle grade novel The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs. A former editor at Teen magazine, she now lives in Los Angeles with her family. You can visit her online at www.cylinbusby.com.

From School Library Journal:

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

About this edition

• Publisher: Balzer + Bray
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 0062354612
• ISBN 13: 9780062354617
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 288