THE REPLAY TRAP

Rising eighth grader Sydney Volke had a strange evening—and now it’s on repeat.

Sydney’s invitation to attend classmate Ari’s birthday sleepover at the Wildlife Science Center was engineered by her mother, who hopes Sydney will make friends. Sydney is skeptical. Her apprehension increases when, arriving under a darkening sky, she spots something with claws, a long snout, and wiry hair lurking in the woods. Originally from Minneapolis, Sydney was the new kid at her small-town Minnesota school in seventh grade; she feels awkward, self-conscious, and out of place at the party. Aspiring filmmaker Ari, twins Uvie and Gus, and keen naturalist Remy are longtime friends who’ve called themselves “the Frankfurters” since second grade. Ari wanted to have her party at the center so they can film a documentary about a rumored cryptid. When a creature charges them while they sit around the campfire, Sydney blacks out temporarily—and awakens back in the car on the way to the sleepover. This cycle repeats itself. Brandt’s neatly constructed time-loop story hinges on a mystery surrounding the cryptid. For Sydney, it’s a chance to find some courage in herself and explore authenticity as she learns to draw on the strengths and abilities of those around her to solve the puzzle. Sydney and the twins are cued white, Ari is Korean American, and Remy is Black.

Compellingly spooky and encouragingly empathetic.