CRYER'S CROSS
by Lisa McMann
High-school junior Kendall Fletcher begins to have real trouble with her obsessive-compulsive disorder after a freshman girl disappears without a trace from her tiny, rural town. When her boyfriend Nico goes missing next, Kendall’s OCD symptoms worsen, and she starts to fall apart completely. She begins to hear Nico’s voice calling for help and discovers messages scrawled in what used to be his desk. Readers know from the beginning that Kendall isn’t crazy, because several chapters, including the very first one, are preceded by italicized passages titled “WE” that reveal the presence of a supernatural entity in Cryer’s Cross. But what exactly is it? What town secrets does it conceal? And will Kendall succumb to it, as Nico did? Fans of supernatural thrillers will enjoy this one despite the fact that the resolution is too sudden and the “WE” passages are much more bewildering than scary. The present-tense narration gives the story a sense of immediacy, and the budding romance between Kendall and sexy newcomer Jacián boosts its teen appeal. (Supernatural thriller. 14-18)