THE HOUSE ON HAWTHORN, young
adult novel
Three years ago, SKYE's sister ASHTON went ghosting at the overgrown house on Hawthorn, the resident fired shots, and the bullet remains in Ashton's head to this day. Now Skye is clutching an acceptance letter from NYU, but her parents expect her to stay home and go to State with Ashton. Though her sister has no memory of the incident, Skye is both suspicious Ashton bears responsibility for the shooting and frustrated by the obligation to look after her brain-injured sister. When the gunman commits suicide in prison and the question of Ashton's guilt resurfaces, Skye challenges Ashton to help her investigate what really happened That Night.
Their probe uproots memories of the sisters' relationship before bullets. Skye still both resents Ashton the charismatic cheerleader who deserted her after their parents' divorce and desperately wants her affection. Dogged by years of silence, Skye begins adding to the memory book Ashton uses to cope with her brain injury, and Ashton begins writing back. As they react to their research findings, the sisters' memories fly back and forth --weapons, dares, and olive branches --with the power to heal the sisters or end them forever.
Three years ago, SKYE's sister ASHTON went ghosting at the overgrown house on Hawthorn, the resident fired shots, and the bullet remains in Ashton's head to this day. Now Skye is clutching an acceptance letter from NYU, but her parents expect her to stay home and go to State with Ashton. Though her sister has no memory of the incident, Skye is both suspicious Ashton bears responsibility for the shooting and frustrated by the obligation to look after her brain-injured sister. When the gunman commits suicide in prison and the question of Ashton's guilt resurfaces, Skye challenges Ashton to help her investigate what really happened That Night.
Their probe uproots memories of the sisters' relationship before bullets. Skye still both resents Ashton the charismatic cheerleader who deserted her after their parents' divorce and desperately wants her affection. Dogged by years of silence, Skye begins adding to the memory book Ashton uses to cope with her brain injury, and Ashton begins writing back. As they react to their research findings, the sisters' memories fly back and forth --weapons, dares, and olive branches --with the power to heal the sisters or end them forever.
DARK ROOM, young
adult novel
Whenever
sophomore Gib Parks asks about his birth parents, his mom explains he was born
from her heart. Gib’s desire to be accepted for
his whole self, birth parents included, prompts him to challenge the school’s
image-conscious yearbook to capture the real student body. Equipped with
dreadlocks and cynical T-shirts, it’s not long before yearbook photographer,
Jessie Krashauer, is pointing her camera in the direction of Gib’s darkest
room, challenging him to own the questions she exposes.
Fueled by the orphan train riders, Jessie’s hero photographer Dorothea Lange, comic legend Superman, and a surprising discovery, Gib pushes the yearbook into the digital world where students design their own pages. Dogged by his own blank page, Gib risks irreparable damage to his relationship with his mom when he redefines adoption as something young people can do for each other.
Fueled by the orphan train riders, Jessie’s hero photographer Dorothea Lange, comic legend Superman, and a surprising discovery, Gib pushes the yearbook into the digital world where students design their own pages. Dogged by his own blank page, Gib risks irreparable damage to his relationship with his mom when he redefines adoption as something young people can do for each other.
