We all know the ancient myth of Medusa: A cruel gorgon cursed with a fearsome gaze that turns mortals to stone. But, who tells this story? That’s right, the tale of Medusa’s terror has been told time and time again by narrators who heard of the terror, never by anyone who has bothered to meet her stony gaze. Well then, what exactly happens when someone encounters her –the real deal– knowing all the rumors? A Stony Gaze by Steffanie Costigan investigates just that, teaching an unforgettable moral to young readers. So, what are you waiting for?
"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Fueled by the societal hysteria of the Satanic panic, visceral accusations of child sexual abuse and devil-worshiping rituals spiral out of control in the “safety” of the suburbs. Suddenly, out-of-the-blue, Virginia Montrose (or “Miss Ginny”), a teacher at Operation Go! (a school for young children) is rapidly assaulted by these baseless, vapid claims against her. Imprisoned and left only with a teacher’s salary to pay for an attorney, her future is looking grim.
Outside her dismal, dilapidated house lies a pile of sticks; knock them over and tomorrow they will be back in place, but never, never take one – the consequences are beyond the limits of your mind. Ali, a high school senior, and her two dads, Jared and Von, are unknowingly moving just across the street from Richland’s witch. Despite their many misgivings about Jared’s new job at the nuclear power plant, they agree to tolerate Richland, a place where they stand out like sore thumbs.
Our Lives in Between follows a young woman named Veronica…until she dies. Next thing she knows, her name is Harmony. As her mind floods with the thousands of lifetimes she has lived, a pattern begins to surface. Veronica’s boyfriend, Seth, or as Harmony knows him, Kaleb, appears to be a catalyst for tragedy in each life. For Harmony, what had begun as just a hypothesis has spiraled into much more. As she incidentally begins to pull back the curtains of her world, newfound love, extreme fate, and budding conspiracy slowly worm themselves out of the shadows.
Tempting Fake by Tracey Morait follows dual protagonists, who both feel isolated from their peers and rely on Pictapost (a popular picture-posting and chat app) to feel connected. However, both teens cope by using Pictapost differently. Behind one side of the screen is Cherry, Helton Manor’s “New Girl”, seeking validation. Her validation comes from creepy fans’ likes, comments, and direct messages on her risky photos and flirtatious captions.
Miss Novak’s Christmas written by Robert A. Valle follows the story of a recent Slovakian immigrant, Anya Novak. She is a reserved and talented viola player, who despite her skills is extremely self-conscious. She doubts herself as a result of the many adverse experiences she faced in Slovakia, the most recent of which led her to move to Manhattan. The novella opens with Anya’s chamber group wrapping up rehearsal for their winter concert where Anya is told by her conductor that she needs to play bolder.
