Ask the Dark
Henry Turner. Clarion, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-0-544-30827-5
A juvenile delinquent must provide for his family when his disabled father and pregnant sister can’t keep up with the bills. Faced with raising $48,000 in three months to keep his family’s house, 15-year-old Billy Zeets will do whatever it takes, but running errands and doing odd jobs isn’t nearly enough. A $100,000 reward to find a missing schoolmate is perfect, especially since Billy thinks he has a lead. However, there’s a serial killer stalking the area, and by investigating the local disappearances, Billy has just made himself a target. Billy’s uneducated, roughshod perspective is littered with grammatical errors, idiosyncrasies, and tense shifts, making for a compelling, offbeat tale. “The fact is, I ain’t no hero, and I aim to prove it. What I done, if I done anything, was get my daddy a fruit stand,” he begins. “And to tell this right you gotta know about that, and other things too.” This particular style won’t be for everyone, but Turner’s grim debut exerts a strong pull, and Billy’s is a real struggle with real consequences. Ages 14–up. [em]Agent: Daniel Lazar, Writers House. (Apr.)
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Details
Reviewed on: 02/16/2015
Genre: Children's
Compact Disc - 978-1-101-89136-0
Open Ebook - 258 pages - 978-0-544-31345-3
Paperback - 256 pages - 978-0-544-81353-3