Girl Last Seen - Hardcover

Anastasiu, Heather; Brown, Anne Greenwood

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0807581402 ISBN 13: 9780807581407

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company, 2016

Synopsis

Kadence Mulligan's star was rising. She and her best friend, Lauren DeSanto, watched their songs go viral on YouTube, then she launched a solo career when a nasty throat infection paralyzed Lauren's vocal chords. Everyone knows Lauren and Kadence had a major falling-out over Kady's boyfriend. But Lauren knows how deceptive Kadence could be sometimes. And nobody believes Lauren when she claims she had nothing to do with the disappearance. Or the blood evidence... As the town and local media condemns Lauren, she realizes the only way to clear her name is to discover the truth herself. Lauren slowly unravels the twisted life of Kadence Mulligan and sees that there was more to her than she ever knew. But will she realize she's unknowingly playing a part in an elaborate game to cover up a crime before it's too late?

About this title

About the Author

Heather Anastasiu is the author of the young adult sci-fi Glitch trilogy. She grew up in Texas but recently moved to Minnesota with her family. She teaches creative writing at the Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis. Anne Greenwood Brown is an attorney by day and young adult novelist by night. Her works include the paranormal mermaid trilogy: Lies Beneath, Deep Betrayal, and Promise Bound. She lives in Minnesota.

From School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up—This novel draws readers deep into the twisted world of two viral singing sensations and the boys who love them. Kadence (Kady) and Lauren are two best friends well on their way to breaking into the indie pop music scene, having already achieved Internet fame with their original songs that garnered thousands of hits and rabidly loyal fans on YouTube. Everything seems bright for these stars on the rise—that is, until Lauren loses her voice and Kady suddenly goes missing, leaving Lauren as the last person to have seen her alive. As the town and the online world turn on Lauren, she seeks solace in Jude, the handsome bad boy just back from the brink of a few psychotic episodes and stalking allegations. Where has Kady gone, and who can be trusted? Readers will hunt down the answers to these questions and more right up until the final, shocking reveals. Intriguing from the start, this work is easy to recommend to fans of April Henry. All of the usual suspects are accounted for in terms of genre tropes (broken friendships, romantic betrayal, jealousy, bullying, and rumors running amok throughout the halls of high school), but they're all presented in a fresh and modern way without overtly trying to be too hip. The authors really seem to grasp the fickle and duplicitous role that the Internet plays in the lives of their target readers, and they incorporate it seamlessly into their characters' development and plotlines. VERDICT A sexy, fascinating, fast-paced, and darkly dynamic mystery for teens.—Emily Grace Le May, Providence Community Library, RI

About this edition

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0807581402
• ISBN 13: 9780807581407
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272