Candor by Pam Bachorz (Egmont USA, Sept.) is a Stepford Wives—esque tale—the galley even references that novel. But this is about brainwashing an entire community, especially its teenagers. The founder of the town of Candor tries to shape model teens—down to what they eat and how they dress. He plants subliminal messages into CDs that play nearly constantly throughout the town. Everyone becomes addicted to the CDs and has to keep listening—otherwise they'll go insane. The novel offers a dark twist on society's expectations of teens, revealing an exaggerated form of parental authority. The pacing is well done and the action is creepy without being violent. It's an incredible first novel, and the fact that the author wrote it while living in Celebration, Fla., the Disney-developed planned community, adds to the, er, creepiness. And it's a great crossover book, especially since so many adults are familiar with the Stepford Wives.