Streetlight People

A 17-year-old learns a devastating secret regarding her insular hometown in this Ray Bradbury–esque paranormal fantasy from Thomas (Seton Girls). In Streetlight, the Have-Nots and the Have-Lots don’t intermingle save for working-class public school kid Kady Dixon and Nik Rios, a private school student and member of Streetlight’s most exclusive social club, the IV Boys. The couple is virtually inseparable until Nik leaves for college three years into their relationship. When Kady plays a mysterious carnival game and wins a bag of enchanted candies that allow her to rewind time without others’ knowledge, she uses them to relive Nik’s occasional visits to make them last. Then rumors surface about Kady kissing 17-year-old Aaron Johnson, Nik’s friend and the only other IV Boy who treats her as an equal. Kady tries using candies to limit the lie’s spread, yet the glares and gossip increase—as does her suspicion that she isn’t the only one manipulating time. Kady and Aaron co-narrate, with Aaron’s chapters unfolding in first-person past tense and Kady’s in first-person present. An intersectionally diverse cast of authentically flawed characters complement Thomas’s fiendishly clever premise and swiftly paced, slyly crafted plot. Ages 14–up. Agent: Ann Rose, Prospect Agency. (Nov.)