The Missing Season

Delightful creepiness and teen shenanigans quickly give way to darkly introspective and suspenseful self-discovery in French’s (The Lies They Tell) novel for teens. High school student Clara has moved five times since elementary school, thanks to her father’s construction work, so she’s used to being a loner. Now in small-town Maine, she once again attempts to establish herself and falls in with a so-called bad crowd—kids who enjoy pranks, hanging out, and perpetuating the myth of the Mumbler, a madman who supposedly comes out of the marsh every October to kidnap and murder children and young adults. As she frequently winds through the wooded areas near her home, Clara encounters more questions than answers about such topics as who she wishes to become, where things might go with her crush, and the Mumbler’s identity (especially after Ivy, one of her schoolmates, goes missing, and the Mumbler’s involvement is suspected). Bowstring-taut tension builds gracefully through the novel, only to result in a rushed, vaguely anti-climactic ending. The book’s strength, however, is offering readers plenty of authentically developed characters with whom they can identify, from teen pranksters to hardworking parents. Ages 13–up. Agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary. (May)