If You Can Hear This

Having just moved from San Francisco to Northern California with her single father, aspiring journalist Posey Spade is determined to make news (and maybe some friends) by joining Wild Pines High School’s AV club. Posey, already an award-winning teen journalist, arrives with a plan (and a slide show) to spur the “juvenile delinquent” club members into action. But when the group’s faculty sponsor disappears and the local police fail to pursue leads, Posey pivots and encourages the club to launch its own investigation, a decision that puts their own lives on the line as they field anonymous death threats from a purported serial killer. While Posey never solves the “looming, ever-present” riddle of her mother’s distance nor the puzzle of her guarded feelings for a fellow group member, the mystery of the AV club adviser’s disappearance resolves with upbeat, positive energy. Witty banter shines in this nail-biting thriller from Gardner (How We Ricochet), who utilizes an engaging premise that draws readers in—but it’s the quirky characters and unexpected friendships that keep the pages turning. “Bisexual and/or pansexual” Posey cues as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 13–up. (Nov.)