The Assassin’s Guide to Babysitting

In an ambitious thriller from Parker (Come Out, Come Out) that’s one part John Wick and one part Adventures in Babysitting, orphaned 17-year-old Tru Stallard comes into her own as a superpowered teen when she goes on the run. Though she lives in a society filled with gifted individuals, Tru, a bastion—one who is preternaturally impervious to injury due to indestructible skin, muscles, and bones—must hide her Talents, even as she prepares to take her place as part of the organization of dangerous assassins in which she was raised. But when the arrival of unknown killers turns a babysitting job upside down, Tru escapes with infant Thea, who appears to have the same abilities as Tru. Aided by friends and fellow assassins, Tru searches for answers regarding her parents’ murder, her Talent, and Thea’s past. Propulsive action beats and richly imaginative worldbuilding occasionally founder under the weight of its meta influences, which sometimes draw focus away from Tru’s grappling with identity and legacy. Nevertheless, a rip-roaring climax and adrenaline-pumping resolution will have readers on the edge of their seats, eager for more. Tru and Thea read as white. Ages 14–up. (Jan.)