Saint Juniper’s Folly

Two teenagers team up to save a boy trapped in a haunted house in this eerie paranormal mystery, Crespo’s debut. After eight years away, a new foster home placement brings 17-year-old Jaime Alvarez-Shephard, who is Mexican American, back to his quaint hometown of Saint Juniper, Vt. When neighborhood gossip surrounding his past proves too much to bear, he escapes into the nearby woods, called the Folly, where he enters a solitary Victorian house—and is forbidden to leave by the resident ghost. That’s where he’s found days later by white-cued rising senior Theo Miller, who feels compelled to save Jaime despite his abrasive nature. Theo’s desperation leads him to a local occult shop, and Puerto Rican witch Taylor Rivera Bishop, 18, who is eager to carry on her recently deceased mother’s magical legacy, despite being prohibited from practicing magic by her grieving father. Friendship grows among the teens as they strive to free Jaime without being implicated for his disappearance. Centering themes of found family and identity, Crespo depicts Theo’s unfolding understanding of his sexuality with sensitivity and realism, and his strengthening romance with Jaime sparkles with anticipatory tension and affable banter. Ages 14–up. Agent: Mary C. Moore, Kimberley Cameron Literary. (May)

Correction: A previous version of this review misstated a character's gender identity.