Perfect Little Monsters

Having moved from Santa Cruz, Calif., white high school senior Dawn Foster is the new girl at Sierton High in Wisconsin, where she and her parents—who were injured in an accident—live with her aunt Maddy. Though Dawn wrestles with secrets surrounding her past, she attempts to fit in by auditioning for the cheerleading squad. She makes the team, which includes popular white cheer captain Ella Moore; Latinx Lucy Aguilar, who has an eating disorder; and “half-Caucasian, half-Asian” Naomi Chen. After attending a pool party thrown by Ella, Dawn awakens the next morning to learn that Ella has been found dead. As Dawn, Lucy, and Naomi are brought in for questioning, alternating chapters chronicle events three years prior in which white Sierton High freshman Hannah Smith contends with vicious bullying perpetrated by Ella. Debut author He adds grit to a plot built on familiar high school mystery elements via the intertwining narratives, which dispense information in lightning-quick intervals that will keep readers on their toes all the way to the shocking conclusion. Ages 14–up. (May)