- Blurb -
They Wish They Were Us meets The Queen' s Gambit in the world of competitive Scrabble when a teen girl is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend a year after the fact when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages. CATALYST 13 points noun: a substance that speeds up a reaction without itself changing When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend' s death, it' s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn' t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa' s trying to change, she' s not ready to give up Trina just yet. But the same can' t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All' s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina' s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina' s death wasn' t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it. As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it' s up to Najwa to find out who' s behind these mysterious posts-not just to save Trina' s memory, but to save herself.
- Reviews -
PRAISE FOR THE WEIGHT OF OUR SKY A Kirkus Reviews Best of YA Books 2019 Winner of the 2019 NCTAsia Freeman Award for Young Adult/High School Literature * "This stunning debut from Malaysian author Alkaf filters Melati' s sympathetic internal narrative through a mental illness barely understood and poorly treated for the era, and the setting and secondary characters convey a visceral, nerve-wracking moment in time. This isn' t an easy story by far; an author' s note warns of ' graphic violence, death, racism, OCD, and anxiety triggers' -but their inclusion makes it no less essential, no less unforgettable. "-Publishers Weekly, starred * "This is a brutally honest, no-holds-barred reimagining of the time: The evocative voice transports readers to 1960s Malaysia, and the brisk pace is enthralling. Above all, the raw emotion splashed across the pages will resonate deeply, no matter one' s race or religion. Unabashedly rooted in the author' s homeland and confronting timely topics and challenging themes, this book has broad appeal for teen readers. "-Kirkus Reviews, starred * "At the sentence level, Alkaf' s use of first-person narration expertly (and, in some cases, painfully) places readers inside Melati' s head as she experiences internal and external horrors. . . . Echoing contemporary race relations, the subject feels especially relevant. VERDICT Alkaf' s immersive, powerful writing make this a must-purchase for all YA collections. "-School Library Journal, starred * "Alkaf' s succinct prose, peppered with unflinching details, is captivating, in this candid and open young adult novel. "-Shelf Awareness, starred
- Author Bio -
Hanna Alkaf is the author of The Weight of Our Sky, The Girl and the Ghost, and Queen of the Tiles. She graduated with a degree in journalism from Northwestern University and has spent most of her life working with words, both in fiction and nonfiction. She lives in Kuala Lumpur with her family.
- Full Details -
Status: | Indent title, imported to order |
ISBN-13: | 9781534494558 |
Published: | 9 Jun 2022 |
Published In: | United States |
Imprint: | Simon & Schuster |
Publisher: | Simon & Schuster |
Format: | Hardback |
Height: | 210mm |
Width: | 140mm |
Spine: | 28mm |
Weight: | 392g |
Pages: | 304 |
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