"If you haven't surprised
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                          ~Eudora Welty		  
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    Shadow People
 

    
          HONORS AND AWARDS    
         
  • A New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, 2001
  • TAYSHAS High School Reading List, 2002-2003
  • Starred Review, The Book Report (highly recommended)

REVIEWS

  • "Fast-paced and instantly absorbing . . ." ~Kirkus Review
  • " . . . thrilling and beautifully constructed . . ." ~ The Book Report (starred review/highly recommended)
  • "The dark, brooding story line builds to a horrifying climax . . .throws the reader into a swarm of angry tensions as it conveys the emotional ties that transform a gang into a family.' " ~ Booklist
  • "In this chilling story . . . . The characters are well-drawn and the surprise ending is true to our justice system today. . . a topic for discussion." ~School Library Journal
  • "McDonald's chilling premise and credible depiction of the gang dynamic . . . will keep the pages turning." ~Publishers Weekly
  • ". . . a complex and ambitious novel." ~VOYA
   
               
        ABOUT THE BOOK      
     

Gabriel, Lydia, Alec, and Hollis--four seemingly different teenagers. They are thrown together by a chance meeting in a deserted camp. Or maybe it wasn't chance. For there are bonds that tie them to each other, bonds of loneliness, of frustration--and of anger. Apart they are ordinary enough, unremarkable and not much noticed. Together, in the dark of night, they are drawn to violence like moths to a flame.

Gem is a classmate whose path crosses theirs when she falls in love with Gabriel. Well-grounded, with a solid sense of herself, will she offer a way out for Gabriel? Or will the whirlpool of destruction swallow her, too?

These five voices combine to tell the chilling tale of what happens in a small town when teenage fury is unleashed. And these five voices also tell some painful truths about the roots of that violence. Joyce McDonald's superbly crafted novel is both gripping and deeply disturbing. It is a riveting read and a haunting look at shadowy figures who suddenly assume the shape of the boy or girl next door.

   
         

 

Read an excerpt >>>

 

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