Wolfpack

April 15, 2023
What does it mean to be complicit? Nine young women are being raised in a cult--though that's a word they never use--the kind with a handsome male leader and strictly proscribed roles based on gender. We may think we know what's coming, but these girls have carved out a safe, even happy, space at Havenwood. They share their own cabin with a door that locks, and in some ways their home really is a haven; the girls have lived in this bucolic setting since childhood, have the freedom to focus on skills they love (beekeeping, foraging, baking), and believe in their community. Two of them share a monthslong clandestine romance despite strictures against sex; all of them collude to hide this and other transgressions from themselves as much as the larger community. Alternating between a collective first person ("The nine of us were not always as we are now") and multiple close third-person perspectives, the text allows readers to glimpse the girls as individuals while seeing how they subsume that individuality to maintain their group identity. While the poetry is more prose with line breaks than flowing verse, the brevity effectively keeps the pages turning as the discomfort builds and the answer to the underlying mystery--one of the girls has vanished--slowly becomes clear. The limited physical descriptions included point to a White default. A disquieting read sure to linger. (Verse thriller. 13-18)

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April 17, 2023
Brunskill (The Window) employs absorbing verse and a keen grasp on the teen voice in this stirring psychological thriller about nine teenage girls raised in a cult. Havenwood is supposed to be just that—a haven for those devoted to charming and kind leader Joseph and his teachings. Despite having grown up at Havenwood, when nine young women are forced together by happenstance, they endeavor to “be loyal/ not just to Havenwood/ but also to one another,” establishing an unwavering bond that guides them through conflicts both interpersonal and within Havenwood’s strident society. Alongside their individual public passions, such as apiculture, baking, and foraging, the girls embark on private endeavors. Some of these ventures, including a sexually intimate relationship between two of the teens, are forbidden in Havenwood. When one of them goes missing, the others search for her and, in doing so, begin to unearth the corrupted underpinnings of their perceived utopia. Though the characters are minimally described, intricately detailed alternating third-person POVs that center individual perspectives as well as a lush, collective voice spin an eerie recounting that fluidly connects familiar themes of maturation, love, and chosen family with Havenwood’s unusual, highly insular religious movement. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

May 1, 2023
Grades 8-12 Within the commune of Havenwood, where all should remain orderly, a mystery emerges. Told in verse from the vantage point of eight teenage girls (ages 14-18), the novel details the search for their missing ninth comrade, Rose. Removed from the outside world, the denizens at Havenwood work as a team under the guidance of their leader, Joseph. Though not related, the young women are as close as sisters and ever ready to defend one another. As they work to solve the puzzle of what happened to Rose, aspects of the missing teen's wanton nature are raised, leading the others to suspect a love affair or possible conspiracy. One thing is certain: these ferocious girls will do whatever it takes to keep their system intact. Brunskill's atmospheric second novel places an emphasis on nature and friendships within a cult setting. Characters' loyalties are put to the test as they are left to question whom to trust. Fans of psychological whodunits will appreciate the less common format of the text, which effectively draws in readers.

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July 1, 2023

Gr 9 Up-A novel in verse for fans of mystery and suspense. A group of nine girls are living in Havenwood, a religious cult that feels similar to a summer camp, except no one is allowed to leave or communicate with the outside world. The group goes to breakfast one morning to find that one of them, Rose, is missing. As time goes on, it is clear Rose isn't coming back. The girls wonder if she left Havenwood or if something bad happened to her-especially because the elders don't comment on Rose's absence. Four days after the disappearance, the girls begin to find clues that lead them to believe Rose did not leave them of her own accord. But in a place as perfect as Havenwood, who would make someone disappear? And why? This novel, told in mostly alternating perspectives, starts off slowly but has an air of mystery about it that will keep readers turning the pages. Once the clues to Rose's whereabouts start to appear, the story is so captivating that it is difficult to put down. Few details are included about the characters, but it doesn't detract from the story. Race of characters is not included. VERDICT With so few mystery verse novels in print, Brunskill's tale is a welcome addition to the genre. Recommended.-Lisa Buffi

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