We Don't Swim Here

When Bronwyn is possessed by a spirit, she and her cousin, Anais, must discover why the spirit exists before they can put it to rest in this hair-raising, supernatural sophomore title from Vincent Tirado (Burn Down Rise Up).

When Bronwyn's (Wynnie) grandmother is placed in hospice, Wynnie and her parents move to rural Hillwoods, Ark., for the year. At high school, Wynnie is surprised to be met with distaste and fear when the other students learn she is a competitive swimmer; stranger yet are the rituals the other students participate in. Anais, Wynnie's cousin and a native to Hillwoods, tries to shelter Wynnie from the "unknown factors" in the town--Hillwoods has secrets, such as tourists who disappear without explanation, a "Ghost Bus" that stops at a "nonexistent stop," and mysterious "deadspots... where ghosts looked and felt real." But Anais is no match for an actual supernatural legend, and Wynnie becomes possessed by the very spirit for whom the town's citizens hold rituals. Once Wynnie is endangered, Anais realizes the only way to be safe from secrets is to bring them into the light. The teens must work together to unearth all that Hillwoods is hiding.

Tirado narrates from both Wynnie's and Anais's points of view, and the alternating chapters and different levels of knowledge about the events at hand build suspense and tension. The town of Hillwoods itself is creepy and mysterious, making the events that take place within it even more frightening. A must read for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson and Lamar Giles. --Kharissa Kenner, children's librarian, Bank Street School for Children

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