{"product_id":"sundown-girls-isbn-9798217004942","title":"Sundown Girls","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn the tradition of Jordan Peele and Tiffany Jackson’s \u003ci\u003eThe Weight of Blood,\u003c\/i\u003e a YA thriller about a Black teen whose fight for survival forces a small southern vacation town to face its dark history of racial violence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e* “A riveting, emotionally resonant thriller infused with supernatural intrigue.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, starred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen sixteen-year-old Naomi Ward and her family head to a secluded cabin in the Shenandoah Valley for summer vacation they don’t know the small, mountain town of Sparksburg, Virginia has a dark and twisted past. But when they arrive, Naomi can’t shake the feeling that something about Sparksburg just isn’t right—and it smells god awful, but for some reason Naomi is the only who can smell the town’s stench. When she learns Sparksburg had once been a Sundown Town—a town where Black people weren’t allowed after sunset lest they be murdered—Naomi’s unease starts to make sense. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Naomi digs more into Sparksburg’s violent origins, she finds herself haunted by the ghost of a girl, appearing nightly outside her window. Then she learns of two girls who’ve recently gone missing and suspects the past may still be present in Sparksburg and beneath the quaint façade of this tourist town is a palpable danger.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Naomi decides to track the disappearance of the two girls herself, she becomes suspicious of a local man who has kindled fear in Naomi more than once. She soon learns he has a connection to one of the missing girls, and Naomi is certain he’s responsible for the disappearances.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen no one believes her, Naomi takes matters into her own hands. But to save the missing girls, she’ll have to finally face her own past trauma as a “missing girl” as she finds herself in a fight for survival.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGripping and triumphant, L.S. Stratton tells an important and unforgettable story of racial reckoning inspired by historical events.\u003cu\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eSundown Girls\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cb\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “This \u003cb\u003ewell-paced\u003c\/b\u003e debut’s \u003cb\u003eimmersive\u003c\/b\u003e narrative and descriptive language support its \u003cb\u003estrong characterization\u003c\/b\u003e. Stratton effectively crafts complex family dynamics, and Naomi’s struggle to reconcile the love she feels for her kidnapper with the heinous crime is compelling. The \u003cb\u003enail-biting final act\u003c\/b\u003e, which leads to a shocking reveal, will make readers feel as though they’re right beside Naomi, fighting for survival. \u003cb\u003eA riveting, emotionally resonant thriller\u003c\/b\u003e infused with \u003cb\u003esupernatural intrigue\u003c\/b\u003e.”—\u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e★ “In \u003cb\u003ean eerie speculative thriller\u003c\/b\u003e, a Black teen finds herself caught in a conspiracy while visiting a former sundown town…The novel’s strength lies in its depiction of \u003cb\u003ecomplex relationships\u003c\/b\u003e and their impact…\u003cb\u003eTension continually runs high throughout\u003c\/b\u003e this illuminating and unsettling thriller \u003cb\u003ethat empathetically addresses topics relating to Black history and mental health stigma\u003c\/b\u003e.”—\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e★ “A combination of \u003cb\u003ethrills\u003c\/b\u003e, history,\u003cb\u003e mystery\u003c\/b\u003e, and the supernatural in a story that manages to be both \u003cb\u003echilling\u003c\/b\u003e and heartwarming… The writing style is \u003cb\u003eimmersive\u003c\/b\u003e, filled with \u003cb\u003evivid imagery\u003c\/b\u003e that sustains a mood of \u003cb\u003eunease and suspense\u003c\/b\u003e while balancing \u003cb\u003esupernatural horror\u003c\/b\u003e with contemporary issues.”—\u003ci\u003eSchool Library Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003cb\u003estarred review\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Stratton’s \u003cb\u003esupernatural thriller\u003c\/b\u003e explores the darkness that lingers in sundown towns and the forgotten stories of their victims. While \u003cb\u003ethe mystery will draw readers in\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eNaomi’s transformation and acceptance of her past will tug at heartstrings\u003c\/b\u003e.”—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003eL.S. Stratton currently lives in Maryland with her husband, their daughter, and their tuxedo cat, where she is already musing about her next standalone YA thriller.1\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThey’d sat in the dark for so long that Naomi \u003c\/b\u003elost track of how long it had been. It was pitch-black down here, so black that she couldn’t even see her own hand inches from her face. She couldn’t see the other girls either, though she knew they were here. The two girls that were living—and the silent girl who was always watching.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNaomi could hear the others. A soft whimper. Shuffling footsteps and the clink of metal. The chanting whisper of “I wanna go home. I wanna go home. I just want to go home.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Shut up! Shut up!” one whispered. “No one’s going anywhere. We’re\u003ci\u003enever\u003c\/i\u003e leaving. Don’t you get it?”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNaomi could smell the others, too. It was an overwhelming stench that permeated the hot basement . . . or cellar . . . whatever\u003ci\u003eroom\u003c\/i\u003e this was, which seemed both stiflingly claustrophobic and mind-numbingly vast. The smell was an acrid mix of armpits that had gone way too long without antiperspirant, sweat, a used, overflowed toilet, menstrual blood—and desperation. She hadn’t known before that desperation had a smell, but it radiated off her skin in invisible waves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThen suddenly there was the bang of a door opening and a shaft of light. It came from above, through floorboards. Naomi winced at its brightness and held up her hand again. This time to shield her eyes. She could finally see a little. One of the girls was a year or so younger than herself. She was partially illuminated by the tiny spotlight now. It showed her matted dark hair, a dirty, swollen pale cheek, and terrified brown eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNaomi instantly recognized her, though she looked different down here. She was relieved to finally spot a familiar face.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNaomi opened her mouth to call out to her, but stopped short when they heard thudding footsteps over their heads and the slight groan of wood under heavy weight.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe girl started to whimper, “No, no, no, no, no,” before letting out a sob.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis time no one told her to shut up.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHe’d been gone for so long, but now he was back. The Big Bad Wolf had returned home to feast on his little pigs. He was coming for one of them, and Naomi suspected it was her.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSo this was how it would end. Naomi had lived most of her life as a missing girl without even realizing it. As fate would have it, she would die as a missing girl, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe shaft of light flickered as the thudding footsteps finally stopped. Naomi held her breath. The muscles in her body tensed as they waited. She could feel bile rising in the back of her throat.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“No, no, no, no! No! No! Nooooo!” the brown-eyed girl screamed over and over again as the trapdoor overhead was thrown open.","brand":"Nancy Paulsen Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233592029413,"sku":"NP9798217004942","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9798217004942.jpg?v=1767737538","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/sundown-girls-isbn-9798217004942","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}