Fadeaway

by E. B. Vickers

Overview

When a high school basketball star goes missing, a town's secrets are exposed in this edge-of-your seat, addictive read.

At 8:53 pm, thousands of people watched as Jake Foster secured the state title for his basketball team with his signature fadeaway. But by the next morning, he's disappeared without a trace. Nobody has any idea where he is: not his best friend who knows him better than anyone else, not his ex-girlfriend who may still have feelings for him, not even his little brother who never expected Jake to abandon him. Rumors abound regarding Jake's whereabouts. Was he abducted? Did he run away to try to take his game to the next level? Or is it something else, something darker—something they should have seen coming?

Told from the points of view of those closest to Jake, this gripping, suspenseful novel reminds us that the people we think we know best are sometimes hiding the most painful secrets.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593180198
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	03/23/2021
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	284,558
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.50(d)
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

E.B. Vickers grew up in a small town in the Utah desert, where she spent her time reading, playing basketball, and exploring. Several years and one PhD later, she found her way back to her hometown, where she now spends her time writing, teaching college chemistry, and exploring with her husband and three kids. She is the author of Like Magic and Paper Chains. Fadeaway is her first novel for young adults. Visit her online at ebvickers.com.

Read an Excerpt

Countdown
Kolt
After
Here’s how I remember that night:
At 8:53 p.m., there were thousands of people watching my best friend. Me and Seth and Coach and Daphne and Luke and every other person in that gym. Jake brought the ball down the court for one last shot as the clock ticked down to that row of zeros, and the crowd chanted along: “Three . . . two . . . one . . .”
There’s always been something pure about the way Jake plays, like some wild animal doing exactly what it was born to do. A mountain lion, maybe—sturdy and silent, and when it’s coming for you, you might as well piss your pants as try to stop it. In the final seconds, he drove hard to the hoop, then pulled back for a fadeaway with more finesse than Van freaking Gogh.
When the shot went up, I was ready to grab the board, even though I knew he wouldn’t need it. Even though the buzzer was already blaring in my ears. You practice something that many times—the shot goes up and you seal your guy off—that you do it without even thinking. That’s probably why even now I look for Jake when I get out of world history. Why I expect it to be him every time my phone vibrates.
With one perfect flick of his wrist, the rock’s through the rim, and the state title is ours. Then it’s all cheering and chest bumps, and half the guys are crying, and the whole crowd’s got their phones out, trying to catch this moment so they can put it in their pocket and pull it out anytime, like they’re witnessing their own little moment of world history.
There’s more I remember about that night. The satisfying snip of cutting down the net, the roar of the crowd when we brought the trophy straight over to the student section. But none of it’s as important as this: at 8:53 p.m., there were thousands of people watching my best friend. Hundreds of cameras snapping and shooting his every move.
But when the show’s over, we all look away.
So nobody saw it happen. Nobody knows how or why or even exactly when he disappeared.
All we know is that by the next morning, Jake was gone.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Once you start, you can't stop; you need to read this book."—Julie Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Lovely War

"A compelling, propulsive read, filled with dark twists and turns and buried secrets. If you start reading, clear your schedule for the day."— Jeff Zentner, Morris award-winning author of The Serpent King and Goodbye Days

Editorial Reviews

"Will keep readers on the edges of their seats."––Kirkus Reviews

"This timely novel has a place on most high school library shelves."––School Library Journal

From the Publisher

12/01/2020

Gr 8 Up—A compassionate look at the opioid crisis with a compelling opening that will hook readers right away. White high school basketball star Jake has just regained consciousness and is tied up, exhausted, and covered in vomit. He's not sure where he is or why he's in this state. The story is told in first person flashbacks by some of the most important people in Jake's life—a girlfriend, a best friend, a brother, and a coach. To them, he has simply vanished, but as the novel unfolds, it is revealed that some characters know more about his disappearance than it initially appears. Jake's brother's pages are written in eloquent verse, propelling the story and slowly unraveling Jake's, and his own, dark secrets. Billed as a mystery, this is a bit of a slow burn, but the characters have enough voice and heart to make up for that. VERDICT This timely novel has a place on most high school library shelves.—Mandy Laferriere, Fowler M.S., Frisco, TX

School Library Journal

2020-12-22
How does a beloved high school basketball star with a seemingly bright future disappear without a trace on the very night he helps his team win a major game?

Jake is that kid, perfect in almost every way. Basketball star? Check. Great older brother? Check. Caring boyfriend? Check. Kind to others? Check. He seems to have it all. He also has secrets—many secrets, dark secrets, secrets that could not only tear his world apart, but also the lives of those he cares about the most. As his disappearance is publicized, those closest to Jake—his mother and younger brother, Luke; his best friend, Kolt; his teammate Seth; as well as his coach—all have stories to tell and secrets of their own. From the beginning, the police peg Jake’s disappearance as a simple runaway case, but the more they learn from Jake’s friends and family, the more the mystery deepens. Readers will find the story easy to follow, as Vickers uses good storytelling interspersed with poetry and police statements, with chapters written from different characters’ points of view. As Jake’s secrets begin to unravel, so, to the surprise of many, do those of the people closest to him, leading to a gripping final sequence of events. This quick and engaging read, which deals with serious issues, has strong reader appeal. Most characters present as White.

Will keep readers on the edges of their seats. (author’s note, resources) (Mystery. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews