02/15/2016
In this creepy conspiracy thriller, first in a trilogy, a young woman embarks on a hazardous road trip to rescue her missing best friend, following a trail of increasingly desperate text messages. To find Cassie, whose wild child ways often get her in trouble, Wylie has to work with Cassie’s boyfriend, Jasper, whom she blames for her friend’s most recent fall from grace. As they journey into the dark depths of Maine, they discover the unsettling truth that all of this trouble is connected to Wylie’s father’s research into heightened emotional perception, and now multiple groups are after them. McCreight (Where They Found Her) crafts a tense, atmospheric narrative that sends the teens reeling from one surprise after another, but the plot threatens to collapse under the weight of so many twists and turns, which stretch credulity a little too much. There are some nice emotional moments, especially when Wylie tries to faces her deep-seated anxiety, but the central premise doesn’t quite hold up its side of the bargain. Ages 14–up. Agent: Marly Rusoff, Marly Rusoff Literary Agency. (May)
The Outliers
Narrated by Phoebe Strole
Kimberly McCreightUnabridged — 9 hours, 57 minutes
The Outliers
Narrated by Phoebe Strole
Kimberly McCreightUnabridged — 9 hours, 57 minutes
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Overview
From the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia comes a fast-paced teen series where one girl learns that in a world of intrigue, betrayal, and deeply buried secrets, it is vital to trust your instincts.
It all starts with a text: Please, Wylie, I need your help. Wylie hasn't heard from Cassie in over a week, not since their last fight. But that doesn't matter. Cassie's in trouble, so Wylie decides to do what she has done so many times before: save her best friend from herself.
This time it's different, though. Instead of telling Wylie where she is, Cassie sends cryptic clues. And instead of having Wylie come by herself, Jasper shows up saying Cassie sent him to help.*Trusting the guy who sent Cassie off the rails doesn't feel right, but Wylie has no choice but to ignore her gut instinct and go with him.
But figuring out where Cassie is goes from difficult to dangerous, fast. As Wylie and Jasper head farther and farther north into the dense woods of Maine, Wylie struggles to control her growing sense that something is really wrong. What isn't Cassie telling them? And could finding her be only the beginning?
In this breakneck tale, New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight brilliantly chronicles a fateful journey that begins with a single decision-and ends up changing everything. *
Fans of young adult thrillers will love this fast-paced series about a girl who must trust her instincts to save her best friend from danger.
HarperCollins 2024
Editorial Reviews
McCreight (Where They Found Her) crafts a tense, atmospheric narrative that sends the teens reeling from one surprise after another — Publishers Weekly
THE OUTLIERS is a fast-paced, emotional, and darkly compelling novel with an ending that works like a catapult. I can’t wait to find out what McCreight has hidden up her sleeves! — Julianna Baggott, bestselling author of Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonder and the Pure trilogy.
Mccreight’s book is an edge of the seat page turner. Her ability to get at the core of what it means to be a friend, a girl, a human being in this society is at once thoughtful and dead on. — Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming
An exhilarating novel that unfolds at warp speed. — Mary Kubica, bestselling author of The Good Girl and Pretty Baby
A spellbinding thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page. — Sara Shepard, bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars
Original and wholly addictive, The Outliers is a heart-pounding mystery that will leave readers desperate for the next book. — Suzanne Young, bestselling author of The Program
This first book in a planned trilogy moves at a rapid pace and is action-packed from the start....Wylie’s struggles with grief and a difficult relationship with her best friend mold her into a multilayered character who captures the reader’s sympathy. — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half. — Booklist
“THE OUTLIERS is a fast-paced, emotional, and darkly compelling novel with an ending that works like a catapult. I can’t wait to find out what McCreight has hidden up her sleeves!” — Julianna Baggott, bestselling author of Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonder and the Pure trilogy.
“Mccreight’s book is an edge of the seat page turner. Her ability to get at the core of what it means to be a friend, a girl, a human being in this society is at once thoughtful and dead on.” — Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming.
“An exhilarating novel that unfolds at warp speed.” — --Mary Kubica, bestselling author of The Good Girl and Pretty Baby
Original and wholly addictive, The Outliers is a heart-pounding mystery that will leave readers desperate for the next book.
This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.
Mccreight’s book is an edge of the seat page turner. Her ability to get at the core of what it means to be a friend, a girl, a human being in this society is at once thoughtful and dead on.
This first book in a planned trilogy moves at a rapid pace and is action-packed from the start....Wylie’s struggles with grief and a difficult relationship with her best friend mold her into a multilayered character who captures the reader’s sympathy.
THE OUTLIERS is a fast-paced, emotional, and darkly compelling novel with an ending that works like a catapult. I can’t wait to find out what McCreight has hidden up her sleeves!
A spellbinding thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page.
An exhilarating novel that unfolds at warp speed.
This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.
01/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Still reeling from her mother's sudden death, Wylie—already fighting debilitating anxiety—has become even more self-isolating. When her former best friend's mother shows up desperately seeking her daughter Cassie, Wylie doesn't confess that the two have barely seen each other since Cassie turned to wild partying with boyfriend Jasper. Soon a mysterious letter arrives, followed by cryptic texts from Cassie, who is desperately requesting rescue. Wylie must convince herself that she is able to leave the house in the company of the much-reviled Jasper and head to rural Maine, all the while praying Cassie stays alive. Best-selling adult author McCreight (Reconstructing Amelia) makes her YA debut with the first of a planned trilogy about teens whose empathic abilities give them an emotional superintelligence. Narrator Phoebe Strole will raise hairs and push readers to the edge of their seats. VERDICT Bouncing between breathy with fearful excitement and monotone with calm control, Strole's convincing performance elides minor narrative flaws, giving the novel quite a dramatic send-off.—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC
2016-03-16
Boston-area high school junior Wylie Lang is in danger of losing everything she loves. Her beloved, brilliant, war-photographer mother died in a car accident four months ago, and her best friend, Cassie, seems to be going rapidly off the rails. Suffering from acute anxiety, Wylie is unable to go to school and is stuck at home with her unsympathetic twin brother and her father, "a hard-core nerd scientist who lives entirely in his head." When Cassie's boyfriend gets a troubling text message from Cassie, Wylie manages to conquer her agoraphobia and accompanies Jasper on a desperate drive to an abandoned summer camp in northern Maine, where Cassie is being held by a mysterious group. In this story, no one is who they appear to be, and few adults can be trusted. Wylie, Cassie, and Jasper (all evidently white) become pawns in a complex charade involving the attempted hijacking of Dr. Lang's research by defense contractors who see profit in his discovery of rare emotional intelligence in a few research subjects, known as "outliers," including Wylie herself. At times the plot, like the Maine woods, thickens to a point of impenetrability, and the twists become far-fetched. Wylie's present-tense account is smooth and well-paced, however, if not strikingly original. Readers who are willing to suspend disbelief will enjoy this action-packed psychological thriller. (Thriller. 12-16)
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170006281 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers |
| Publication date: | 05/03/2016 |
| Series: | Outliers , #1 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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