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)
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