The Sydney Taylor Shmooze

The Counselors by Jessica Goodman Razorbill (imprint of Penguin Random House), 2022 Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Meg Wiviott Buy at Bookshop.org Goldie Eastman can’t wait to return to Camp Alpine Lake, the only place she feels safe, loved, and at home. Her senior year was disastrous, filled with love and lies, and secrets she’s kept from her best friends Ava and Imogen. But will this year’s summer be the same as those in the past, as Goldie, Ava, and Imo work as counselors, or will the secrets she’s kept ruin their friendships forever? Jessica Goodman’s young adult novel, The Counselors , brings to life the joys, comradery, and appeal of summer camp. Until, that is, a local boy is found dead on the grounds of Camp Alpine. Goldie knows this is no accident and knows she must find the truth behind the murder. What she uncovers is that the truth can be ugly—and that she’s not the only one keeping secrets. The Counselors is a quintessential story about summer camp (or as I imagine summe...

They'll Never Catch Us by Jessica Goodman Razorbill (imprint of Penguin Random House) Category: Young Adult Reviewer: Michelle Falkoff   Buy at Bookshop.org   Sisters Stella and Ellie Steckler share an alcoholic mother, a love of cross-country running, and an unwillingness to disclose anything about their romantic lives with one another. Their hometown is best known as the place where a series of murders happened a few years ago, and both are desperate to leave. Running seems to be the only way out, but competition for scholarships is fierce, and Stella may have already lost her chance because of an incident at a competition that got her sent to anger management.   The competition heats up when Mila Keene moves in. Mila was one of Stella’s biggest competitors, and now she could take the scholarships that Stella so desperately needs. When Mila disappears after Stella sends her a series of angry texts, it’s not long before the town jumps to the conclusion that an...