“A Drowned Maiden’s Hair: A Melodrama,” by Laura Amy Schlitz (Candlewick, 400 pages, $15.99)
Taut, funny and splendidly unconventional, this lively story is about a canny orphan smuggled into service as an accomplice to three elderly spinster con artists. Young Maud Flynn looks younger than 11, with an instinct for outmaneuvering most adults.
The exception is Hyacinth, the most lovable of the sisters who adopt Maud from a Dickensian orphanage. The once-wealthy sisters are down on their luck, making ends meet by holding pricey séances. Maud’s compliance falters as she furtively develops a kinship with the sisters’ deaf cook and with one of the sisters’ most coveted clients. Schlitz tells Maud’s story with such tension, elegance and humor that it’s difficult to put down. Ages 10 and up.
In the aftermath of a fatal car accident, teenagers Nick and Allie find themselves between here and eternity.
“Everlost,” by Neal Shusterman (Simon & Schuster, 313 pages, $16.95)
Everlost is the name of their spirit world, which coexists with the bustling world of the living and is peopled by other souls in transition. Most are in thrall to two pirate-spirited leaders. One is a benevolent dictator; the other is an awful monster called The McGill.
How the two reconcile themselves to their fate and discern the cause of the misery that controls Everlost creates a gripping tale. Ages 12 and up.
“The White Darkness,” by Geraldine McCaughrean (Harperteen; 384 pages, $16.99)
The title refers to the relentless Antarctic winter. Sym, 14, is surprised but agreeable to find herself on a trek with the longtime family friend she knows as Uncle Victor. Victor surprises Sym with a trip to Antarctica, which holds a nearly lifelong fascination for her.
Initially charmed, Sym slowly realizes that Victor’s obsession with the Antarctic is malignant. The story is harrowing and relentless. Ages 12 and up.
“Trigger,” by Susan Vaught (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 304 pages, $16.95)
What happens when suicide fails, and you find yourself working to reclaim the life you tried to end? Vaught’s story of adolescent Jersey, whose suicide attempt leaves him with a brain injury and no memory of why he wanted to die, is raw and captivating.
No sensible person can read “Trigger” without reaching a new comprehension of how suicide, and suicide attempts, drastically changes the lives circling the intended victim.
Jersey’s recovery wanders unpredictably between chimerical and concrete as he relearns everything from tying his shoelaces to reconnecting with his betrayed family. The cold selfishness of his act is as inescapable and impossible to define as the despair that drove him to pick up a gun. His redemption offers hope and doubt.
Staff writer Claire Martin can be reached at 303-954-1477 or cmartin@denverpost.com
