S.T.A.G.S.

February 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-In the opening line of this debut thriller, Manchester native Greer MacDonald reveals that she might be a murderer. She's excited to land a scholarship to elite S.T.A.G.S.-St. Aiden the Great School-until she's targeted by a clique of aristocratic bullies-the Medievals. When ringleader Henry de Warlencourt invites her and fellow outsiders Chanel and Shafeen to his palatial estate for the weekend, the "huntin' shootin' fishin' " trip quickly turns deadly. They're singled out because they don't fit in: Greer isn't rich, Chanel's money comes from her father's invention of a smartphone instead of inherited wealth, and Shafeen, although descended from Indian royalty, has the "wrong" skin color. The Medievals turn their guns on these three "savages" because they've dared to rise above their social station. Bennett creates a chilling atmosphere on every page. She describes the gorgeous grounds of Longcross, the de Warlencourt home, in rich detail, but never allows readers to relax for long. A threatening servant or an explosion of gunfire always lurks around the corner. The absence of modern technology at Longcross increases the sense that Greer is isolated and in danger. She frequently compares the weekend's bizarre incidents to scenes from classic movies that emphasize the drama. The book reads like a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle or an Agatha Christie mystery for modern teens. VERDICT Hand this suspenseful study of British aristocracy to fans of spooky boarding school stories like Robin Talley's As I Descended.-Amy Duffy, Chicago Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2019
Scholarship student Greer is initially awestruck by the rarified environment at her new boarding school, but she soon encounters malice beneath the gilded surface: a secret society is targeting outsiders deemed unworthy of the school, and Greer might be next. Painstaking pacing might lose some readers initially, but the increasingly menacing atmosphere builds up, and the payoff is worth it.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)