Vendor
	Mohrbooks Literary Agency Sebastian Ritscher
Categories
Children’s, Teenage & Educational

WHEN

Victoria Laurie

Maddie Fynn is a shy high school junior, cursed with an eerie intuitive ability: she sees a series of unique digits hovering above the foreheads of each person she encounters. Her earliest memories are marked by these numbers, but it takes her father's premature death for Maddie and her family to realize that these mysterious digits are actually deathdates, and just like birthdays, everyone has one.

Forced by her alcoholic mother to use her ability to make extra money, Maddie identifies the quickly approaching deathdate of one client's young son, but because her ability only allows her to see the when and not the how, she's unable to offer any more insight. When the boy goes missing on that exact date, law enforcement turns to Maddie. Soon, Maddie is entangled in a homicide investigation, and more young people disappear and are later found murdered. A suspect for the investigation, a target for the murderer, and attracting the attentions of a mysterious young admirer who may be connected to it all, Maddie's whole existence is about to be turned upside down. Can she right things before it's too late? Victoria Laurie is the author of the Psychic Eye mystery series (beginning with Abby Cooper, Psychic Eye, Penguin 2004), the Ghost Hunter mystery series (beginning with What’s a Ghoul to Do?, Penguin 2007), and the Oracles of Delphi Keep middle grade series (beginning in 2010, Delacorte).

Available products
Book Published 2015-01-13 by Hyperion/Disney

Comments

Laurie's debut for teens is quite an accomplishment: Maddie's voice rings true, and her character development is handled well. The character development is just as riveting as the plot in this well-constructed thriller.

Victoria Laurie’s WHEN on YALSA’s Teens’ Top 10! Read more...

Established adult mystery writer Laurie sticks to her strengths here, creating a taut, well-plotted thriller with a dash of the paranormal. The strong build-up, including a few twists, keeps the story moving, while the surprising resolution and final showdown will have readers on the edge of their seats. Though the storytelling is the main draw, Maddie adds her own charm as a determined young woman with too many responsibilities, both familiarly familial and uniquely supernatural. Descriptions of the murders are only mildly gory, so readers wary of horror can get their thrills without the blood and guts, and the novel packs in plenty of fast-paced, nail-biting fun.

Victoria Laurie’s WHEN (originally sold as DEATH DATE) was optioned by Warner Bros for television.

Thailand: Yodmala

The intense description of tough social life in high school for the odd teen outsider is perfect and even shocking at times. The supportive friendship between Maddie and Stubby, and whether they or their friendship will survive, is engrossing. This excellent book is a must-have for all libraries, especially where suspense and teen-life fiction is hot. This novel will provide crossover appeal to both older teens and adults.