Silent Alarm

Gr 10 Up—Lunchtime will never be the same. What sounded like cherry bombs, were actually gunshots exploding throughout the halls of Plainewood High School where Alys Aronson and her brother, Luke, were students. A violinist in the making, Alys was trying to master a piece by Brahms, Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, while her classmate Miranda studied for a history test nearby, when Luke entered with a rifle in hand. After witnessing her brother kill Miranda, Alys tries to come terms with the terrible event in this gripping narrative. In between the unbearable grief and feelings of being ostracized by her friends and the community, the teen learns to accept herself as someone more than the sister of a murderer. Readers will dive into each page as the author unfolds just what drove Luke to make such a horrible decision, even after being accepted to one of the top schools in the country. A captivating portrait of a family torn apart by jealousy and neglect.—Keisha Miller, South Orange Public Library, NJ