The Hanging Girl

Gr 9 Up—Skye Thorn is desperately in need of some quick cash. Her best friend, Drew, is moving to New York after graduation and is under the impression that Skye has been saving up to make the move with her. In reality, Skye has managed to save next to nothing, barely making enough money reading tarot cards to feed herself, but the last thing she wants is to let her friend down. When the mysterious "Pluto" proposes a dangerous moneymaking scheme, Skye agrees, imagining all that money in the bank and her problems solved. Pluto's plan is simple: kidnap the rich daughter of a judge, use Skye's "psychic gifts" to lead the police to the girl, and split the ransom. Skye would save the day and rake in an easy $12,000. But nothing is as it seems in this clever and dark thriller, and soon the situation becomes deadly. As Skye tries to figure out how the perfect crime has gone perfectly wrong, she wrestles with parts of her own identity that she's hidden from herself for years. Though the supporting characters are somewhat two dimensional, many readers will relate to the strong protagonist and her responses to the dissolution of a lifelong friendship, as well as her struggles with money and self-esteem. The twists lead to a satisfying if unsettling ending that will leave teens wondering what they would do in Skye's situation.