The Rules

Gr 9 Up—August DeYoung hosts the most exclusive parties for the most exclusive clique at Callabrese High. This year, August is pulling out all the stops to make his trademark scavenger hunt the best one yet. When Robin Brisset accidentally crashes August's hunt, she isn't surprised to see underage drinking and over-the-line flirting, but she is surprised when her fellow hunters begin dying around her. Robin is determined to survive the party, but she may have to break the rules to do it. Suspenseful from the start, this novel will hook even slow and reluctant readers immediately. Each chapter begins with a rule a character lives by, which illuminates a core aspect of the character's personality, and proceeds to tell the story from that person's perspective. Readers then see how that aspect most influences the actions in the chapter. This shifting point of view introduces readers to the work's cast of protagonists in a manageable way, while also allowing the authors to pepper the novel with small details that will keep teens guessing.