The Thrashers

Gr 9 Up–Emily died by suicide on prom night, and her journal claims it’s the Thrashers’ fault. Jodi never wanted to be a Thrasher, an “elite” group of five friends at New Helvetia High, but that comes with the territory of being Zack’s longtime friend. With a detective going after the Thrashers for Emily’s death, Jodi must dig to uncover her friends’ secrets. On her journey for truth, weird messages and peculiar accidents keep happening to the Thrashers, leading Jodi to believe Emily isn’t quite ready to let go. Soto successfully dives into the YA scene with a mystery thriller that keeps readers second-guessing until the end. Jodi struggles with self-esteem, which leads her to be an unreliable narrator battling truth versus fiction. Emily’s strong characterization heavily influences the Thrashers as her manipulative and obsessive tendencies haunt their sense of morality. The supernatural element of flickering lights and freak accidents adds a creepy layer to the tale. By confronting her friends, especially Zack, Jodi learns that words are important, and honesty can be brutal or kind. Guilt is a spectrum, and end revelations leave Jodi accepting that friendship sometimes becomes messy and destructive when communication breaks down, but it can also surprise one in unexpected ways. While physical character description is minimal, there is some diversity present.