Inland

Gr 9 Up—When she was a child, Callie watched her mother drown in the Pacific Ocean. Her father, unwilling to stay in the family's seafront home, moved inland with Callie, where, for nine years, she's experienced inexplicable and debilitating lung problems. That changes when her father takes a job on the Gulf Coast, and Callie finds herself breathing better and finally able to live a normal teenage life; her illness is no longer a barrier between forming friendships and taking part in school activities. Her mother's sister Nessa, a free-spirited surf instructor, visits and teaches her to swim, and Callie feels something awaken inside herself. Its voice is at times overpowering, impacting her worldview and decision-making. Is she suffering a break with reality or is there really something within her that's calling her into the ocean? Why can't she remember the attack on a classmate that she's accused of? The more answers the teen receives—including about her mother's death—the more questions arise. This often eerie novel that toes the line of fantasy is a delight. Readers won't be sure just what it is that has consumed Callie—her own madness, or perhaps, something altogether inhuman—but they'll keep turning pages in hopes of finding out. For fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars (Delacorte, 2014).—Amanda Mastrull, Library Journal