The Leaf Reader

Gr 9 Up—Marnie Wells has always been on the outside of life in Colesbury. She and her older brother Noah live with their grandmother G. Clara, the home ec teacher at the local high school. Marnie takes up tea leaf reading after she finds a book on the subject in G. Clara's library. It's mostly harmless fun until A-lister Matt Cotrell asks for a reading. His best friend (and possible girlfriend) Andrea Quinley is missing and presumed dead. Now Marnie's readings seem eerily real and dangerous. When a body is discovered at a place Marnie's reading foresaw, the suspense mounts. Can Marnie open herself to the possibility that her readings are not merely fun and games but a glimpse into the past? Arsenault's deliberate pacing sets the tone for a big reveal in the final chapters. Marnie and Matt aren't unique in their characterizations—shy, quiet outsider who finds herself beside the popular boy—but they are well drawn. This is a solid teen mystery with a slow build and hints of the supernatural. Readers will be left guessing until the very last page.