The Shadows We Know by Heart

Gr 6 Up—Leah's life seems to be held together by secrets and lies, especially since her older brother was killed in the woods. After Sam's death, her preacher father became super strict and angry, her melancholy mother began to sip from a secret flask, and only Sam's twin, Matt, seems unchanged. Leah keeps the biggest secret of all, because she knows that a trio of Sasquatch live in the woods next door and that a wild boy, with whom she is infatuated, lives with them. Although she is forbidden to go into the woods, Leah is drawn into the handsome wild boy's world, risking punishment and danger to learn more about him. She keeps this friendship a secret even from her best friend, Ashley, who has lost her father and brother, and from her new boyfriend, the sheriff's son, on whom she has been crushing for years. As she relates her story, Leah frequently refers to the tragedy that killed Sam 10 years earlier, revealing small clues and memories of the event, and readers may be able to connect the dots of the mystery before Leah does. Peppered with romantic metaphors and flowery descriptions, Leah's first-person narration is dense and dramatic. The novel's most satisfying passages are at the conclusion, although many loose ends aren't entirely wrapped up.