The Scattering

by Kimberly McCreight

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Kimberly McCreight raises the stakes in the second book of the heart-pounding Outliers trilogy, a uniquely speculative story about secrets, betrayal, and a world where one small group of people are blessed—or cursed—with an incredible power.

Wylie may have escaped the camp in Maine, but she is far from safe. The best way for her to protect herself is to understand her ability, fast. But after spending a lifetime trying to ignore her own feelings, giving in to her ability to read other peoples’ emotions is as difficult as it is dangerous.

And Wylie isn’t the only one at risk. Ever since they returned home, Jasper has been spiraling, wracked with guilt over what happened to Cassie. After all they’ve been through together, Wylie and Jasper would do anything for each other, but she doesn’t know if their bond is strong enough to overcome demons from the past.

It is amid this uncertainty and fear that Wylie finds herself confronted with a choice. She was willing to do whatever it took to help Cassie, but is she prepared to go to the same extremes to help complete strangers . . . even if they are just like her?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062359148
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/02/2017
Series:	Outliers , #2
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	869,038
File size:	967 KB
Age Range:	14 Years

About the Author

Kimberly McCreight is the New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia, which was nominated for the Edgar, Anthony, and Alex Awards; Where They Found Her; and The Outliers young adult trilogy. She attended Vassar College and graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Editorial Reviews

The Scattering” is breathlessly fast-paced and enticingly suspenseful.” — Washington Post

“McCreight’s book is an edge of the seat page turner. Her ability to get at the core of what it means to be a friend, a girl, a human being in this society is at once thoughtful and dead on.” — Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

“A spellbinding thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page.” — Sara Shepard, bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars

“THE OUTLIERS is a fast-paced, emotional, and darkly compelling novel with an ending that works like a catapult. I can’t wait to find out what McCreight has hidden up her sleeves!” — Julianna Baggott, bestselling author of Harriet Wolf's Seventh Book of Wonder and the Pure trilogy

“Original and wholly addictive, The Outliers is a heart-pounding mystery that will leave readers desperate for the next book.” — Suzanne Young, bestselling author of The Program

“This first book in a planned trilogy moves at a rapid pace and is action-packed from the start....Wylie’s struggles with grief and a difficult relationship with her best friend mold her into a multilayered character who captures the reader’s sympathy.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“At a breakneck pace, ‘The Outliers’ grabs and doesn’t let go.” — Lisa Ko, author of The Leavers

“Bestselling author McCreight makes her YA debut with a heart-pounding thriller that ends on a cliffhanger…This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.” — Bustle

“Bestselling author McCreight makes her YA debut with a heart-pounding thriller that ends on a cliffhanger…This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.” — Booklist

“McCreight (Where They Found Her) crafts a tense, atmospheric narrative that sends the teens reeling from one surprise after another.” — Publishers Weekly

“McCreight keeps readers guessing as Wylie gets tangled in a web of lies, betrayal and dangerous secrets. And it is on only the beginning.” — NY Daily News

“The Outliers is a gripping read—sometimes flat-out scary—and an exciting start to a new YA mystery/thriller series. ” — BookPage

From the Publisher

McCreight’s book is an edge of the seat page turner. Her ability to get at the core of what it means to be a friend, a girl, a human being in this society is at once thoughtful and dead on.

Jacqueline Woodson

Bestselling author McCreight makes her YA debut with a heart-pounding thriller that ends on a cliffhanger…This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.

Booklist

A spellbinding thriller that keeps you guessing until the very last page.

Sara Shepard

Bestselling author McCreight makes her YA debut with a heart-pounding thriller that ends on a cliffhanger…This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.

Bustle

The Scattering” is breathlessly fast-paced and enticingly suspenseful.

Washington Post

This first book in a planned trilogy moves at a rapid pace and is action-packed from the start....Wylie’s struggles with grief and a difficult relationship with her best friend mold her into a multilayered character who captures the reader’s sympathy.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

At a breakneck pace, ‘The Outliers’ grabs and doesn’t let go.

Lisa Ko

Original and wholly addictive, The Outliers is a heart-pounding mystery that will leave readers desperate for the next book.

Suzanne Young

THE OUTLIERS is a fast-paced, emotional, and darkly compelling novel with an ending that works like a catapult. I can’t wait to find out what McCreight has hidden up her sleeves!

Julianna Baggott

McCreight keeps readers guessing as Wylie gets tangled in a web of lies, betrayal and dangerous secrets. And it is on only the beginning.

NY Daily News

The Outliers is a gripping read—sometimes flat-out scary—and an exciting start to a new YA mystery/thriller series.

BookPage

Bestselling author McCreight makes her YA debut with a heart-pounding thriller that ends on a cliffhanger…This fast-paced thriller will have readers pinned to their seats with all the twists and turns in the second half.

Booklist

The Scattering” is breathlessly fast-paced and enticingly suspenseful.

Washington Post

At a breakneck pace, ‘The Outliers’ grabs and doesn’t let go.

Associated Press Staff

12/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—While Phoebe Strole stays consistently convincing in voicing characters of different genders and ages, and conveying shocks and surprises throughout, McCreight's continuing mystery centered on teen Wylie is showing signs of fatigue, not to mention just plain disbelief. Wylie, a self-described "full-on agoraphobic" in the first book, is still at the mercy of her diagnosis, but her condition seems to conveniently disappear whenever she needs to hide, escape, or save someone. As book two opens, Cassie's dead. Wylie and Jasper (Cassie's ex-boyfriend) are back in Boston, albeit briefly. Jasper's fallen into a guilt-induced existential crisis, and Wylie lands in Boston General Hospital with other girls who might be like her—even if they don't know that yet. Then her father goes missing. Her twin turns belligerent. And her mother's ex-best friend, who's clearly been lying about what she knows, is suddenly Wylie's designated protector. VERDICT Readers will need to be familiar with book one to fully comprehend book two. Strole's steady narration helps ameliorate McCreight's growing narrative flaws, enough that already hooked teen readers will likely request access to the full series.—Terry Hong, Smithsonian BookDragon, Washington, DC

School Library Journal

2017-03-06
High schooler Wylie Lang sees things differently from most teenagers. She is a member of a select group of girls known as Outliers, who have Heightened Emotional Perception. In series opener The Outliers (2016), Wylie first becomes aware of her unusual skill, which is being studied by her scientist father. Unfortunately for Wylie and her family, sinister forces have an interest in subverting these skills for their own ends, and Wylie is often on the run. In this sequel, when her friend Jasper mysteriously disappears, Wylie fears the worst. As she races to save him from possible suicide, she is captured and placed in a secure mental hospital, where for the first time she encounters other Outliers (who for the most part seem white as Wylie). Through the other girls' skills, she learns how to "read" other people and to trust her instincts. Wylie's strength of character is tested when, having escaped from the institution, she again finds herself a prisoner, this time in a grim youth detention facility. Tantalizing mysteries remain to be solved: the whereabouts of her father; the real status of her mother, presumed killed in a car crash; and the motive of her mother's lawyer friend, Rachel. Wylie's compelling first-person narration, tough conflicts with others, and her courage against formidable odds make this an un-put-downable thriller. A reading of the first novel is necessary to appreciate this title. A riveting adventure that rewards returning readers. (Thriller. 12-16)

Kirkus Reviews