The Stranger Game

by Cylin Busby

Overview

The Stranger Game is a dark, suspenseful, and twisty novel that is Gone Girl for teens. Perfect for fans of Lauren Oliver and E. Lockhart.

When Nico Morris’s older sister mysteriously disappears, her parents, family, and friends are devastated. But Nico can never admit what she herself feels: relief at finally being free of Sarah’s daily cruelties.

Then the best and worst thing happens: four years later, after dozens of false leads, Sarah is found.

But this girl is much changed from the one Nico knew. She’s thin and drawn, when Sarah had been golden and athletic; timid and unsure, instead of brash and competitive; and strangest of all, sweet and kind, when she had once been mean and abusive. Sarah’s retrograde amnesia has caused her to forget almost everything about her life, from small things like the plots of her favorite books and her tennis game to the more critical—where she’s been the last four years and what happened at the park on the fateful day she vanished. Despite the happy ending, the dark details of that day continue to haunt Nico, and it becomes clear that more than one person knows the true story of what happened to Sarah. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062354617
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	02/06/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	709,939
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

Cylin Busby is the author of three feline-focused books: The White House Cat, illustrated by Neely Daggett, The Bookstore Cat, illustrated by Charles Santoso, and The Nine Lives of Jacob Tibbs. Her books for teens include the acclaimed memoir The Year We Disappeared and the novels The Stranger Game and Blink Once. She lives in Los Angeles with her family. You can visit her online at www.cylinbusby.com.

Editorial Reviews

Busby has skillfully constructed a plot with enough suspenseful twists to keep readers on their toes from start to finish. An unusual, captivating mystery.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Busby’s tense mystery alternates between Nico and Sarah’s points of view, using the tactic of an unreliable narrator to great effect while exploring how tragedy can alter every detail of a family’s existence. A final twist leads to a surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion.” — Publishers Weekly

“With compelling, memorable storytelling, Busby captures the complicated and often fraught relationship between siblings, especially in the aftermath of family trauma. Eerie and evocative, this thriller will likely inspire return visits to pick up on previously missed clues, and plenty of plot twists will keep readers guessing. — Booklist

“Busby tackles a disturbing theme with aplomb, deftly leaving the reader both disquieted and superbly satisfied. This is perfect for mystery lovers and sophisticated readers who will love a double a twist within a twist.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

“Readers who enjoy the mystery of how...a bait and switch might play out won’t be disappointed.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

With compelling, memorable storytelling, Busby captures the complicated and often fraught relationship between siblings, especially in the aftermath of family trauma. Eerie and evocative, this thriller will likely inspire return visits to pick up on previously missed clues, and plenty of plot twists will keep readers guessing.

Booklist

With compelling, memorable storytelling, Busby captures the complicated and often fraught relationship between siblings, especially in the aftermath of family trauma. Eerie and evocative, this thriller will likely inspire return visits to pick up on previously missed clues, and plenty of plot twists will keep readers guessing.

Booklist

08/29/2016
It’s been four years since 15-year-old golden girl Sarah Morris disappeared from Pennsylvania’s MacArthur Park. Her sister, Nico, now 15 herself, has gotten used to Sarah’s disappearance eclipsing nearly every aspect of her family life. When they get a call from a children’s center in Florida claiming that Sarah is alive and suffering from amnesia, they immediately hop a plane. Nico doesn’t know what to think, but she does know that this thin, pale girl is a shadow of the sister she once knew, the sister who physically and emotionally abused her on an almost daily basis. This Sarah is kind and warm, and as Nico spends more time with her, the evidence mounts that a stranger may be among them. Busby’s (Blink Once) tense mystery alternates between Nico and Sarah’s points of view, using the tactic of an unreliable narrator to great effect while exploring how tragedy can alter every detail of a family’s existence. A final twist leads to a surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion. Ages 13–up. Agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Busby tackles a disturbing theme with aplomb, deftly leaving the reader both disquieted and superbly satisfied. This is perfect for mystery lovers and sophisticated readers who will love a double a twist within a twist.

Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)

Readers who enjoy the mystery of how...a bait and switch might play out won’t be disappointed.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Readers who enjoy the mystery of how...a bait and switch might play out won’t be disappointed.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

09/01/2016
Gr 9 Up—This drama mystery follows Nico, a sophomore in high school, as she and her family come to terms with her sister's disappearance. Nico was 11 when her big sister, Sarah, left to meet a boyfriend at the park down the road. Four years later, Sarah is still missing and the protagonist still has nightmares about how Sarah screamed at her right before disappearing. Her older sibling always yelled at her, or hurt her, but Nico knows she's supposed to love Sarah and miss her and be devastated that she is still gone. Mostly, however, Nico feels confused, like there is a big hole in her family's life, one that her mother fills by becoming an expert on missing persons, and one that the teen can't hope to fill. Nico's internal monologue and the dialogue among the other main characters (her parents and new friend Tessa) move the story along at a good clip and will keep readers engaged. The paragraph headings will help readers understand who is narrating, a device that is not only needed but is also used well. Similar in feel to Carol Plum-Ucci's The Body of Christopher Creed, this work carries teens through strife, crises, and a mystery that desperately needs solving. Enough clues are spread throughout that teens will enjoy piecing together important plot points, but the author places enough surprise elements to keep mystery fans engaged through the end. VERDICT Recommended for general purchase where mysteries and thrillers are popular.—Cathleen Ash, Manor High School Library, TX

School Library Journal

2016-06-28
Nico was the last person to see her cheerleader sister, Sarah, before she went missing four years ago at the age of 15. Sarah’s bike was found in a large park where she was going to meet her boyfriend, Max. Four years of investigation and sightings have turned up nothing until now, when the Florida police find Sarah on a beach. She has amnesia and remembers little more than her name. The awkwardness of the well-to-do white family’s struggle to adjust to life with the changed, somber 19-year-old Sarah is narrated by Nico. Nico's now the same age that Sarah was when she disappeared; she's never really gotten over how awful Sarah was to her when they were younger. Nico's confusion about how to handle the damage her family has endured is evident is her hesitant first-person account. Brief chapters from Sarah’s point of view that recount her experiences locked in a dark room and suffering abuse at the hands of a cruel couple are scattered throughout the book. As Sarah tries to remember what happened, she too has to come to grips with changed relationships with her family, with Max, and with Paula, who had been her best friend. Busby has skillfully constructed a plot with enough suspenseful twists to keep readers on their toes from start to finish. An unusual, captivating mystery. (Mystery. 12-17)

Kirkus Reviews