Review by Booklist Review
When Posey Spade's family moves from San Francisco to Wild Pines, a small mountain town, she makes the best of it, like always. Her new high school may not have journalism classes or a school newspaper, but she intends to advance her goals by expanding into broadcast news with the AV club. Only, the group is full of slackers, and they don't know what to make of Posey's peppy, relentless optimism or her list of project ideas (with corresponding slideshows). Then their beloved club sponsor, Ms. Moses, disappears after leaving her part-time night job. Dissatisfied with the police's lackadaisical investigation, Posey rallies the AV club to bring attention to the case by filming their own investigation. Despite some serious subjects--one of the club members is living out of his car, while another is handling the fallout of a mental health crisis on social media---this is a cozy mystery, complete with red herrings that add color to the small town rather than danger, quirky characters, and a positive ending.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Having just moved from San Francisco to Northern California with her single father, aspiring journalist Posey Spade is determined to make news (and maybe some friends) by joining Wild Pines High School's AV club. Posey, already an award-winning teen journalist, arrives with a plan (and a slide show) to spur the "juvenile delinquent" club members into action. But when the group's faculty sponsor disappears and the local police fail to pursue leads, Posey pivots and encourages the club to launch its own investigation, a decision that puts their own lives on the line as they field anonymous death threats from a purported serial killer. While Posey never solves the "looming, ever-present" riddle of her mother's distance nor the puzzle of her guarded feelings for a fellow group member, the mystery of the AV club adviser's disappearance resolves with upbeat, positive energy. Witty banter shines in this nail-biting thriller from Gardner (How We Ricochet), who utilizes an engaging premise that draws readers in--but it's the quirky characters and unexpected friendships that keep the pages turning. "Bisexual and/or pansexual" Posey cues as white; supporting characters are intersectionally diverse. Ages 13--up. (Nov.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 9 Up--Award-winning high school journalist Posey Spade has habitually been told that she's "too much," an energy that she's determined to curb as the new student at Wild Pines High. When she discovers that her only outlet for news production will be the AV Club, comprised of five unfocused students who would rather watch episodes of Tiger King than participate in her icebreakers, she doesn't let the lack of drive stop her from pitching a student news show. The Club's saving grace is its sponsor, Ms. Moses, a charismatic teacher who is widely beloved. But after Posey witnesses an inappropriate moment between the club's surly president, Salvatore Zamora, and Ms. Moses, she grows concerned. Then, Ms. Moses goes missing. United by a desire to investigate her disappearance, the members of the Club rally behind Posey in filming a YouTube news show that attracts widespread attention, and some of it is sinister in nature. Propelled by Posey's earnest, indefatigable voice, twists of the investigation, and simmering romantic tension between Posey and Sal, this novel will hook mystery readers, although an unsatisfying final twist and lack of resolution to several plot threads is frustrating. Interview transcripts are interspersed throughout the third-person narrative. Posey is white and "bisexual and/or pansexual," while other members of the AV Club are diverse in terms of race, ability, and sexual orientation. VERDICT Recommended for collections where titles like Tom Ryan's I Hope You're Listening or Holly Jackson's A Good Girl's Guide to Murder circulate well.--Elizabeth Giles
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A beloved teacher's disappearance motivates a previously uninspired club to produce a controversial news show. Posey Spade knew to expect culture shock when she moved with her newspaper editor dad from San Francisco to the small rustic town of Wild Pines, California. An aspiring journalist, Posey is undaunted by her new school's lack of a journalism department and the apathy of the students she meets in its recently formed AV club. But when Ms. Moses, the scrappy young teacher who sponsors the club, goes missing, neither the school administration nor the local police department seem eager to act. The AV club members, who are devoted to Ms. Moses, launch an investigative news show to raise awareness of her case. But the more they dig into Ms. Moses' personal life, the more questions they unearth and resistance they encounter. Some plot threads are never fleshed out, and as a result, the story functions less as the mystery it presents itself as and more as a tender depiction of found family. Posey is also more audience stand-in than a fully realized person, but the large supporting cast is lovingly and individually characterized. Most residents of Wild Pines are described as white, a fact addressed by one biracial member of the AV club. Many club members are queer, including Posey, who identifies as "bisexual and/or pansexual." A lackluster mystery that finds surer footing in its study of community.(Mystery. 13-17) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
