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Publication Date: September 27, 2022
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
List Price: $16.99 Trade Paperback
ISBN-13: 978-1-63988-547-3
Genre: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Language: English
Page Count: 316
Two teens encounter otherworldly entities in Vickers’ deeply engrossing coming-of-age tale set in 1960s California. It was a hot July night in 1969, when Cassady and Kyle, the childhood friends, snuck into one of MGM’s dilapidated movie sets. As they explored further, they came across Polynesian huts, a medieval European square, a graveyard, a Southern mansion, a train station, and warehouses filled with costumes and props. But there was one thing the boys didn’t expect to see: the actors who no longer live, including Scarlett and Ashley from Gone with the Wind. Vickers’s thrilling story unravels at a fast pace as the boys explore the run-down old sets from the movie and TV productions, encountering the ghostly entities while experiencing an uncanny paranormal phenomenon. The endearing relationship between Cassady and Kyle shine, and themes of friendship, teenage angst, self-discovery, longing, life, and death are well depicted. The gripping writing and effective incorporation of supernatural elements are satisfyingly spine-tingling. The plotting is tight, and a wide selection of horror tropes—from ghostly appearances and spooky abandoned places to otherworldly goings-on—fantastically come to life. Both lovers of YA contemporary and YA supernatural will be enthralled by this gripping tale of boyhood shenanigans, identity, and self-discovery. Richly satisfying and impeccably crafted… A stunner.
***
Categories: YA
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