About This Book
A parent would reach for this book when their teenager feels like an outsider because of their socioeconomic status or when they have a talent that makes them feel isolated from their peers. It is a gripping choice for a student who uses logic and numbers to make sense of a world that feels unpredictable and unfair. The story follows Nearly Boswell, a scholarship student living in a trailer park, who must use her unique mathematical mind to track a serial killer targeting her classmates. While the plot is a high-stakes thriller, the heart of the book explores themes of resilience, the weight of academic pressure, and the struggle to belong. Because of the graphic violence, profanity, and sexual references, it is most appropriate for mature high schoolers who enjoy gritty, realistic mysteries. It offers a powerful look at a protagonist who succeeds not through magic or luck, but through her own intelligence and grit.
