The Scattering

March 15, 2017
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)

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April 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 In this fast-paced sequel to Outliers (2016), Wylie struggles to make sense of the newfound ability that sets her and a discrete handful of women, Outliers, apart from the rest of us. Six weeks have passed since that night in Maine when she lost her friend Cassie in a fire, and still there are so many unanswered questions. Wylie, however, is not the only one struggling. When she fears Jasper has endangered himself, she races to save him only to find herself confronted by the police and ultimately locked away in an isolated ward in a Boston hospital. Doctors say she and the other women are actually suffering from PANDAS, a mood disorder from a rare strain of strep, and that the NIH is involved, but Wylie has many reasons to be skeptical. Is something more nefarious going onand can she even trust herself? A jaw-dropping revelation at the end guarantees a third book, which McCreight's fan base will be begging for soon enough. Another twisty-turny psychological thriller from a master.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Wylie (The Outliers) is forcibly hospitalized with a group of girls she suspects also have emotion-reading abilities. Her friend Jasper breaks her out and, with clues from a fellow patient, the two seek Wylie's missing scientist father and other Outliers. Conspiracies, lies, and double-crosses abound in the sci-fi-thriller series' second volume; more satisfying than the convoluted plot is Wylie's increasing control over her powers.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)