What Happened to Rachel Riley?
by Claire Swinarski (Author)
In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that's Where'd You Go Bernadette? with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school.
Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there's something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why.
As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there's always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won't stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley?
With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there's one thing she's certain of: If you're going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.
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Kirkus
A good fit for classroom or book club reading and discussion [and] a useful addition to the pool of middle-grade books about sexual harassment at school.
Publishers Weekly
As the new girl at her Madison, Wis., middle school, Anna Hunt isn't surprised to be sitting alone in the cafeteria. But another eighth grader--Rachel Riley-- is too, and when Anna finds that Rachel used to be one of the grade's most popular girls, she wants to know what happened. Anna, who wants to be "the next Sarah Koenig," frames her investigation as a podcast, hoping to apply to a summer camp with the results: an exploration of "bullying. Social classes.... A middle school caste system." But no one will talk, not even Rachel, who admits she knows the reason behind her being ostracized. In a quietly suspenseful book, Swinarksi (The Kate in Between) uses Anna's emails with her beloved Polish grandmother, as well as her thoughts and interactions at home and school, to give readers a good sense of the 12-year-old, who's a year younger than her classmates, and happier reading than socializing. Amid universal discouragement, Anna keeps asking awkward questions, eventually garnering help from classmates and her computer-genius older sister. With a slow reveal, the novel shows how frequently written-off behavior can constitute sexual harassment, and how individuals can create change by having the courage to question the narrative. Most characters read as white. Ages 8-12. Agent: Alex Slater, Trident Media Group. (Jan.)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.
ALA/Booklist
What begins as a look into bullying and the social politics of middle school expands into a revealing study of sexual harassment. An empowering and empathetic companion to Barbara Dee's Maybe He Just Likes You and Brigit Young's The Prettiest
Review quotes
What Happened to Rachel Riley has every single thing a middle grade reader could want: a twisty mystery; relatable, authentic teen characters; and the kind of demonstrated courage that seeps into our souls and leaves us feeling brave. This book is going to change lives. — Carrie Firestone, author of Dress Coded
The unraveling mystery is compelling. Pair this with Maybe He Just Likes You for a much-needed conversation with middle schoolers about harassment. — Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
JUV039230 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Bullying
JUV014000 - Juvenile Fiction | Girls & Women
JUV039100 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Peer Pressure
Middle schools
Podcasts
Sexual harassment
Bullies and bullying
