Final 12 months, Rachel Riley was the most well-liked woman at East Center College in Madison, Wisconsin. This 12 months, she’s persona non grata with your complete eighth grade class—aside from Anna Hunt.
Anna, the brand new child on the town, is an aspiring journalist who loves listening to podcasts, studying and emailing her grandmother, Babcia, who lives in Poland. Anna desires of being accepted to the summer time podcasting camp at Northwestern College, however she must create an excellent podcasting pattern for her utility. Within the meantime, she’s additionally making an attempt her greatest to make mates at her new faculty.
When Anna’s Social Points instructor assigns a semester-long “un-essay” mission about any social query of non-public curiosity, Anna decides that investigating Rachel’s precipitous fall from grace is the proper approach to obtain all her targets. She’ll interview Rachel and their classmates about what occurred and get to know individuals alongside the way in which. Positive, she would possibly ruffle some feathers, however that’s a part of being a journalist.
‘What Occurred to Rachel Riley?’ creator Claire Swinarski explains why she integrated epistolary components into her center grade thriller novel.
Textual content messages, handed notes, emails, flyers and interview transcripts allow readers to hitch Anna as she good points perception into East Center College, deftly illustrating how even informal conversations can layer upon each other and develop right into a rising tide of peer stress. When Anna realizes that Rachel’s ostracization is tied to a sexual harassment “sport” that the boys have been enjoying on the women’ expense, she’s understandably unsure about what to do subsequent. By Rachel’s experiences, Anna has seen how harmful it may be to disclose secrets and techniques, to make a fuss and stand out from the group. However may or not it’s price doing anyway, if it results in actual change?
Claire Swinarski has created a strikingly practical depiction of what it’s wish to navigate the minefields of center faculty whereas making an attempt to determine what you stand for—and what you’re prepared to face up for. What Occurred to Rachel Riley? is each well timed and, sadly, timeless in its depiction of systemic sexual harassment and and frustratingly inappropriate reactions from authority figures and friends. This compelling novel urges readers to contemplate what they could do in related conditions and reminds them that “typically, equity must be demanded as a substitute of waited for.”
Learn our interview with ‘What Occurred to Rachel Riley?’ creator Claire Swinarski.
