Genre: Mystery
Rick and Martina are best friends and outcasts who are known for pulling pranks. However, when the yearbooks arrive and it is discovered that the superlatives (best laugh, best smile, etc.) were changed to gruesome ways people might die they claim innocence when everyone immediately suspects them. For the most part people think it’s a prank until one of the people named, a school counselor, meets his end in the bottom of a lake. This is especially horrifying because his yearbook superlative read, “he’ll sleep with the fishes.” Now the rest of the students named in the yearbook predictions are scared and decide to band together in order to stay alive and find the killer. Rick and Martina’s friendship gets tested along the way as all eyes start to judge their every move. Can they find the killer before more people’s predictions come true? Why are these specific students being targeted? Who would even have the power to change the yearbook without anyone knowing?
Fans of Karen McManus will enjoy this high school mystery. The premise is interesting and keeps readers guessing all the way until the surprising end. The two main characters are portrayed in a really personal way as the differences in their home lives is delved into as well as their powerful friendship that connects them in a special, nonromantic, way. Some of the side characters can seem a little similar at times, but for the most part the mystery unfolds in a plausible way with an exciting ending, which is usually all a mystery fan needs. Recommended for high school students who enjoy suspenseful, but not too gory murder mysteries.
