Teen Killers Club, by Lily Sparks
Crooked Lane / Penguin Random House
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64385-229-4
Signal Deere was once an ordinary girl, a misfit goth with concerns like where to sit at lunch and when she’d get her first kiss. That all changed the day she was convicted of the gruesome murder of her best friend. She is just getting used to life in prison when she gets an offer that seems too good to be true: if she joins a top-secret program based out of an abandoned summer camp, she won’t have to serve another day of her sentence. For once, she should fit right in — the camp is full of “Class A” killers like her, the most dangerous type of criminal. There’s just one problem: she was framed. She has no idea who actually killed her friend. And, in Teen Killers Club, being innocent makes her prey.
This unique thriller is full of twists and turns, hurtling from one blood-soaked scene to the next. Despite multiple subplots, the story is easy to follow, with frequent reveals and new challenges to keep readers hooked. The characters are memorable, especially a tall, mysterious girl who goes by “Nobody” and wears a ski mask everywhere, and Erik, a cunning psychopath who seems to have taken an interest in Signal. Although the premise is dark, there’s plenty of humor along the way, as well as sweet bonding moments among the rag-tag group of murderous misfits. The summer camp setting will feel familiar to teens, except that in this case camp gossip is focused on who has the highest body count, the obstacle course could actually kill someone, and campers compete over who can hide a body or dissolve flesh in acid the fastest.
Hand this entertaining thriller to fans of dramedies featuring dark humor that explore the nature of innocence and guilt, like Teenage Bounty Hunters, Deadly Class, and The End of the F***ing World.
— Laura Indick, Brooklyn NY
Other Nominated Titles
- Chlorine Sky by Mahogany L. Browne (January 12, 2021)
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the field nomination form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten. The previous years’ lists are available on The Hub.
