The Headmaster's List

YA chiller 

     Dear Readers, do I have a treat for you!!!  Melissa De La Cruz's The Headmaster's List is another delicious look into the more sinister aspects of an elite private school, the stuff they don't include in their carefully curated brochures.

"One of them was driving.

One of them was high.

One of them screamed.

One of them died."

     When Spencer, a senior at Armstrong Prep, wakes up in a hospital her mother is trying to get a detective who is intent on questioning her to wait.  She's been in an accident.  She'd been riding away from a party where she'd found evidence of boyfriend, Ethan, cheating.  Ethan had been driving.  Tabby and Chris had been in the back.  The car had smashed into a tree.  Chris, at fifteen the youngest of the group, had been killed.

     Although toxicology reports show that Ethan was not drunk or stoned he's facing serious charges that could put him behind bars for a long time.  At first Spencer can't recall anything about the crash.  But as memories trickle back in bits and pieces there are pronounced inconsistencies between them and the official story, inconsistencies that might exonerate Ethan.  If his brakes had been tampered with, for instance, he wouldn't be at fault.  Even though they are no longer together she doesn't want him to be wrongly imprisoned.

     Only her investigation may be putting her in danger.  She finds an anonymous note in her school locker telling her to 

"Stop looking into the crash

Or else."

     And a dark element of the Armstrong Prep culture hovers menacingly in the background.

"At Armstrong, there's this thing called the Headmaster's List.  Only a few students are chosen every year, but everyone tries to make the cut since it's a surefire way to get into the best colleges.  The Headmaster himself writes your recommendation.  It's super competitive.  Think of it as an honor roll but on steroids.  

     Three of the four students in the car that fateful night were on the Headmaster's List.

     If you're a fan of chillers set in the context of less than picture perfect elite private schools (as I am) you're going to love The Headmaster's List.

On a purrrsonal note, this week we've been cleaning up from Clean Sweep.  And we don't just throw the leftover stuff in the dumpster.  We have a bunch of agencies that take specific things.  Like the Kiwanis Club takes general interest (non textbook) books for their annual sale.  Welcome To Housing takes stuff formerly homeless people need for new apartments.  This year I was really excited to see that a representative of Mano En Mano (Hand In Hand) came all the way from Millbridge to fill a big van with bedding and bed rolls.  They work to meet the needs of migrant workers who harvest crops such as blueberries, potatoes, broccoli, and apples.  (Jules)

Good people!!!  (Tobago)

A great big shout out goes out to the people who run Mano En Mano.

Tobago and Jules Hathaway 

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