The Leaf Reader

(Paperback)

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Description

Emily Arsenault (The Rose Notes) makes her YA debut with a "page-ripping whodunit" about Marnie Wells, who comes face-to-face with the occult when she discovers her ability to read tea leaves might help solve the mystery of a classmate's disappearance. Marnie Wells knows that she creeps people out. It's not really her fault; her brother is always in trouble, and her grandmother, who's been their guardian since Mom took off is . . . eccentric. So no one even bats an eye when Marnie finds an old book about reading tea leaves and starts telling fortunes. The ceremony and symbols are weirdly soothing, but she knows-and hopes everyone else does too-that none of it's real. Then basketball star Matt Cotrell asks for a reading. He's been getting emails from someone claiming to be his best friend, Andrea Quinley, who disappeared and is presumed dead. And while they'd always denied they were romantically involved, a cloud of suspicion now hangs over Matt. But Marnie sees a kindred spirit- someone who, like her, is damaged by association. Suddenly, the readings seem real. And, despite the fact that they're telling Marnie things about Matt that make him seem increasingly dangerous, she can't shake her initial attraction to him. In fact, it's getting stronger. And that could turn out to be deadly.

Reviews

ACooperative Childrens Book Center Choices 2018 Selection

Praise for The Leaf Reader

"Skillfully constructed . . . Arsenault never pushes the supernatural angle too hard, letting Marnie, and the reader, skate on the suspenseful edge of skepticism and belief."
The New York Times Book Review

The clues come fast and furious inThe Leaf Readerand Arsenault does an excellent job of slowly rolling out the supernatural aspects of Marnies talent . . . A mystery that offers all teens could want in smart and supernatural writing.
Locus Magazine

Emily Arsenault, known for weaving haunting tales in adult mysteries, brings her knack for subtle suspense to a younger audience in this rewarding YA debut.
BookPage

Intriguing and suspenseful, the mystery and the cast of characters kept us guessing from the first page to the last. And now were more than a little interested in tea leaf fortune telling
Justine

A twisty, delicious young-adult thriller.
Plattsburgh Press-Republican

A solid foray into YA . . . The incorporation of tea-leaf reading, including the ceremony and symbolism of the art, adds a distinctive element to a mystery thats well worth a read.
Publishers Weekly

Arsenault's page-ripping whodunit not only will send readers running for their tea kettles, but packs the thrill of self-discovery and acceptance amid base adversity: a rich, rewarding teen debut.
Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

More eerie than frightening, this is an atmospheric tale laced with hints of magic. Thoughtful, careful Marnie and her hobby-turned-calling will endear themselves to readers looking for a slowly unfolding mystery.
Booklist

This is a solid teen mystery with a slow build and hints of the supernatural. Readers will be left guessing until the very last page.
School Library Journal

A tightly crafted, suspense-filled thriller . . . While the mystery itself is intriguing enough, the murder and its cause bring up serious issue of class, and once readers catch their breath theyll have plenty to ponder about the relationship between privilege and crime and punishment.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Left me guessing until the last, utterly delicious page! I loved the heroines cynical sense of humor, while fearing for her every minute of this taut, deftly written thriller about a community that clearly cares only for a certain kind of girl. Emily Arsenault is a YA writer to watch!
Meg Cabot, #1New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Princess Diaries

Arsenault's debut YA is an entertaining, potent brew of sinister secrets, convincing twists, and no shortage of suspects. Teen fans of old-school crime masters like Agatha Christie and Lois Duncan will happily drink this up.
James Klise, Edgar Awardwinning author ofThe Art of Secrets

Mysterious and romantic, full of twists and revelations that kept me turning pages long into the night,The Leaf Readeris one of those special books I hadnt even known Id been searching for.
Kara Thomas, author ofThe Darkest Corners

Praise for Emily Arsenault

Emily Arsenaults mysteries are so much fun.
The New York Times Book Review

Absorbing . . . Ms. Arsenault here reveals strange truths beneath everyday surfaces.
The Wall Street Journal, 10 Best Mysteries of the Year

Author Bio

Emily Arsenault is the author of several literary mysteries, including In Search of the Rose Notes, a Wall Street Journal Best Book of the Year; The Broken Teaglass, a New York Times Notable Crime Book; and The Evening Spider. She lives in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, with her husband and daughter. The Leaf Reader is her first young adult novel.