Books > Teens > Mysteries & Thrillers > Historical
Monthly median sales (top 30)
$2,616
The median book price
$11.68
Bestseller's daily sales
108
50th book's daily sales
4
Average number of pages per book
368
Monopoly/Olygopoly detected
Yes
Performance tracking
Competitiveness
Volume sales
Book price
Volatility
New releases
Self published
Matching KDP categories
fiction > thrillers > historical
57.74%
juvenile > fiction > historical > renaissance
50.0%
juvenile > fiction > historical > prehistory
50.0%
juvenile > fiction > historical > other
50.0%
Keyword requirement
Best selling keywords
Median title & subtitle length is 4 words:
- I Must Betray You
- Monday's Not Coming
- Patron Saints of Nothing
- Warrior Girl Unearthed
- A Crane Among Wolves
- Indie success
-
15.79%
- Volatility
- New releases
- KDP Select
100%
16.67%
3.33%
Extract of the best seller list's front page
Front-page bestsellers:
Book title | Author | Publisher | Absolute rank | Monthly sales volume | Price | Amazon stars | Amazon reviews | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | The Dark Days Club: The Lady Helen Trilogy, Book 1 | Alison Goodman | N/A | N/A | $612 | $21.88 | 1,266 | |
2 | I Must Betray You | Ruta Sepetys | Listening Library | 605 | $73,876 | $19.69 | 3,794 | |
3 | Monday's Not Coming | Tiffany D Jackson | , "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List") | 1,639 | $18,909 | $10.39 | 5,130 | |
4 | I Must Betray You | Ruta Sepetys | , starred review | 6,019 | $4,905 | $11.68 | 3,785 | |
5 | Patron Saints of Nothing | Randy Ribay | Self published | 7,949 | $3,017 | $8.29 | 1,587 | |
6 | Warrior Girl Unearthed | Angeline Boulley | Self published | 11,909 | $3,498 | $11.36 | 793 | |
7 | A Crane Among Wolves | June Hur | Feiwel & Friends | 14,343 | $5,037 | $17.99 | 0 | |
8 | You've Been Summoned: An Interactive Mystery | Lindsey Lamar | Experiment 42 | 14,515 | $4,281 | $15.29 | 53 | |
9 | I Must Betray You | Ruta Sepetys | , starred review | 22,361 | $2,444 | $12.47 | 3,785 | |
10 | Hunting Prince Dracula | Kerri Maniscalco | Hachette Audio | 22,435 | $4,278 | $21.83 | 2,968 | |
11 | Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose | Nancy Springer | Macmillan Audio | 22,741 | N/A | $-1.00 | 417 | |
12 | The Forest of Stolen Girls | June Hur | Feiwel & Friends | 24,246 | $586 | $2.99 | 377 | |
13 | Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, 1) | Kerri Maniscalco | "Audrey Rose Wadsworth prefers breeches to ball gowns, autopsies to afternoon tea, and scalpels to knitting needles. Though her father, Lord Edmund, has forbidden it, Audrey covertly studies forensic medicine...while "the Ripper" remains two steps ahead, lurking where Audrey least expects....Maniscalco's portrayal of scientific invention in a newly industrial era will serve as a fine first foray into Victorian classics."― | 25,920 | $1,577 | $9.39 | 5,882 | |
14 | Stalking Jack the Ripper Paperback Set | Kerri Maniscalco | Little, Brown Books for Young Readers | 29,132 | $4,167 | $29.77 | 505 | |
15 | You've Been Summoned: An Interactive Mystery | Lindsey Lamar | ex42 | 29,281 | $698 | $4.99 | 65 |
The Dark Days Club: The Lady Helen Trilogy, Book 1
Alison Goodman
I Must Betray You
Ruta Sepetys
#1 New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray. Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom? Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit. Praise for I Must Betray You: “As educational as it is thrilling...[T]he power of I Must Betray You [is] it doesn’t just describe the destabilizing effects of being spied on; it will make you experience them too.” –New York Times Book Review “A historical heart-pounder…Ms. Sepetys, across her body of work, has become a tribune of the unsung historical moment and a humane voice of moral clarity.” –The Wall Street Journal * "Sepetys brilliantly blends a staggering amount of research with heart, craft, and insight in a way very few writers can. Compulsively readable and brilliant." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review * "Sepetys once again masterfully portrays a dark, forgotten corner of history." –Booklist, starred review * "Sepetys’s latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical fiction…Sepetys is a formidable writer, and her stories declare the need to write about global issues of social injustice. For that reason and her attention to detail, this is a must-read." –School Library Journal, starred review * "Cristian’s tense first-person narrative foregrounds stark historical realities, unflinchingly confronting deprivations and cruelty while balancing them with perseverance and hope as Romania hurtles toward political change." –Publishers Weekly, starred review “Sepetys keeps readers riveted to this vivid, heartbreaking and compelling novel, locked into every meticulously researched detail. I Must Betray You demands a full investment from its audience--through poetic writing, sympathetic characters, revolutionary plot and pacing, it grips the heart and soul and leaves one breathless.” –Shelf Awareness, starred review "A master class in pacing and atmosphere." –BookPage Read more
Monday's Not Coming
Tiffany D Jackson
"Jackson’s characters and their heart-wrenching story linger long after the final page, urging readers to advocate for those who are disenfranchised and forgotten by society and the system." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")From the critically acclaimed author of Allegedly, Tiffany D. Jackson, comes a gripping novel about the mystery of one teenage girl’s disappearance and the traumatic effects of the truth.Monday Charles is missing, and only Claudia seems to notice. Claudia and Monday have always been inseparable—more sisters than friends. So when Monday doesn’t turn up for the first day of school, Claudia’s worried.When she doesn’t show for the second day, or second week, Claudia knows that something is wrong. Monday wouldn’t just leave her to endure tests and bullies alone. Not after last year’s rumors and not with her grades on the line. Now Claudia needs her best—and only—friend more than ever. But Monday’s mother refuses to give Claudia a straight answer, and Monday’s sister April is even less help.As Claudia digs deeper into her friend’s disappearance, she discovers that no one seems to remember the last time they saw Monday. How can a teenage girl just vanish without anyone noticing that she’s gone? Read more
I Must Betray You
Ruta Sepetys
A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force. Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe. Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom? Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit. Read more
Patron Saints of Nothing
Randy Ribay
A NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST"Brilliant, honest, and equal parts heartbreaking and soul-healing." --Laurie Halse Anderson, author of SHOUT "A singular voice in the world of literature." --Jason Reynolds, author of Long Way DownA powerful coming-of-age story about grief, guilt, and the risks a Filipino-American teenager takes to uncover the truth about his cousin's murder.Jay Reguero plans to spend the last semester of his senior year playing video games before heading to the University of Michigan in the fall. But when he discovers that his Filipino cousin Jun was murdered as part of President Duterte's war on drugs, and no one in the family wants to talk about what happened, Jay travels to the Philippines to find out the real story.Hoping to uncover more about Jun and the events that led to his death, Jay is forced to reckon with the many sides of his cousin before he can face the whole horrible truth -- and the part he played in it.As gripping as it is lyrical, Patron Saints of Nothing is a page-turning portrayal of the struggle to reconcile faith, family, and immigrant identity. Read more
Warrior Girl Unearthed
Angeline Boulley
An Instant New York Times bestseller!A #1 Indies Bestseller!A Publisher's Lunch Best YA of 2023!An Amazon Best Book of the Year!Winner of the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award!A Horn Book Fanfare Title!A BookPage Best Book of the Year!An Indigo Teen Staff Pick of the Month!An Indie Next Pick!FIVE STARRED REVIEWS FOR WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED!#1 New York Times bestselling author of Firekeeper's Daughter Angeline Boulley takes us back to Sugar Island in this high-stakes thriller about the power of discovering your stolen history.Perry Firekeeper-Birch has always known who she is - the laidback twin, the troublemaker, the best fisher on Sugar Island. Her aspirations won't ever take her far from home, and she wouldn't have it any other way. But as the rising number of missing Indigenous women starts circling closer to home, as her family becomes embroiled in a high-profile murder investigation, and as greedy grave robbers seek to profit off of what belongs to her Anishinaabe tribe, Perry begins to question everything.In order to reclaim this inheritance for her people, Perry has no choice but to take matters into her own hands. She can only count on her friends and allies, including her overachieving twin and a charming new boy in town with unwavering morals. Old rivalries, sister secrets, and botched heists cannot - will not - stop her from uncovering the mystery before the ancestors and missing women are lost forever.Sometimes, the truth shouldn't stay buried.Pick this up if you love:● high stakes heist● will-they-won't-they romance● family secrets spanning decades Read more
A Crane Among Wolves
June Hur
June Hur, bestselling author of The Red Palace, crafts a devastating and pulse-pounding tale that will feel all-too-relevant in today’s world, based on a true story from Korean history.Hope is dangerous. Love is deadly.1506, Joseon. The people suffer under the cruel reign of the tyrant King Yeonsan, powerless to stop him from commandeering their land for his recreational use, banning and burning books, and kidnapping and horrifically abusing women and girls as his personal playthings.Seventeen-year-old Iseul has lived a sheltered, privileged life despite the kingdom’s turmoil. When her older sister, Suyeon, becomes the king’s latest prey, Iseul leaves the relative safety of her village, traveling through forbidden territory to reach the capital in hopes of stealing her sister back. But she soon discovers the king’s power is absolute, and to challenge his rule is to court certain death. Prince Daehyun has lived his whole life in the terrifying shadow of his despicable half-brother, the king. Forced to watch King Yeonsan flaunt his predation through executions and rampant abuse of the common folk, Daehyun aches to find a way to dethrone his half-brother once and for all. When staging a coup, failure is fatal, and he’ll need help to pull it off―but there’s no way to know who he can trust.When Iseul's and Daehyun's fates collide, their contempt for each other is transcended only by their mutual hate for the king. Armed with Iseul’s family connections and Daehyun’s royal access, they reluctantly join forces to launch the riskiest gamble the kingdom has ever seen:Save her sister. Free the people. Destroy a tyrant. Also by June Hur:The Silence of BonesThe Forest of Stolen GirlsThe Red Palace Read more
You've Been Summoned: An Interactive Mystery
Lindsey Lamar
"The latest addictive enigma." - The San Francisco Book Review"A glamorous but secretive atmosphere and storyline to delight the likes of a millennial Agatha Christie." - The Independent Book ReviewDuring a long weekend in March, a group of twentysomethings from Virginia meet for an overnight costume party. For their venue, the host has rented the historical Sophomore Manor: a place where the most prestigious socialites of the 1940's and '50s partied until the celebrity owners mysteriously went missing.The event began innocently enough: cocktail toasts, elaborate costumes, and exchanged pleasantries. But at the height of the party, Jane Parks notices her twin has vanished from the scene. It isn't until Jane finds her sister's body that the real guessing game begins. That's where you come in. It's up to you, detective, to expose a present-day link between the victim, the guest list, and Sophomore Manor's unsolved history. This interactive novel casts the reader as the detective. With integrated clues to examine and entangled interviews to analyze, the reader must make a case in this whodunit novel turned criminal investigation. Read more
I Must Betray You
Ruta Sepetys
#1 New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal!A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.Praise for I Must Betray You:“As educational as it is thrilling...[T]he power of I Must Betray You [is] it doesn’t just describe the destabilizing effects of being spied on; it will make you experience them too.” –New York Times Book Review“A historical heart-pounder…Ms. Sepetys, across her body of work, has become a tribune of the unsung historical moment and a humane voice of moral clarity.” –The Wall Street Journal* "Sepetys brilliantly blends a staggering amount of research with heart, craft, and insight in a way very few writers can. Compulsively readable and brilliant." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Sepetys once again masterfully portrays a dark, forgotten corner of history." –Booklist, starred review* "Sepetys’s latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical fiction…Sepetys is a formidable writer, and her stories declare the need to write about global issues of social injustice. For that reason and her attention to detail, this is a must-read." –School Library Journal, starred review* "Cristian’s tense first-person narrative foregrounds stark historical realities, unflinchingly confronting deprivations and cruelty while balancing them with perseverance and hope as Romania hurtles toward political change." –Publishers Weekly, starred review“Sepetys keeps readers riveted to this vivid, heartbreaking and compelling novel, locked into every meticulously researched detail. I Must Betray You demands a full investment from its audience--through poetic writing, sympathetic characters, revolutionary plot and pacing, it grips the heart and soul and leaves one breathless.” –Shelf Awareness, starred review"A master class in pacing and atmosphere." –BookPage Read more
Hunting Prince Dracula
Kerri Maniscalco
None
Enola Holmes and the Mark of the Mongoose
Nancy Springer
In May of 1890, Enola Holmes is finally fully on her own and, no longer hiding from her older brothers Sherlock and Mycroft, attending classes and occasionally pursuing her chosen profession as a scientific perditorian, a finder of lost things and people. Wolcott Balestier, the representative of an American book publisher, arrived in London on a singular mission—to contract with English authors for their latest works. When Balestier disappears on the streets of London one day, his great friend - Rudyard Kipling—bursts into Enola's office looking for help in finding him. Brash and unwilling to hire a young woman, instead he turns to Sherlock Holmes. Convinced that evil has befallen Balestier, at the hands of rival American publishers who pirate the works of English authors, he sets the elder Holmes on the trail. But Enola is not one to accept defeat, especially not to her brother, and sets off on her own—determined to learn the truth behind the disappearance of the young American. Can book publishing truly be so ruthless and deadly or can the missing man be rescued from his apparent fate and returned to his friends and loved ones? The redoubtable Enola is determined to do just that, even if it means working with her brother Sherlock!A Macmillan Audio production from Wednesday Books. Read more
The Forest of Stolen Girls
June Hur
Suspenseful and richly atmospheric, June Hur's The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting historical mystery sure to keep readers guessing until the last page.1426, Joseon (Korea). Hwani's family has never been the same since she and her younger sister went missing and were later found unconscious in the forest near a gruesome crime scene. Years later, Detective Min—Hwani's father—learns that thirteen girls have recently disappeared from the same forest that nearly stole his daughters. He travels to their hometown on the island of Jeju to investigate… only to vanish as well. Determined to find her father and solve the case that tore their family apart, Hwani returns home to pick up the trail. As she digs into the secrets of the small village—and collides with her now estranged sister, Maewol—Hwani comes to realize that the answer could lie within her own buried memories of what happened in the forest all those years ago. Praise for The Forest of Stolen Girls:A Junior Library Guild SelectionA 2022 Edgar Allan Poe Award NomineeA YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults SelectionA 2022 White Pine Award NomineeA 2022 ALA Rise SelectionA 2022 CCBC Choices Selection"The Forest of Stolen Girls is a haunting, breathtaking tale that will have readers on the edge of their seats. ... Hur is an absolute master of mystery, and I will be reading her gorgeous books for years to come." —Adalyn Grace, New York Times-bestselling author of All the Stars and Teeth "Rich, exquisite, and deeply atmospheric, The Forest of Stolen Girls draws the reader in from the very first page and doesn't let go. A dark and utterly engrossing mystery, beautifully drawn from start to finish." —Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times-bestselling author of Girl in Pieces "Haunting and lyrical. Beware, this tale will draw you deeper into the forest than you want to go." —Stacey Lee, award-winning author of The Downstairs Girl"A brilliant historical fiction mystery that is suspenseful, gorgeous and absolutely riveting! Hur brings Jeju Island during the early Joseon period completely to life in a rich, evocative manner that reminds me of watching my favorite historical Kdrama.” —Ellen Oh, author of the Prophecy series Read more
Stalking Jack the Ripper (Stalking Jack the Ripper, 1)
Kerri Maniscalco
This #1 New York Times bestseller and deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion. Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her back to her own sheltered world. The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this dazzling, #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget. Read more
Stalking Jack the Ripper Paperback Set
Kerri Maniscalco
NYT bestsellingauthor of Kingdom of the Wicked, Kerri Maniscalco, presents her wholly addictive and incredibly suspenseful first series in a complete paperback set for the first time. Jump into this #1 bestselling mystery series for readers who love heart-pounding thrills, twists, and romance.Stalking Jack the RipperIn this spine-chilling gothic murder mystery set in gritty Victorian-era London, a resourceful lord's daughter named Audrey Rose Wadsworth and her brilliant friend Thomas Cresswell find themselves inescapably embroiled in the investigation of a ghastly serial killer known as Jack the Ripper.Hunting Prince DraculaIn this haunting sequel, Audrey Rose and Thomas uncover bizarre murders deep in the castle of Prince Vlad the Impaler, otherwise known as Dracula. Could it be a copycat killer...or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?Escaping From HoudiniIn their third harrowing adventure, Audrey Rose and Thomas find themselves aboard a luxurious ocean liner that becomes a floating prison of scandal, madness, and horror when passengers are murdered one by one...with nowhere to run from the killer.Capturing the DevilIn the shocking finale to the bestselling series, Audrey Rose and Thomas are on the hunt for the elusive, sickening killer known as the White City Devil. A deadly game of cat-and-mouse has them fighting to stay one step ahead of the brilliant serial killer---or see their fateful romance cut short by unspeakable tragedy. Read more
You've Been Summoned: An Interactive Mystery
Lindsey Lamar
“The latest addictive enigma.” - The San Francisco Book Review“A glamorous but secretive atmosphere and storyline to delight the likes of a millennial Agatha Christie.” - The Independent Book ReviewA suspicious host. A skeptical guest list. A historical manor. Everyone’s hiding something. It's up to you to solve the mystery in this interactive puzzle.During a long weekend in March, a group of twentysomethings from Virginia meet for an overnight costume party. For their venue, the host has rented the historical Sophomore Manor: a place where the most prestigious socialites of the 1940's and ‘50s partied until the celebrity owners mysteriously went missing.The event began innocently enough: cocktail toasts, elaborate costumes, and exchanged pleasantries. But at the height of the party, Jane Parks notices her twin has vanished from the scene. It isn’t until Jane finds her sister’s body that the real guessing game begins.That’s where you come in. It’s up to you, detective, to expose a present-day link between the victim, the guest list, and Sophomore Manor’s unsolved history.This interactive novel casts the reader as the detective. With integrated clues to examine and entangled interviews to analyze, the reader must make a case in this whodunit novel turned criminal investigation. Read more
Nine Liars
Maureen Johnson
Stevie Bell solved the case of Truly Devious, and now she’s taking her detecting skills abroad when she becomes embroiled in a mystery from 1990s England. Another pulse-pounding and laugh-out-loud stand-alone mystery from New York Times bestselling author Maureen Johnson.Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game. Read more
The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)
Eloise Jarvis McGraw
A Newbery Honor BookWinner of a Newbery Honor, an exciting ancient Egyptian mystery!Ranofer wants only one thing in the world: to be a master goldsmith like his beloved father was. But how can he when he is all but imprisoned by his evil half brother, Gebu? Ranofer knows the only way he can escape Gebu's abuse is by changing his destiny. But can a poor boy with no skills survive on the cutthroat streets of ancient Thebes? Then Ranofer finds a priceless golden goblet in Gebu's room and he knows his luck−and his destiny−are about to change."Exceptionally vivid, swiftpaced, and stirring."—The Horn Book"An exhilarating story of the arduous fulfillment of a boy's dream . . . We are given a most worthy hero in Ranofer, one who struggles with his own fears and ideals, who smarts under his own cowardice, but who finds the power to rise to his own strength. This plus the vividly detailed setting make the book an excellent choice."—Kirkus Reviews Read more
I Must Betray You
Ruta Sepetys
#1 New York Times Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal!A gut-wrenching, startling historical thriller about communist Romania and the citizen spy network that devastated a nation, from the #1 New York Times bestselling, award-winning author of Salt to the Sea and Between Shades of Gray.Romania, 1989. Communist regimes are crumbling across Europe. Seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu dreams of becoming a writer, but Romanians aren’t free to dream; they are bound by rules and force.Amidst the tyrannical dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu in a country governed by isolation and fear, Cristian is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer. He’s left with only two choices: betray everyone and everything he loves—or use his position to creatively undermine the most notoriously evil dictator in Eastern Europe.Cristian risks everything to unmask the truth behind the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. He eagerly joins the revolution to fight for change when the time arrives. But what is the cost of freedom?Master storyteller Ruta Sepetys is back with a historical thriller that examines the little-known history of a nation defined by silence, pain, and the unwavering conviction of the human spirit.Praise for I Must Betray You:“As educational as it is thrilling...[T]he power of I Must Betray You [is] it doesn’t just describe the destabilizing effects of being spied on; it will make you experience them too.” –New York Times Book Review“A historical heart-pounder…Ms. Sepetys, across her body of work, has become a tribune of the unsung historical moment and a humane voice of moral clarity.” –The Wall Street Journal* "Sepetys brilliantly blends a staggering amount of research with heart, craft, and insight in a way very few writers can. Compulsively readable and brilliant." –Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Sepetys once again masterfully portrays a dark, forgotten corner of history." –Booklist, starred review* "Sepetys’s latest book maintains the caliber readers have come to expect from an author whose focus on hidden histories has made her a YA powerhouse of historical fiction…Sepetys is a formidable writer, and her stories declare the need to write about global issues of social injustice. For that reason and her attention to detail, this is a must-read." –School Library Journal, starred review* "Cristian’s tense first-person narrative foregrounds stark historical realities, unflinchingly confronting deprivations and cruelty while balancing them with perseverance and hope as Romania hurtles toward political change." –Publishers Weekly, starred review“Sepetys keeps readers riveted to this vivid, heartbreaking and compelling novel, locked into every meticulously researched detail. I Must Betray You demands a full investment from its audience--through poetic writing, sympathetic characters, revolutionary plot and pacing, it grips the heart and soul and leaves one breathless.” –Shelf Awareness, starred review"A master class in pacing and atmosphere." –BookPage Read more
Out of the Easy
Ruta Sepetys
“A haunting peek at the life of a teenage girl in 1950s New Orleans.”--Entertainment WeeklyIt’s 1950, and as the French Quarter of New Orleans simmers with secrets, seventeen-year-old Josie Moraine is silently stirring a pot of her own. Known among locals as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, Josie wants more out of life than the Big Easy has to offer. She devises a plan get out, but a mysterious death in the Quarter leaves Josie tangled in an investigation that will challenge her allegiance to her mother, her conscience, and Willie Woodley, the brusque madam on Conti Street. Josie is caught between the dream of an elite college and a clandestine underworld. New Orleans lures her in her quest for truth, dangling temptation at every turn, and escalating to the ultimate test.With characters as captivating as those in her internationally bestselling novel Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys skillfully creates a rich story of secrets, lies, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. Read more
The Corpse Queen
Heather M. Herrman
None