The Mall: A Novel

by Megan McCafferty

Overview

New York Times bestselling author Megan McCafferty returns to her roots with this YA coming of age story set in a New Jersey mall.

The year is 1991. Scrunchies, mixtapes and 90210 are, like, totally fresh. Cassie Worthy is psyched to spend the summer after graduation working at the Parkway Center Mall. In six weeks, she and her boyfriend head off to college in NYC to fulfill The Plan: higher education and happily ever after.

But you know what they say about the best laid plans...

Set entirely in a classic “monument to consumerism,” the novel follows Cassie as she finds friendship, love, and ultimately herself, in the most unexpected of places. Megan McCafferty, beloved New York Times bestselling author of the Jessica Darling series, takes readers on an epic trip back in time to The Mall.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250209955
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/28/2020
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,137,441
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

Megan McCafferty writes fiction for tweens, teens and teens-at-heart of all ages. The author of several novels, she’s best known for Sloppy Firsts and several more books in the New York Times bestselling Jessica Darling series. Described in her first review as “Judy Blume meets Dorothy Parker” (Wall Street Journal), she’s been trying to live up to that high standard ever since.

Editorial Reviews

05/25/2020

With wit and more than a little hairspray, McCafferty (True to Your Selfie) dives into the 1990s with this snappily written self-empowerment novel set beneath the fluorescent lights of a suburban New Jersey mall. Cassie Worthy has life after high school all planned out: at summer’s end, she’s heading from New Jersey to Manhattan to attend college near—but not with—Troy, her boyfriend of two years. They’re the ultimate power couple, but their plan radically shifts after Cassie’s recovery from mono and their subsequent breakup. Her job selling cookies at the mall isn’t as great as she’d hoped it would be, and she discovers that what she knew about life, love, and friendship aren’t even close to reality. A Cabbage Patch Kid–related treasure hunt for a cash stash takes Cassie on a winding path through the mall with her former best friend. The real find, though, is her journey of self-discovery, complete with the requisite coming-of-age tropes. Though some ’90s references may be unfamiliar to today’s teens, readers will easily be able to identify with Cassie’s struggles, tribulations, and triumphs. Ages 13–up. Agents: Sara Shandler, Alloy; Heather Schroder, Compass Talent Agency. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Book Riot, "The Ultimate Guide to Spring 2020 YA Books for Your TBR"

PopSugar, "Best Books to Dive Into This Summer"

"With wit and more than a little hairspray, McCafferty dives into the 1990s with this snappily written self-empowerment novel set beneath the fluorescent lights of a suburban New Jersey mall." - Publishers Weekly

"Megan McCafferty departs from her best-selling Jessica Darling series to conjure this charming throwback." - Columbia Magazine

"The ideal mix of '90s nostalgia and hilarious shenanigans." - Culturess

"The Mall took me on a lively romp down memory lane (and left me itching for a Cinnabon)." - Forever Young Adult

"Complete with Orange Julius, Cabbage Patch Kids, and Sam Goody, this book is a blast to the past!" - Manhattan Book Review

"The Mall was to 1991 teenagers what the iPhone is to today’s generation: EVERYTHING. This delightful novel about that particular time and place is loaded with fun, warmth, intelligence, big hair and an even bigger heart. I loved it." — New York Times bestselling author Rachel Cohn

"Both a laugh-out-loud pean to those bygone cathedrals of the 1990s, and a zippy coming-of-age tale, THE MALL is a delightful read for any generation. So tease your hair, grab your hotdog on a stick and prepare to have a freaking blast!" — Gayle Forman, New York Times bestselling author of If I Stay and I Have Lost My Way

“What a pleasure it is to spend time in a McCafferty universe. Her writing is sharp, smart, sexy and oh-so-real. I’ll read her forever.” — Rebecca Serle, New York Times bestselling author of In Five Years

"Totally rad! This former 1990s mall teen loved The Mall, an ode to tall bangs, boys with good taste in music, and female friendship, set in the only place that mattered. What a joy to have a new book from Megan McCafferty, who knows exactly how to make us laugh, cry, and fall in love with her characters." — Amy Spalding, author of The Summer of Jordi Perez and The New Guy

"A delightful, funny, sweet and affecting real life adventure with such a big heart, it'll make you cry the happiest tears. The Mall is something special." — Courtney Summers, New York Times bestselling author of Sadie

From the Publisher

2020-03-25
The mall takes center stage in this ’90s coming-of-age tale.

Cassie Worthy works at a New Jersey mall while counting down the days until she heads off to college. After being stuck at home with mono for the past six weeks, she plans on triumphantly returning to her job at America’s Best Cookie with her boyfriend, Troy—but it goes horribly wrong when she finds herself attacked by Troy’s new girlfriend with a spritz of cucumber-melon fragrance to the face. Cassie manages to get hired as a bookkeeper at an upscale boutique. The owner’s gorgeous daughter, Drea Bellarosa, needs nerdy Cassie’s help searching for a rumored stash of long-hidden drug money, and they spend the summer following clues hidden in Cabbage Patch Kids that point to locations around the mall. Drea also promises to help Cassie with her heartbreak, saying “the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.” In the first-person narration, elitist Cassie makes numerous judgmental remarks about other women and their clothing and behavior, frequently referring to them as sluts and bimbos, as well as being dismissive of boys she regards as less intelligent than she. The narrative is rife with pop-culture references, quirky characters, and over-the-top ridiculous comedy—which unfortunately falls flat. The majority of the cast is white apart from Cassie’s Japanese American mall-employee crush.

Light and nostalgic but lacks depth. (Fiction. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

Bright and bubbly Caitlin Kelly is perfection as she narrates snappy prose sprinkled with “likes” in this retro novel. It’s 1991, the summer before Cassie leaves for college. A brutal breakup leads Cassie to change jobs, connecting her with an old friend and the opportunity to find treasure rumored to have been hidden at the mall years ago. Over the course of events, Cassie learns to loosen up and try new things. Kelly perfectly portrays squeaky kids’ voices in a radio jingle and sing-reads Barbara Streisand’s lyrics on an often-played cassette tape. Cassie’s parents alternate repeating her name in an ultra calm tone when she is stunned by a piece of news, a comedic moment nearly as good as Kelly’s delivery of a New Jersey teen’s honking laugh. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile

Bright and bubbly Caitlin Kelly is perfection as she narrates snappy prose sprinkled with “likes” in this retro novel. It’s 1991, the summer before Cassie leaves for college. A brutal breakup leads Cassie to change jobs, connecting her with an old friend and the opportunity to find treasure rumored to have been hidden at the mall years ago. Over the course of events, Cassie learns to loosen up and try new things. Kelly perfectly portrays squeaky kids’ voices in a radio jingle and sing-reads Barbara Streisand’s lyrics on an often-played cassette tape. Cassie’s parents alternate repeating her name in an ultra calm tone when she is stunned by a piece of news, a comedic moment nearly as good as Kelly’s delivery of a New Jersey teen’s honking laugh. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2020 - AudioFile