The Undrowned

by K. R. Alexander

Overview

In too deadly.In too deep.Samantha and Rachel used to be friends. But then Rachel betrayed Samantha . . . and Samantha decided to make her life a living nightmare.Then one day, Sam and Rachel found themselves in a fightby a lake.Samantha pushed Rachel . . . and watched as Rachel fell back.And back.Into the water. And gone.No way to save her. No way she could be alive.The next day, Rachel shows up to school as if nothing happened.And now she's the one who wants to make her former friend's life a living nightmare . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338540529
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

K. R. Alexander is the pseudonym for author Alex R. Kahler.

As K. R., he writes creepy middle grade books for brave young readers. As Alex — his actual first name — he writes fantasy novels for adults and teens. In both cases, he loves writing fiction drawn from true life experiences.

Alex has traveled the world collecting strange and fascinating tales, from the misty moors of Scotland to the humid jungles of Hawaii. He is always on the move, as he believes there is much more to life than what meets the eye.

You can learn more about his travels and other books, including Darkroom, Vacancy, Gallowgate, The Collector, The Fear Zone, and the Scare Me series, on his website: cursedlibrary.com.

Editorial Reviews

2019-12-08
Literally haunted by her actions, a bully must make amends—or else.

Samantha fails a spelling test, so her parents punish her by refusing to let her go on a day trip to Rocky River Adventure Park with her friends. Rather than study harder, Samantha takes it out on classmate Rachel—her ex-best friend, whom she relentlessly bullies due to a past betrayal. A choice encounter outside of school gives Samantha an opportunity to rid herself of Rachel once and for all. She pushes her into Lake Lamont. Rachel doesn't resurface. Guilt wracks Samantha at school the next day until she sees Rachel alive and well. But how did Rachel get out of the lake when Samantha watched her die? And how can Samantha make Rachel stop haunting her in revenge? Suspense nearly drips from this spooky page-turner, as wet handprints, hallucinations, and relentless phone calls lead Samantha back to the scene of her crime. Particularly tense scenes dip into verse territory, heightening the drama. Unfortunately, the line breaks in these portions feel more contrived than poetic. While Samantha's first-person narration is soaked through with self-pity, her backstory unspools to round out the human behind the bully. Supporting characters come up flat and presume a white default. For all its writing flaws, however, genre fiction seekers will nonetheless devour this thrilling redemption arc.

Chilling but shallow. (Horror. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews