February 1, 2025
Summer adventures lead a group of teens to a liminal space in the woods. It's 1994, and Trevor and Sarah have just finished their last high school classes. One muggy June evening, Sarah drags Trevor away from a party and cajoles him into sneaking a swim in a neighbor's pool. Over the course of the summer, they become determined to swim in every pool in their small hometown of Sutton. Their friends find out and join them, but before long, they're caught by a homeowner, a purple-haired woman in her 50s. Instead of admonishing them, she suggests they complete their list by swimming in a natural pool in the woods that none of them has heard of. At first, the swimming hole seems magical, but the friends realize that something is amiss--it feels like they've either been there for ages, or no time has passed at all. Will they ever be able to leave the forest, and do they even want to? Starmer's writing is beautifully lyrical, creating an atmospheric tone and weaving a nontraditional coming-of-age story about self, friendship, and first love. The dual narrative structure proves utterly absorbing: The main narrative is punctuated by single-page interludes from an unidentified narrator who tells an urgent tale of escape, printed in white type on a black background. While the bulk of the novel flows languidly, the last few chapters feel hurried, and the story concludes abruptly. Central characters present white. An evocative and otherworldly tale.(Speculative fiction. 13-18)
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April 1, 2025
Gr 9 Up-It's the summer of 1994, and recent high school graduates Trevor and Sarah are already feeling nostalgic for all that they'll be leaving behind come August. As a final summer send-off, they make a secret pact to sneak in to and swim in every pool in their small town of Sutton, NY. Trevor hopes this will provide an opportunity to explore his growing feelings for Sarah. Their friends start to speculate about all the time the two are spending together when Trevor lets their secret slip and soon the whole group is pool-hopping, changing the vibe. At the last pool on their list, they're caught by a nonchalant owner who shares with them a secret pool, fed by a spring, on the edge of town. They decide they need to go that night. At the pool, they find themselves continually drawn back to the water and begin to notice strange things happening. Starmer has crafted an eerie and ethereal setting of a perfect, humid summer night with friends. It's a speculative and quiet slow burn of a novel that's focused more on thoughts and feelings than any sort of action; Trevor is not much more than his yearning for Sarah. While a quiet romance at its core, the characters also explore their fear of change, the upcoming unknown, and how time impacts their relationships. VERDICT Between the slow pacing and heavy 1990s references, this one will need to be hand sold to teens.-Alicia Kalan
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March 1, 2025
Grades 9-12 What begins as a realistic story set in the 1990s about shifting friendships over the summer after graduation turns unsettling. Trevor and Sarah are close friends, but Trevor has always wanted more. Sarah proposes that they swim in every pool in their small, upstate New York town before they leave for college, so they set out, sneaking into backyards. One night, their friends join in, and they are all caught trespassing. The enigmatic owner seems charmed by their escapade and asks if they have discovered the natural pool in the woods. Intrigued, they follow a path and find it. The water makes them feel incredible. Hours pass, then days. The stars disappear; the sun never rises. Is it purgatory? Are they being punished, frozen in time? Brief, mysterious interstitials add tension while Trevor finally enjoys a romance with Sarah. Starmer's work is both an intriguing metaphor and the story of young people on the precipice of uncertain adulthood. They contemplate everything, from their fears and hopes to their views on mixtapes versus albums. And always the lurking question--what does it all mean?
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