As the two begin to rescue the ghosts of other female murder victims in their small Michigan town, and Dani develops a healthy friendship with Japanese American Seiji, he realizes that he and Sarah are keeping one another from finding peace. Abused by his now-estranged father, Dani has felt emboldened by Sarah's righteous anger since their meeting four years back, and he doesn't know how to cope with his trauma without her constant presence under his bed or possessing his Game Boy.

In 2002, 15-year-old Dani, who is transgender and white, worries about telling his best and only friend, Sarah-the sardonic ghost of a brown-skinned teenage murder victim, who distrusts men, having been killed by one-that he's a boy.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. And although elements of Sarah and Dani's relationship feel underdeveloped, Thomas (Wild and Crooked, 2019) serves up a captivating novel, exploring themes of coming out, trans acceptance, toxic masculinity, histories of violence, and the complex impacts of trauma on relationships, friendships, and family. Sarah and Dani's friendship is tested when Dani tells her that he is trans. But when Dani unexpectedly and repeatedly runs into old rival Seiji, the two form an unexpected bond that helps them both come to terms with past trauma, and also allows Dani to become more comfortable in his own skin. When Dani comes across the ghost of a woman brutally murdered and left in the woods, Sarah convinces him that they should set up a refuge for victims and maybe even find a way to exorcise the ghosts of the victims' tormentors. And when the accepted version of the truth is questioned, Kalyn and Gus are caught in the center of a national uproar.Moving to Rochdale is supposed to be a fresh start for Dani and his mom, but things take a turn when Dani becomes best friends with Sarah, a ghost who lives under his bed. When Gus meets Kalyn, her frankness is refreshing, and they form a deep friendship.

A Samsboro native, he’s known either as the 'disabled kid' because of his cerebral palsy or as the kid whose dad was murdered.

Gus Peake has never had the luxury of redefining himself. Forced to return to town, Kalyn must attend school under a pseudonym.or face the lingering anger of Samsboro’s citizens, who refuse to forget the crime. In Samsboro, Kentucky, Kalyn Spence’s name is inseparable from the brutal murder her father committed when he was a teenager. Bloomsbury presents Wild and Crooked by Leah Thomas, read by Madeleine Rose, Adam Sims and Christopher Ragland.Ĭritically acclaimed author Leah Thomas blends a small-town setting with the secrets of a long-ago crime, in a compelling novel about breaking free from the past.

Wild and crooked by leah thomas