THE WORLD INSIDE

Her best friend, Chivon, may emphatically not believe in ghosts, but Tamika isn’t so sure—particularly after she sees the mysterious paintings lining the walls of her great-aunt’s house.

Tamika, who’s nearly 16, is a creative student who struggles with her grades in every subject except art, thanks to learning differences that are cued as dyslexia. She’s surprised at her widowed mom’s sudden announcement that a previously unmentioned great-aunt needs help, and they’re going to stay with her. During the journey from Chicago to Virginia, Tamika learns that Aunt Lati is in a coma—and she’s even more surprised to arrive and discover that her house looks “like an art museum,” with walls covered in beautiful paintings. This delighted feeling takes on an edge of terror, though, when she spots indistinct figures in the landscapes, figures that her mom can’t see—and that seem to move. One of them has “no real face” but seems familiar—is she Aunt Lati? Fans of ghost stories will be pleased by the supernatural storyline’s unusual twists and mildly scary climax, but it’s the ways in which the cast’s strong-minded women characters play off against each other that will draw a broader audience into a deeper level of engagement. Field expertly uses the short chapters and accessible language of a novel aimed at reluctant teen readers to frame a tale that’s rich in both eerie elements and emotional nuance. Main characters read Black.

Short, rich, and enticingly strange.