Streetlight people

Review by Booklist Review

A divided town's magical secret tempts teens in Thomas' twisty paranormal thriller. Seventeen-year-old Kady misses her long-term boyfriend, Nik, who left for college two months ago, in August. Now Kady worries Nik will start believing the insidious whispers going around his exclusive club, the IV Boys, that a "Have-Not" girl like her doesn't deserve a "Have-Lot" guy like him--especially when false rumors involving her and Aaron, another IV boy, emerge. At the yearly Halloween festival, Kady finds an old-timey game run by an enigmatic figure and wins the grand prize: magic candies that rewind time. At first, she uses them to relive special moments with Nik, but as the IVs grow more threatening she's tempted to do more. Kady and Aaron narrate alternate chapters, both keeping secrets from each other and from the reader, until they gradually reveal the disturbing truth about their home town. Thomas grounds her tricky, time-manipulation story about fate and choice with realistically flawed, relatable, intersectionally diverse characters and a nostalgic small-town setting both charming and ominous.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

---

Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

A 17-year-old learns a devastating secret regarding her insular hometown in this Ray Bradbury--esque paranormal fantasy from Thomas (Seton Girls). In Streetlight, the Have-Nots and the Have-Lots don't intermingle save for working-class public school kid Kady Dixon and Nik Rios, a private school student and member of Streetlight's most exclusive social club, the IV Boys. The couple is virtually inseparable until Nik leaves for college three years into their relationship. When Kady plays a mysterious carnival game and wins a bag of enchanted candies that allow her to rewind time without others' knowledge, she uses them to relive Nik's occasional visits to make them last. Then rumors surface about Kady kissing 17-year-old Aaron Johnson, Nik's friend and the only other IV Boy who treats her as an equal. Kady tries using candies to limit the lie's spread, yet the glares and gossip increase--as does her suspicion that she isn't the only one manipulating time. Kady and Aaron co-narrate, with Aaron's chapters unfolding in first-person past tense and Kady's in first-person present. An intersectionally diverse cast of authentically flawed characters complement Thomas's fiendishly clever premise and swiftly paced, slyly crafted plot. Ages 14--up. Agent: Ann Rose, Prospect Agency. (Nov.)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

---

Review by School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--In small town Streetlight, the Have-Lots and Have-Nots lead very different lives. The wealthy elite are governed by status, legacy, and tradition, and their sons are inducted into the exclusive IV Boys club, while the Have-Nots include working class families. Kady, daughter of the local drive-in theater owners, and Nik, an IV Boy, began dating in high school. With Nik now away at college, Kady looks forward to the IV Boys' Ball and hopes that this year he will spurn tradition and invite her. In the meantime, she seeks familiar comfort with her best friends, including Aaron, who became a Have-Lot through his father's marriage. At the annual Halloween carnival, Kady wins mysterious candy that she learns will give her the ability to travel in time, but only in Streetlight from one Halloween to the next. Meanwhile, she senses growing animosity from the IV Boys, and only Aaron and her Have-Not friends give her the support she craves from Nik. Told in alternating chapters between Kady and Aaron, the novel explores themes of fate versus choice, classism and bullying, and adherence to damaging traditions. Although characters track as diverse in race and sexual orientation, the focus of the conflict is class discrimination and parochialism. The author's use of metaphor and intricate descriptions paints a vivid and suspenseful story; while it becomes somewhat repetitive midway, this plateau in an otherwise forward-moving narrative suggests the cyclical nature of the pervasive time warp. VERDICT Recommended for older readers, as characters partake in drinking parties and sexual relationships; a good choice for those seeking atmospheric magical realism.--Rebecca Jung

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

---

Review by Kirkus Book Review

When 17-year-old Kady Dixon wins time-traveling candies at her tiny town's Halloween festival, her whole world is upended. Kady wanders away from her friends at Streetlight's carnival and winds up at an old-school gaming booth, where the Timekeeper ("TK for short") promises her his biggest prize if she wins. When she does so, he gives her magic candies that will allow her to relive episodes from her past--as long as she follows the rules. Kady uses the candies to re-experience some of the sweetest moments of her life with her boyfriend, Nik, and her best friends. She also goes back to change sour moments that threaten to upset the balance of her relationships. But things get complicated when her time travel starts to attract unwanted attention, and TK reveals to Kady that someone has broken the rules--and it's now up to her to rectify the situation. The narration alternates between Kady and Aaron, who's part of Nik's friend group. Both teens are Black; a multiethnic cast of characters rounds out the book. Streetlight is divided socially into the wealthy Have-Lots and the Have-Nots. This hierarchy highlights the sharp socio-economic divide that drives much of the drama. The novel is filled with numerous surprises, and even though the lead-up to the main story is slow, once the twists start, they don't stop, keeping readers engaged. A reflective, time-bending look at power and young love.(Science fiction. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

---

When I walk onto Iverson's campus, the Boys are too far away to see but still close enough to hear. Their big laughs ricochet off all the brick and money like a pinball. It's tunnel-­y here, especially at night, every path unnecessarily skinny because it's lined with trees and low stone walls. It makes it so sounds bounce, all the time. Birds singing. Rain falling. Even when you whisper, it feels like everyone is listening. God, I used to spend so much time here with Nik before he graduated. Hanging out with him after IV meetings. Watching his home soccer games against Billingsley, Anderson Prep, and Seton. Hiding under the stone bridge when we were supposed to be in class, but he'd text, begging for a kiss, and that was all the convincing I needed to ditch. That's where the ball always is--­on the same side of campus as the stone bridge. It's this event hall they have, a stand-­alone building with pillars and a peaked roof. It's not gaudy or anything, just brick with an impressive number of steps out front. But I want to know more than anything what it's like on the inside. What it looks like. What it smells like. Aaron is waiting where he said he'd be, on the bench next to the campus's main entrance. He smiles, that smirk that always gets me to smirk back. He seems normal, at least. A relief, since that text didn't."Yo, KD," he says, standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. It's the very specific way that he says it: KD. My initials--­Kady Dixon--­which also happen to be my name . Aaron's brain blew up the first time he realized. "Still stalking the grounds, I see." I walk his way, down the path that's flanked with two giant stone lions. Iverson's mascot, with eyes that seem to follow you as you pass. "Shut up. You literally begged me to come here." "I mean, begged is a little strong . . ." "Pleaded . . ." "Asked?" He twists his mouth, gray eyes twinkling. "Pretty sure I just . . . asked. But I know how much you love to listen to those voices in your head." He squeezes me around my shoulders and lets me go. "How was battle today?" I ask, hugging myself against a breeze that sends leaves scattering across our feet. I've called a school day at Iverson a "battle" for years. It's the intense uniforms: perfectly ironed khakis, polished dark brown shoes, a white button-­down, and a blue-­and-­gray argyle sweater vest. Even when it's a hundred degrees outside. And if you're IV, on top of all that, there's the navy blazer with a patch on the chest--­this family-­crest-­looking thing, like it came straight out of medieval England. They remind me of soldiers, not because you'd fight a war looking like that, but because it's intimidating as hell. I only say "battle" to Aaron, though. The other Boys won't think it's funny. Aaron yawns as he sets down his backpack and shrugs off his blazer. He hands it to me instinctively, now that I've shivered. "Battle was long today," he tells me. "I need a fresh canteen. New socks." I accept the blazer because I know he won't let me fight it. "Is that why you openly wept until I agreed to come see you?" He laughs, swings his backpack back over his shoulder. "Yep. Exactly." I slip my arms into the sleeves. "So, what happened?" Aaron's smile fades as he slides his hands into his pockets. He glances around his campus, at everything and nothing at the same time. The full moon tints his skin--­a little bluer now than brown. Mine, too. He keeps a clean fade on the sides and around back, with a mini Afro on top. His ears are pierced, but he can't wear his studs while he's at school--­dress code. So he stands here now, like himself but a different version. With no studs and no smile and skin that looks just a little bit bruised."There's a rumor going around here," he says, nodding at the Iverson buildings. "About us. That we kissed." "I'm sorry, what ?" My laugh bounces across campus. "That's ridiculous." "Yeah." Aaron nods. But he doesn't say he's kidding. He only says, "I know." His gaze holds mine, this thing he does sometimes. Not just with me, with everyone. Where he looks so closely that you wonder what he sees.I squint. "Well, who's saying it?" "Everyone." He takes a tired breath. "All the guys. Look, I told them it's bullshit. Hopefully it's squashed . . . I just wanted you to know. You know? Hear it from me, since stuff travels so fast around here." "But they should know it's not true. They know I'd never do that to Nik--­they know we'd never do that to Nik." I want him to agree, to assure me that most of the Boys reacted like I just did. That they know me by now. Trust me. Are happy about me dating Nik. I want him to clarify that he's only telling me this because it was annoying, not because it's some kind of problem . But he just slides his tongue across his front teeth and answers, "Yep." I wrap myself tighter in his blazer. "And even though they know that, they're saying it anyway?" He nods again. "Yep." I roll my eyes. My braids are buried inside the back of his jacket. I reach my hand behind me and scoop them out. "You did have a long battle today." Finally, he smiles again and slowly starts to walk. "I'll be alright. Come on, let's get out of here." I fall into step next to him, down the path back to the road that will take us home. Leaving behind the main buildings that look like castles. Leaving behind the lawn that's so perfect, it could be Astroturf. Leaving behind the fountain with the naked stone boy peeing.And the lions' eyes . . . I can feel them, watching us as we go. Excerpted from Streetlight People by Charlene Thomas All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

---