Gr 5-8 Zylynn is transported from the compound of a religious cult, the only home she has ever known, and taken to an unfamiliar place; she is being cast out to live in the darkness among the liars and the evil people. Zylynn presumes that she is being punished for a small transgression, "the abomination," and to test her faith before her 13th-year ceremony. As days go by, readers learn about Zylynn's former life at the compound through her behaviors in this new and strange house. To Zylynn, food is unbelievably abundanthow can one person be allowed two slices of bacon and strawberries? She is perplexed by hugs the mother gives the other children, as she has limited memories of being hugged or comforted. The protagonist eventually sees the good in loving contact and likes having enough to eat, but she is conflicted by the beliefs she has been taught. Slowly, she begins to remember things from long ago that confuse her and start to make her question her life in the compound. As Zylynn starts to pull at the threads of her memories, more of her story unfolds and readers will be transfixed. Zylynn is well portrayed as a devout but confused young girl. VERDICT Though the resolution feels just a bit too pat, Carter takes readers on a journey with Zylynn to uncover her past and reconcile it with her future in this thought-provoking and highly discussible novel. Patricia Feriano, Montgomery County Public Schools, MD

Starred Review YA author Carter (Me, Him, Them, and It, 2013) has written a gripping middle-grade debut about a girl born and raised on a cult compound and what happens to her when she is removed by her natural father, days before her thirteenth birthday. Zylynn has never known life on the Outside, which Father Prophet tells her is a place of greed and deception, and that prolonged exposure will lead not just to spiritual corruption but physical agony as well. Zylynn is determined to find her way back home before her thirteenth birthday so that she may take part in her Ceremony, a rite of passage that will judge her worthy by Mother God. Zylynn is a fiercely strong and unexpectedly self-aware character, especially as she has been manipulated the entirety of her young life. The Outside is disorienting, and the incongruities between what she has been taught and what she is witnessing for herself confuse her. While readers will suspect the truth behind Father Prophet and life in the Compound, revelations come as Zylynn herself discovers them, through her often claustrophobic first-person point of view. It is a compelling reading experience, and one that will not be quickly forgotten.

Louis, Zylynn's father, is returning to the compound where he formerly lived to rescue her. As the story unfolds, the true nature of the compound is gradually revealed. There are stringent rules that if broken result in harsh punishments, such as being stoned by the other members. Showers are three minutes, cold water, no shampoo. Children are hugged only when the women, called Gatherers, return from a mission to gain members for the cult and not by their birth mothers. Clothing is white. "Hungry Days" are when they are not fed at all, and they pray constantly to "Mother of Light." Members believe that leader Father Prophet is good, the compound is "the Light," and the outside world is "Darkness" and everyone in it "Liars." The members are isolated from normal civilization and brainwashed to believe that everything on the outside is evil. Zylynn is puzzled by her father's home, the welcome from his family, and everything from playing outside to shopping at Target. She hides food in her room and spends a lot of time devising ways to escape to return to the compound for her thirteenth birthday ceremony, after which she will become a Gatherer. But questions begin to form in her mind when she finds websites left open for her to see about the cult and motives of Father Prophet.Her escape and journey back to the compound are somewhat unrealistic, but the conclusion of the book clarifies the confusing beginning. This book will have limited appeal.Rachel Axelrod.