Publisher's Hardcover ©2024 | -- |
Mobile apps. Juvenile fiction.
Murder. Juvenile fiction.
Mystery and detective stories.
Mobile apps. Fiction.
Murder. Fiction.
Missouri. Race relations. Juvenile fiction.
Missouri. Race relations. Fiction.
Residents of a small town experience a reckoning when a mysterious app leads a group of teens to a dead body.The first time he plays Manifest Atlas, an app game that people claim can give you anything you ask for, Willie Eckles wants a sign. Life feels stagnant in rural Calico Springs, a predominantly white Missouri town, and Willie yearns for some direction. He's mystified to find that the app delivers on his requests-albeit with a cryptic twist each time-but no one believes him, not even Bones, his older brother. Eventually, Willie convinces Bones and his friends (including Sarai from neighboring Lawton, a predominantly Black town) to play with him, but they get more than they bargained for when it leads them to the dead body of Sarai's white stepfather, who was in a rare interracial marriage. Unconvinced by the authorities' ruling out of foul play, Willie and his group begin an investigation that stirs up tensions in a community that doesn't like people probing for answers. As Willie tests the limits of the game's abilities, he finds that their small town holds darker secrets than he ever expected. Willie's journey is one of awakening-opening his eyes to social problems and choosing to face that reality rather than turn from it. The page-turning suspense is a draw, but the book's ultimate strength is its skillful exploration of racial injustice in rural America.A multifaceted thriller with a powerful social message. (author's note, further reading) (Thriller. 14-18)
School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)Gr 8 Up —In southern Missouri, the vote to consolidate two small towns—Calico Springs, predominately white, with Lawton, predominately Black—looms, and a group of kids find themselves playing The Game, a powerful online app which promises to create destinies. Manifest Atlas, as the app is called, asks players to enter an Intention. Once entered, a map appears, leading players to their supposed Destiny. It seems like it might actually work: one person was led to some relevant graffiti, while two other kids asked for a dog and got one. Willie, a Calico Springs resident, decides to test it for himself. He asks to "see my future." The map leads him into the Basin and he tumbles into one of three open graves. His friend, Sarai, a Black girl who has moved from Lawton, decides to really test the app when she requests it show them "something bloody." When the abandoned mill shivers to life and spits out a maimed body, the kids begin to speculate about how the game works and what kind of menace is afoot. Painterly language moves the story forward, digging into the relationships between Willie and his brother, and the difficult family dynamic they've survived. Ultimately the novel delves into the sinister history of sundown towns, where Black people are not allowed on the streets of all-white communities after dark. The racial aspects of this book, although painful, ring true—including Sarai's differential treatment by the white police force. VERDICT A powerful thriller with a poignant message.—Leah Krippner
Kirkus ReviewsResidents of a small town experience a reckoning when a mysterious app leads a group of teens to a dead body.The first time he plays Manifest Atlas, an app game that people claim can give you anything you ask for, Willie Eckles wants a sign. Life feels stagnant in rural Calico Springs, a predominantly white Missouri town, and Willie yearns for some direction. He's mystified to find that the app delivers on his requests-albeit with a cryptic twist each time-but no one believes him, not even Bones, his older brother. Eventually, Willie convinces Bones and his friends (including Sarai from neighboring Lawton, a predominantly Black town) to play with him, but they get more than they bargained for when it leads them to the dead body of Sarai's white stepfather, who was in a rare interracial marriage. Unconvinced by the authorities' ruling out of foul play, Willie and his group begin an investigation that stirs up tensions in a community that doesn't like people probing for answers. As Willie tests the limits of the game's abilities, he finds that their small town holds darker secrets than he ever expected. Willie's journey is one of awakening-opening his eyes to social problems and choosing to face that reality rather than turn from it. The page-turning suspense is a draw, but the book's ultimate strength is its skillful exploration of racial injustice in rural America.A multifaceted thriller with a powerful social message. (author's note, further reading) (Thriller. 14-18)
Publishers WeeklyThis mystery thriller by Miller (
Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
School Library Journal Starred Review (Wed May 01 00:00:00 CDT 2024)
Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Outer Banks meets Bone Gap in New York Times bestselling author Samuel Miller’s propulsive and genre-bending YA mystery, following a group of teenagers who discover a dead body while playing an app-based adventure game that sends players to “random” locations, unlocking a much deeper mystery about their small town.
In Calico Springs, Willie’s life has been defined by two powerful forces: God and the river. The “miracle boy” died for five minutes as a young child, and ever since, Willie is certain he survived for a reason, but that purpose didn’t become clear until he found the Game.
The Game is called Manifest Atlas, and the concept is simple: enter an intention and the Game provides a target—a blinking blue dot on the map. Willie’s second time playing Manifest Atlas, his intention takes him to an ominous target: three empty graves. Willie is sure the Game is telling him he’s going to die.
Willie’s older brother, Bones, doesn’t believe him, but their friends are intrigued. Sarai, a girl from across the river, sets the next intention: something bloody. The group follows the Game’s coordinates and they discover something even more unsettling than the graves: a dead body. Sarai’s stepfather’s body. The Game is suddenly personal.
Willie is dedicated to proving the Game works while Sarai is set on finding out what happened to her stepdad. Bones just wants to enjoy his last summer before real life begins. As the group digs deeper into Manifest Atlas, stranger and wilder things begin to appear, unlocking a much deeper mystery running like an undercurrent through the small town.