Housebound due to chronic fatigue, a teen witnesses a terrifying event.Since contracting myalgic encephalomyelitis eight months ago, 15-year-old Kasia Novak has spent most of her time in her bedroom. The slightest exertion exhausts her, and she's terrified she'll never get better. When she witnesses a possible abduction from her window, she wonders if the girl she glimpsed in the opposite window saw it too-but everyone says the girl doesn't exist. While balancing good days and relapses as she investigates the girl and copes with family tension, Kasia rapidly befriends Navin, the perpetually solicitous grandson of her Indian neighbor. Interspersed with Kasia's narration, Reema, the mysterious girl, describes her own increasingly desperate circumstances in italicized bursts. Author Joelson, who has struggled with ME herself, sensitively portrays Kasia's frustration and determination as well as ME's toll on Kasia's family. However, this nod to Rear Window ultimately falls flat. Emotions are often stated rather than shown, and underdeveloped secondary characters contribute to an abrupt, lackluster ending. Reema is more a plot device for Kasia's emotional benefit than a fully realized person, which is particularly unfortunate given her troubling story. Kasia and her family are White Polish immigrants to England. Reema may be South Asian.An unfortunately shallow take on a serious issue. (author's note) (Suspense. 13-16)

Joelson (I Have No Secrets) draws on her experience with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in the story of 15-year-old Kasia Novak. After a bout of tonsillitis leaves her with ME/CFS, Kasia is unable to walk more than a few feet at a time. Stuck in her room for months, she watches the world outside her window. After she sees a girl pushed into a car against her will, and another girl, Reema, watching from the window opposite hers, Kasia investigates, enlisting neighbor Mrs. Gayatri for information on their English town-s neighbors. Kasia-s probe intensifies when she meets Mrs. Gayatri-s inquisitive grandson, Navin, who is intent on helping Kasia get better and finding out why no one knows about the girls whom Kasia sees. Joelson (I Have No Secrets) tackles complex issues of modern-day human trafficking, yet a didactic tone and a focus on Kasia-s experience at the expense of the other girls- overwhelms the story. With a healing garden, watchers in the windows, and individuals hidden away, echoes of The Secret Garden and Rear Window are woven into Kasia-s and Reema-s alternating first-person narratives. Joelson excels in painting the atmosphere of Kasia-s warm, loving home with her Polish immigrant family while sensitively portraying her struggle with classmates who question her illness. Ages 14-up. Agent: Juliette Clark, Egmont UK. (Nov.)