When Tia, nervous before leaving for camp, finds herself awake late at night, her life changes as she becomes the only witness to a murder in her neighborhood. Terrified that the killer, who saw her watching, will return, Tia keeps this secret from her parents and the police. As the murder investigation lengthens, Tia struggles to keep the knowledge to herself, turning to her Gram's favorite botanica to search for something that might keep evil away, something that will help her forget what she saw. And as Tia searches for protection, fearing that danger creeps ever closer, her life spirals out of control. Readers will feel the anxiety crashing over Tia as she bumps into suspicious characters around every corner, never sure who to trust, every remark reminding her of what she witnessed. While Tia's family and friends do provide love and comfort, the ever-escalating suspense will keep the pages turning throughout this thrilling upper-middle-grade mystery that takes a realistic look at how someone in Tia's position might react.

A girl witnesses a terrible crime in this upper–middle-grade thriller.Thirteen-year-old Tia Lugo is ready for the summer and to go on a much-anticipated stay at sleepaway camp trip. But on the eve of her departure Tia wakes up with an asthma attack and, when reaching for her inhaler, becomes the only eyewitness to a murder just outside her window-and the killer looks right back at her. Terrified for her life since the killer knows where she lives, Tia keeps it all a secret bottled inside. As the guilt over her silence and the fear eat at her, Tia finds support in her best friend, Julius, and in her loving grandmother's weird and embarrassing mystical beliefs. A trip to the eerie botanica where Gram shops for her curandera supplies gives Tia much-needed relief, but threatening text messages from the killer show her the danger she is really in. The novel weaves together a lot of different threads in a short span of time in addition to Tia's terrifying ordeal and mounting fear of the killer. Apart from one unconvincing subplot when another boy shows an interest in Tia with unexpected consequences, the story is peppered with enriching, thoughtful touches like Tia's father's difficult relationship with Gram's beliefs, Tia's romantic interest in Julius, and a range of complex neighborhood dynamics with other kids. Tia and her family are Puerto Rican, and Julius has brown skin.A slightly uneven but overall convincing thriller. (Thriller. 10-14)

As summer draws to a close, 13-year-old Tia Lugo, who is Puerto Rican, looks forward to attending Camp Troy, sponsored by the New York City Parks Department. The night before sleepaway camp, however, her asthma flares; as Tia reaches for her inhaler, she witnesses a murder outside her bedroom window. When the murderer threatens her into silence, Tia gives up camp to ensure her family-s safety. Though Tia and her family don-t believe in her grandmother-s reliance on Puerto Rican traditions and remedies, she can-t help but visit the botanica for extra protection. While her best friend, Julius, who has green eyes and brown skin, searches for clues and suspects, Tia struggles with the guilt of not assisting the police and tries to make amends with the victim-s close friends. But tensions rise as the killer starts sending more messages and Tia feels him drawing closer. Vigilante (Saving Baby Doe) crafts a fast-paced thriller that takes place within a single week, while keeping the murder mystery thoroughly age-appropriate; a warm emphasis on community, integrity, and preserving individual histories rounds out the suspenseful narrative. Ages 10-14. (Aug.)