What Happened to Rachel Riley?, Claire Swinarski
What Happened to Rachel Riley?, Claire Swinarski
4 Rating(s)
List: $21.99 | Sale: $15.39
Club: $10.99

What Happened to Rachel Riley?

Author: Claire Swinarski

Narrator: Ferdelle Capistrano, Alexandra Hunter, Karla Serrato, Gail Shalan, Reena Dutt, Caitlin Davies, Andrew Eiden, Kirby Heyborne

Unabridged: 5 hr 49 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/10/2023


Synopsis

ALA Notable Children's BookRegional Indie BestsellerAudie Award WinnerEdgar Award NomineeCybils Award NomineeYALSA Best Fiction for Young AdultsNew York Public Library Best Book of the YearChicago Public Library Best of the BestAmazon Best Book of the YearSLJ Best Book of the YearTexas Lone Star Reading ListCapital Choices Noteworthy Book for ChildrenBookPage Best Book of the Year2024 Elizabeth Burr/Sheridan Worzalla Award for the most distinguished work in children's literature

In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that's Where'd You Go, Bernadette with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school. Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why.As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley?With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain of: If you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer. 

About Claire Swinarski

Claire Swinarski was born and raised in Wisconsin, where she still lives with her family and writes stories for readers of all ages. What Happens Next was her debut middle grade novel and was followed by The Kate in Between and What Happened to Rachel Riley, which was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, a YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults title, a Cybils Award nominee, and an Edgar Award nominee. These were followed by Take It from the Top. She thinks wandering around a library can solve 95 percent of life’s problems.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Christy on December 23, 2023

4 stars What Happened to Rachel Riley was such an interesting and important middle grade novel. I loved the way it was told, from Anna’s perspective but also through interviews for her podcasts and school emails. The full cast narration was wonderful and Anna was a strong and brave heroine. Audio......more

Goodreads review by Janssen on October 20, 2023

this was EXCELLENT......more

Goodreads review by Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) on January 06, 2023

What Happened to Rachel Riley? is a stellar middle grade mystery about sexual harassment, creativity, and standing up for something. This book truly shines for the author’s creative, yet accessible storytelling and characterization. The characters feel well-drawn, relatable, and inspirational all at......more

Goodreads review by Josh on November 25, 2023

I started a themed reading of reading books that were potential Newbery Medal nominees for 2024, thus the books would be written in 2023. Goodreads has a very nice and solid list of their site and this was among the books. I really hope that this book either gets the medal or an honor, because it wa......more

Goodreads review by Laura on March 01, 2024

No one leaves middle school unscathed, but Rachel Riley had had a particularly hard year. When Anna, the new girl at school, realizes Rachel has gone from the center of the in-crowd to beyond the outer fringes of the social circle, she needs to know what happened last year. I loved that she builds a......more