Young Adult Annotation - The Counselors

Author: Jessica Goodman

Title: The Counselors

Genre: Young Adult

Publication Date: May 31, 2022

Number of Pages: 368

Geographical Setting: Rural, wooded area, Roxwood town, Camp Alpine Lake

Time Period: Current day and year, 2020s, summertime

Series (If applicable): N/A

Plot Summary:

Living in Roxwood in the middle of nowhere is our main character, Goldie Easton. Having suffered from some consequences during the school year, she looks forward to seeing her friends Ava and Imogen coming into town and working together as counselors at the local bougie camp, Camp Alpine Lake. Ready to take the summer by storm, they prepare for the campers' arrival, only for the death of a local at the camp to spook all the staff. With so many secrets being held by everyone that she knows, Goldie goes out looking for answers, and she is going to find some secrets that she didn’t wish she had found, along with almost sharing secrets that she never wished to.

Subject Headings: Young Adult Fiction, Camps, Friendship, Murder, Thrillers, Mystery

Appeal:

Story Line – This story is easily followed with unexpected twists and turns throughout, with a very intriguing storyline that holds so many secrets for the reader to learn as you read the story. With so many secrets to learn, you will find something new with each chapter that helps build the story to the final page.

Frame/Setting – A wonderful and charming setting of a small town in the middle of nowhere with a beautiful summer camp that so many wish to visit. The story also talks about different locations that draw the reader’s attention and have the reader understand and connect with the characters while they are reading.

Characterization – We learn and understand that the people in the book are more complicated and learn to go through life as they grow up and go through their teenage phase. We also see the characters learn to navigate through life and become adults as they grow through this book and learn what it means to be a responsible adult, as well as how to communicate with others.

3 terms that best describe this book:

Negligent, Untruthful, Secrets


3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

1.      The Acid King by Jesse P. Pollack

Pollack, J. P. (2018). The acid king. Simon Pulse.

Subjects: True Crime Stories, Criminal Psychology, Drug Abuse

2.      Blood, Bullets, and Bones: The Story of Forensic Science from Sherlock Holmes to DNA by Bridget Heos

Heos, B. (2016). Blood, bullets, and bones: The story of forensic science from Sherlock Holmes   to DNA. Balzer + Bray.

Subjects: Forensic Science, Murder, Criminals

3.      One Cut by Eve Porinchak

Porinchak, E. (2017). One cut. Simon Pulse.

Subjects: Murder, Crime, Teens

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

1.      The New Girl by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Sutanto, J. Q. (2022). The new girl. Sourcebooks Fire.

Subjects: Social Classes, Dating, Boarding Schools

2.      The Ivies by Alexa Donne

Donne, A. (2021). The ivies. Crown.

Subjects: Murder, Clique, Social Classes

3.      Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

McManus, K. M. (2022). Nothing more to tell. Delacorte Press.

Subjects: Secrecy, High Schools, Murder


All Book Covers will take you to LINKcat to find the books easily.

Comments

  1. Katie WJApril 5, 2024 at 1:39 PM

    Oh this book looks FUN. I am not a huge fan of reading thriller/mysteries, but I do sometimes listen to YA ones. This is 100% an audiobook I would listen to, based on this description. Have you heard of the Truly Devious series by Maureen Johnson? It's a YA murder mystery with teenagers at a fancy boarding school in rural Vermont. I think it would be a great recommendation for fans of this book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TarynApril 7, 2024 at 8:36 PM

      That sounds like a lot of fun! Thank you for including it. I wish I had thought to include it, but I don't always know what exactly to add since there is only so much time to read in a day.

      Delete
  2. Morgan HeckApril 7, 2024 at 10:42 PM

    As someone who loves horror movies that take place in the woods/at summer camps, the setting/frame of this novel really appeal to me! This could be a fun book to mix with other summer-themed mystery/thriller/horror books, graphic novels, and movies for a display that would appeal to teens and adults alike!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TarynApril 8, 2024 at 5:54 PM

      I would absolutely love doing that! It would be so much fun to create a display that gets teens to read books that also involve summer misadventure involving thrillers, mysteries and such.

      Delete
  3. Erin CataldiApril 8, 2024 at 9:53 PM

    That is an eye catching cover and summary. Excellent annotation!

    ReplyDelete

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