On March 18, Muhlenberg Library was lucky to host a panel of amazing writers who read from their newest books for teens.  Helen Ellis was the first author to arrive at the panel, so I had the chance to get to know her a little bit and meet her mom! The Library had just ordered copies of her first book for teens, called The Turning: What Curiosity Kills, but sadly, didn’t make it in time for the reading. Luckily, Ellis brought a few copies of her book for teens to take home, and I was able to score a copy to read over the weekend. I’m so glad I did! 

 

What Curiosity Kills follows Mary, a teenager living in New York City’s Upper East Side. Mary and her sister Octavia were adopted as children but still remember their bleak upbringings, a fact that sets them apart in their fancy private school. All Mary wants to do is blend in, but sadly, that wish becomes impossible when she begins to act strangely. First she falls asleep in the middle of gym class, and then she breaks out in a blistering fever. But the worst is yet to come. After her fever, she wakes up to find bright orange fur growing on her legs!

 

Mary wishes she could get some answers about what is happening to her, and to her surprise, she finds them in Nick, her classmate and crush. Nick and Mary have a lot more in common than she thought, and with his help, Mary fights to fulfill her true destiny.

 

Yes, this is a story with a very supernatural twist, but it's grounded in a very real New York City. The teens in this story are addicted to American Idol, are crammed into a tiny apartment, and will get in a ton of trouble if they bring their cell phones to class. It makes the story so real that you can almost smell the cat fur!