Cold
Overview
A boy, a murder, a girl, a secret. From award-winning author Mariko Tamaki comes Cold, a haunting YA novel about a shocking crime, told by a boy who died--and a girl who wants to know why.
Who was Todd Mayer, and why don't any of his fellow students at Albright Academy seem to know, or want to say, anything about him? Todd Mayer is dead. Now a ghost, hovering over his body, recently discovered in a snow covered park, naked and frozen. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people linked to the events leading to his death, Todd replays the choice that led him to his end. Georgia didn't know Todd. But ever since she heard about his death, she can't stop thinking about him. Maybe because they're both outcasts at their school, or because they're both queer. Maybe because the story of Todd people keep telling feels like a lot of fake stories Georgia has heard people tell. Plus Georgia has a feeling she's seen Todd somewhere before, somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Told through the voices of Todd in his afterlife and Georgia as she uncovers the truth behind his death, Cold is an immersive, emotional, and provocative read. Praise for Cold: "Cold is an atmospheric, tightly woven murder mystery told with a sharp voice and a complex, layered cast. The kind of story you inhale." -- RANDY RIBAY, AUTHOR OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST PATRON SAINTS OF NOTHING "Mariko Tamaki's Cold is a sharply written, moody mystery/noir in which even the ghosts have something to hide. Will give you chills." -- LAURA RUBY, TWO-TIME NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST AND AUTHOR OF THIRTEEN DOORWAYS, WOLVES BEHIND THEM ALL "Tamaki brilliantly explores the ways we show up for each other and the ways we don't. A rare, unforgettable mystery about finding the truth inside yourself, despite loss." -- GWENDA BOND, NEW YORK TIMES-BESTSELLING AUTHOR "In Cold, Mariko Tamaki creates a world of kids crashing into adulthood with writing that is gritty and moving. This is a story where the living sometimes haunt us more than ghosts. Tamaki dazzlingly shows us that the search for love and justice can be more tangled up than we realize." -- EMILY SCHULTZ, AUTHOR OF THE BLONDES AND LITTLE THREATSCustomers Also Bought
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9781626722736
- ISBN-10: 1626722730
- Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
- Publish Date: February 2022
- Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.7 pounds
- Page Count: 240
- Reading Level: Ages 12-17
Related Categories
On a cold January morning, the ghost of Todd Mayer watches as his naked, frozen body is discovered in a park by someone passing by. He listens as two police detectives question his family and private-school classmates about his whereabouts the night before. They don’t question his friends, though, because Todd doesn’t have any friends. Instead, the detectives focus their investigation on one of Todd’s male teachers, who took an unusual interest in him. While Todd silently observes the aftermath of his death, a girl named Georgia, whose brother was one of Todd’s classmates, is dealing with issues of her own. Carrie, one of the most popular students at their all-girls’ school, has recently decided she and Georgia should be friends, but Georgia’s feelings about Carrie are decidedly more complicated than just friendship. Then Georgia realizes she might know something about what happened to Todd on the night he died, setting Georgia and Todd on a collision course with the truth. Author Mariko Tamaki is best known for This One Summer, a graphic novel she co-authored with her cousin Jillian Tamaki that received Caldecott and Printz Honors. In Cold she creates a fast-paced mystery reminiscent of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones. The novel alternates between Todd and Georgia, with Todd’s chapters in third person and Georgia’s in first. Tamaki gives Todd’s sections a fitting sense of detachment: “Todd didn’t want to see his dead body anymore. Not because it upset him. It just didn’t interest him anymore. Like a plate of cold, half-eaten food on the table after dinner.” Meanwhile, Georgia’s chapters brim with emotion as her feelings for Carrie conflict with her insecurities. Throughout, Tamaki nails the dialogue, peppering it with the perfect amount of slang and teenage witticisms. Sharp and authentic, Cold doesn’t just take its title from the chill of a wintry day but also from the cruelty and isolation of adolescence. Readers who love intense, suspenseful storytelling will devour it in one sitting.
On a cold January morning, the ghost of Todd Mayer watches as his naked, frozen body is discovered in a park by someone passing by. He listens as two police detectives question his family and private-school classmates about his whereabouts the night before. They don’t question his friends, though, because Todd doesn’t have any friends. Instead, the detectives focus their investigation on one of Todd’s male teachers, who took an unusual interest in him. While Todd silently observes the aftermath of his death, a girl named Georgia, whose brother was one of Todd’s classmates, is dealing with issues of her own. Carrie, one of the most popular students at their all-girls’ school, has recently decided she and Georgia should be friends, but Georgia’s feelings about Carrie are decidedly more complicated than just friendship. Then Georgia realizes she might know something about what happened to Todd on the night he died, setting Georgia and Todd on a collision course with the truth. Author Mariko Tamaki is best known for This One Summer, a graphic novel she co-authored with her cousin Jillian Tamaki that received Caldecott and Printz Honors. In Cold she creates a fast-paced mystery reminiscent of Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones. The novel alternates between Todd and Georgia, with Todd’s chapters in third person and Georgia’s in first. Tamaki gives Todd’s sections a fitting sense of detachment: “Todd didn’t want to see his dead body anymore. Not because it upset him. It just didn’t interest him anymore. Like a plate of cold, half-eaten food on the table after dinner.” Meanwhile, Georgia’s chapters brim with emotion as her feelings for Carrie conflict with her insecurities. Throughout, Tamaki nails the dialogue, peppering it with the perfect amount of slang and teenage witticisms. Sharp and authentic, Cold doesn’t just take its title from the chill of a wintry day but also from the cruelty and isolation of adolescence. Readers who love intense, suspenseful storytelling will devour it in one sitting.