SuitabookThe lost sister
Megan Kelley Hall
- Reading
- Read alongside the young person rather than explaining the mysteries in advance. Pause after major revelations to ask how the characters’ choices affect trust, belonging and responsibility; check in if the atmosphere becomes unsettling.
- Themes
- Belonging versus loyalty: Maddie must choose between the allure and power of the Sisters of Misery and loyalty to her cousin. The premise clearly sets up a conflict between fitting in and standing by family, but does not show which choices the narrative ultimately rewards or condemns.
- Power and harmful group behaviour: The Sisters of Misery are described as a powerful school clique whose pranks lead to horrific events and whose attention turns towards Maddie. The group’s behaviour is presented as threatening and harmful in the premise, but the narrative’s fuller treatment of responsibility and accountability is unknown.
- Family history, secrecy and the supernatural: Maddie returns to Hawthorne, a town associated with the Salem witch trials, to face secrets involving Cordelia, her past and herself. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether suspenseful threats, ominous imagery, clique cruelty, disappearance and references to Salem witch trials may feel intense. The extent of violence, frightening detail and the ending is not established.