40 Days in Hicksville
by Christina Kilbourne
ISBN: 9781770867154
Format: Trade Paperback
Size: 5.375" x 8"
Subjects:
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YAF062010 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Thrillers & Suspense / Crime
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YAF042000 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Mysteries & Detective Stories
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YAF018000 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / General
Price: $16.95
Ages: 12+
Publication Date: October 14, 2023
Synopsis:
Kate doesn’t want to spend one minute in the “Hicksville” her mother moved them to, much less the entire year she’s stuck here in the decaying house they inherited from her grandparents. She misses her boyfriend and sneaking out at night to make urban exploration videos for her growing YouTube channel.
Zach, the boy who lives next door, tries to befriend Kate even though she ignores him. But when Kate discovers her estranged grandfather lives nearby, she wants to meet him despite the small-town rumours of his violent past, and takes Zach with her.
That’s when they find the crevasse on her grandfather’s property and the skeletons hidden inside. That’s the day they find out Kate’s uncle and his friend went missing as teenagers.
Instead of counting down the days until she can leave Hicksville, Kate and Zach start working together to solve the cold case that has silenced her mother for thirty-five years
Nominated, 2025 Forest of Reading – Red Maple
Finalist, 2024 SYRCA Snow Willow Award
Reviews
“Christina Kilbourne’s 40 Days in Hicksville is a suspenseful novel that will be enjoyed by readers who enjoy mystery, murder and plot twists.”
— Christine O’Sullivan, Canadian Children’s Book News
“40 Days in Hicksville could be a true crime podcast, unravelling the story through Kate and Zach's eyes — chapters are alternating perspectives of the two teens — and with the twists and turns that often come with a thriller. Christina Kilbourne, author of The Limitless Sky, Safe Harbour, and Dear Jo, takes us to a small Ontario town as if the setting for an episode of Dateline or 20/20, unravelling the mystery with each interview and piece of evidence and investigative step of the police. And, as in those in-depth investigations of the news magazine shows, the trajectory from missing person to justice is not a straight line.”
— Helen Kubiw, CanLit for Little Canadians
“Kilbourne brilliantly builds the tension in the story as each character is forced to face their deepest emotions, from desire and apathy at the beginning to anger and the guilt that comes from generational trauma later in the story.”
— James Steeves, YA Dude Books