Strange Times at Western High

by Emily Pohl-Weary, Rose Cowles (Illustrator)

She's savvy, she's sleuth-y, she's Natalie Fuentes. Trouble sticks to 16-year-old Natalie Fuentes like glue to paper. As the new kid at Western High, there's nothing she'd like better than to avoid making waves and instead focus on My Very Secret Life , her self-published zine. But when the school's reclusive caretaker is brutally attacked, Natalie is the only person who seems willing to investigate. Armed with the clues found in her zine's clippings, pictures and notes, and with the help of the caretaker's socially awkward son, Natalie searches for answers. Soon the two are stirring up secrets that others including the school's most infamous "cool girl" clique -- want kept under wraps. When the trail leads to the police-shy leader of a local graffiti gang, Natalie must use all her streetwise wiles to crack the case. Illustrated with snippets from Natalie's zine, and with a fast-paced plot that will keep readers guessing, Strange Times at Western High is as spirited as the savvy sleuth herself.

Genres: Middle Grade, Young Adult

219 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2006

About the author

Award-winning author Emily Pohl-Weary's latest novel is How to Be Found (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2023).

She has published seven previous books. Her poetry collection, Ghost Sick: A Poetry of Witness, won the Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry. And her biography, Better to Have Loved: The Life of Judith Merril, won a Hugo Award and was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award.

Her 2022 audio play The Witch’s Circle, a retelling of a Baba Yaga folktale, can be streamed at theotherpath.ca/listen

Emily holds a PhD in Adult Education and Community Development from the University of Toronto (OISE) and teaches at the UBC School of Creative Writing in Vancouver, Canada.

Reviews

[M.Luciana.R · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange times at Western high by Emily, this thriller novel for young teens has been quite a mystery. I won't spoil much but what I can say is that i it has great thriller age-appropriate scenes for teens, it gives a sneak peek into bullying and really gives great perspective that has a strong voice and portrays the character perfectly.

[C.E. Cramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read it first and enjoyed the view into a young teens view as a "new-kid on the block" with a healthy investigative tendency. My 6 year old granddaughter, who has a rather advanced reading level, found it had to follow some sentences that spanned three or four lines, but otherwise she finds it enjoyable. Good thing she already knows how to use Wikipedia, too. Moves along very smoothly, without becoming boring.

[Katherine]

Looking for mysteries to recommend to my teen book club but oh my goodness this has small print.