What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski

An eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school in this #metoo story.

Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there’s something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why. As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there’s always more to a story than meets the eye. So she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won’t stop running through her What happened to Rachel Riley? With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there’s one thing she’s certain about, if you’re going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.

 

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published January 10, 2023

 by Quill Tree Books

5/5 stars

I saw this book on Instagram with rave reviews so I grabbed a copy from my local public library. Here’s the thing with this book. The blurb is great in that, it doesn’t give any spoilers as to what happened to Rachel that turned her into an outcast. Now some of the reviews are very pointed as to what took place, but I am going to try to steer away from that.

Anna Hunt has started at a new school in grade 8, probably the worst time to begin anew as all the friendships are usually formed. However, there is Rachel Riley, who at one time was one of the most popular girls but now she sits alone at lunchtime, no one talks to her. She is basically on her own. All of this from something that happened last spring, and no one will tell Anna what that is.

I enjoyed the writing of this book with its different format in terms of Anna‘s point of view, text messaging, and a project Anna, the would be podcaster, is putting together. And it worked great.

What Happened to Rachel Riley is a story of determination, standing up for what you believe in, friendship, family and willing to go the extra mile for injustice. I’d like to say more, but that would give part of the story away. This is realistic fiction, in that the issues taking place not just for grade 8 students, but reaches far and wide. This book has won many awards and they are all well deserved.

So if you are a middle grade reader or even if you’re not, I highly recommend this story. It was published last January and readily available.