Blending queer romance, social comment and chilling horror, Douglass' blistering YA debut revolves around the titular haunted student's battles with both ghosts and classroom racism.
A New York Times bestseller Get Out meets Holly Jackson in this YA social thriller where survival is not guaranteed.
Sixteen-year-old Jake Livingston sees dead people everywhere. But he can't decide what's worse: being a medium forced to watch the dead play out their last moments on a loop or being at the mercy of racist teachers as one of the few Black students at St Clair Prep. Both are a living nightmare he wishes he could wake up from. But things at St Clair start looking up with the arrival of another Black student - the handsome Allister - and for the first time, romance is on the horizon for Jake.
Unfortunately, life as a medium is getting worse. Though most ghosts are harmless, Sawyer Doon wants much more from Jake. In life, Sawyer was a troubled teen who shot and killed six kids at a local high school before taking his own life. Now he's a powerful, vengeful ghost and he has plans for Jake. High school has become a different kind of survival game - one Jake is not sure he can win.
Publisher: Andersen Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781839132506
Number of pages: 256
Weight: 207 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 16 mm
"This book is absolutely incredible, chilling, and a must-read" - Buzzfeed
"Powerfully applying the horror genre to explore racism and homophobia in a high school setting, Ryan Douglass’ The Taking of Jake Livingston is an un-put-down-able, chilling tale for our times" - Joanne Owen, LoveReading4Kids
"Part horror story, part study of grief, this is a compelling, page-turning novel which beautifully balances Tyrese's private crisis with menacing Jamaican folklore, and skilfully draws the two together in a dramatic ending. Both exciting and humane, this celebration of friendship will captivate many readers" - The School Librarian
"Crucial social commentary and insight into the ways discrimination can isolate and depress young adults. Lush and emotive prose chronicles Jake’s journey… Spooky, atmospheric, and layered" - Kirkus
"An exceptional blend of genres – horror, mystery, thriller and contemporary... An extraordinarily crafted exploration of agency during Black gay teenhood" - Shelf Awareness, starred review
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