Alkaf, Hanna. Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s, The. Simon & Schuster / Salaam, 09/2024. 352pp. Fiction. Trade $19.99. 978-1-5344-9458-9. GRADES 7–12. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
For more than one hundred years, prestigious St. Bernadette’s has taught and shaped the girls of Kuala Lumpur, equipping them with education and manners that speak to their value and help assure their futures—which makes the current outbreak of involuntary screaming all the more alarming. In just one day, twenty-seven screamers are carried from their classrooms like so many used tissues. Fifteen-year-old Khadijah hasn’t spoken in three months, but when her younger sister is afflicted in the third wave of screaming, she is determined to discover what causes the terror, and how to stop it. Told in alternating chapters, primarily from the perspective of two very different students, each girl struggles to manage their growing sense that something is terribly wrong. This satisfyingly gothic parable is distinguished by a rich sense of place and a profound exploration of the problematic ways society values young girls and relishes their victimization. Some speechifying near the end and an overly quick conclusion slightly mar a superb thriller that should be part of every spooky YA display. All characters are Malaysian; some read as ethnically Chinese. Review based on an ARC.
Melissa McAvoy—Retired