Drifters

A smart, sophisticated middle grade speculative mystery, perfect for fans of Stranger Things, from the acclaimed author of the Chronicles of the Dark Star trilogy. In Drifters, a girl sets out to find her missing best friend—and discovers a secret in her small town she never could have expected.

Jovie is adrift. She'd been feeling alone ever since her best friend, Micah, left her behind for a new group of friends—but when Micah went missing last fall, Jovie felt truly lost.

Now, months later, the search parties have been called off, and the news alerts have dried up. There's only Jovie, biking around Far Haven, Washington, putting up posters with Micah's face on them, feeling like she's the only one who remembers her friend at all.

This feeling may be far closer to the truth than Jovie thinks. As strange storms beset Far Haven, she is shocked to discover that Micah isn't just missing—she's been forgotten completely by everyone in town. And Micah isn't the only one: There are others, roaming the beaches, camped in the old bunkers, who have somehow been lost from the world.

When Jovie and her new friend Sylvan dig deeper, they learn that these mysteries are nothing new: the town's history is far stranger and more deadly than anyone knows.

From Kevin Emerson, author of Last Day on Mars, an Indie Next List pick.