What have they done to Liza McLean? by Amy Doak

Teen readers deserve to have intriguing mysteries that pique their curiosity and inspire them to keep reading. This is one of those books! Set within the walls of an elite boarding college, for the wealthiest families to inculcate, educate and network their children for power careers into the future, two teen sisters arrive as scholarship holders (escaping the attention of a sad family history), and land into this strange world that drips with prestige. Fellow students come from extreme wealth or neglect, and this can cause some to be difficult classmates. Younger sister Liza is prone to pushing boundaries and Douglas College does not suit her personality. Older sister Meg is perhaps more suited to the academic rigours of her new school, but she soon has doubts about Douglas College when Liza’s personality changes overnight. An unexplained death, or two, and doubts about the school’s leadership and governance sets Meg, her roommate, and a few trusted hackers onto the search for truth. But are they putting their own lives at risk? Or can they fight against the power of wealth and privilege without being manipulated by it or is something evil at play? 

Written by Australian author Amy Doak, this story has the hallmarks of an American YA mystery. The ‘wealth and privilege’ society and the ‘boarding school life for rich children’ is mostly at a considerable distance from Aussie teen experience (except through Film and TV), but this is not a problem. The story is almost a reality-fantasy scenario that twists and turns with thriller possibilities, and a little teen romance. It is engaging and exciting for YA readers aged 13-18. The main YA characters are mostly trying to uncover secrets surrounding the school rather than be openly and actively rebellious, and the poor relationships with families seem to be a symptom of great wealth or possibly a consequence of the mystery that unfolds. This is the kind of book that teens will share based on positive peer-reviews and the joy of discovering a book that has a dark cynicism and cinematic feel.

Themes: Wealth, Mystery, Boarding school, Teen romance, Murder, Mind control, Biological poisons.

Carolyn Hull