Annie Burned the House Down

A girl follows the trail of a missing teenager—but the secrets she uncovers reignite the embers of her own history in this haunting novel in verse about the things we hide, even from ourselves.

Annie can’t even remember her father, or where exactly the cracks in her family began . . . but she can’t help feeling like the fracture is her fault. Her older brother Michael took off a year ago, leaving her alone with her mother’s bitterness. And when her mom lands in jail, Annie is sent to stay with her grandmother in the small town of Sarcelles.

But this quiet town is hiding dark secrets, including the recent disappearance of a local teen, Roxanne. Everyone seems like they’d rather blame the girl or forget her entirely—everyone except for Annie’s new friend Gio, who, like Annie, knows how it feels to be an outcast because of her family.

With Gio’s help, Annie chases down answers to questions no one else seems willing to ask. But the deeper her search goes, the more she feels like the real mystery in her life might be much closer home. Because being back in Sarcelles means confronting her own family history, including sparks of memories she can’t understand. And as the truths of her past and present meet and combust, will Annie be able to build something new from the ashes?

“Olivia Cole has done it again: ruined me with one of her books. Part coming-of-age, part mystery, Annie is a tour-de-force that respects the reader by being heartbreakingly honest when it must. Don’t miss this one.”
—#1 New York Times Bestselling author Mark Orshiro