Guest post written by A Risky Game author Alyson Gerber
Alyson Gerber is the author of The Liars Society series and the critically acclaimed novels Focused, Braced, and Taking Up Space. A former marketing director, Alyson earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She grew up in New England and now lives in New York City with her family. Follow her @AlysonGerber and at alysongerber.com.
About A Risky Game: The sequel to the USA Today bestseller! The Inheritance Games and One of Us is Lying for middle grade — beloved author Alyson Gerber’s new series is an unforgettable mystery featuring a secret society, a mysterious island, and dangerous family secrets.
I grew up in the shadow of the most influential New England boarding school. For most of my childhood, I believed that just beyond the entrance to the ivy towers everything was magic. Later, I had the chance to attend boarding school. While I didn’t always fit into this intriguing world with my undiagnosed ADHD and penchant for questioning the rules, the opportunity to attend and the experiences I had were life changing. I wanted to capture the fantastical aspects of a small New England private school in a relatable mystery-adventure for kids. And I was in a unique position to write both the insider and outsider perspective.
The Liars Society and the sequel—The Liars Society: A Risky Game—which will be in stores April 1, features a group of five kids at the prestigious Boston School. They are invited to play a high-stakes game. If they win, they’ll be selected to join the oldest, most powerful secret society in the world―and they’ll be Boston royalty forever. If they lose . . . well, they better not lose, because they all have life-ruining secrets that they will do anything to protect.
While you wait for April 1 and the official launch of The Liars Society: A Risky Game, here is a list of iconic preppy reads to hold you over!
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
A few years after the Westing Game made me a reader—I was an angsty prep school teenager assigned to read the Catcher in the Rye. At the very first mention of phonies by Holden Caulfield, I was hooked. So much so that my daughter’s middle name is an ode to this book. To soak in all aspects of the boarding school experience, this story is a must.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
I’ve never been more excited, than when I first heard one of my publishers call The Liars Society—The Secret History for middle grade. I am still honored by the comparison. While the clever misfits in The Secret History are attending a New England college, and it’s an inverted detective story, this is the book that put modern, dark academia on the map in a big way. It’s a layered, psychological thriller that will leave you wanting to wear tweed and read the classics.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
E. Lockhart’s smart, twisty writing will pull you in and you’ll never want to leave Beechwood Island, just off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Luckily, We Were Liars, which centers around the Sinclair family and the summers spent on their private island, also has an incredible prequel—Family of Liars. And the TV show is coming soon. This clever, cunning story will make you even more curious about what these prep school kids are like the rest of the year.
The Cousins by Karen M. McManus
The Cousins is one of my all-time favorite dark family mysteries. Told from the perspective of three cousins, who barely know each other, this is a smart thriller about family, inheritance, deception, and lies. Gull Cove Island is the perfect New England summer getaway and the Story family’s legacy is as iconic as it gets.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
There is nothing more iconic than the setting of A Separate Peace. Devon is a traditional, all boys boarding school, based on Phillips Academy Exeter during WWII. Phineas and Gene will do whatever it takes to be the best in both academics and athletics, and the internal hierarchies of the elite world are on full display.
