On Sundays, we usually do beginnings, taking a look at the start of a Peter Abrahams novel (including those written under the Spencer Quinn moniker™) but since it’s Memorial Day weekend, how about we check out INTO THE DARK, last of the Echo Falls trilogy for middle-graders – although adults with fake ID can read them too. Here’s a little bit of Mr. Sidney, the old school bus driver, talking to Ingrid and her friend Ty.

“Very next morning they had us on the road to the prison camp. Not going to talk about the Death March – you can look it up. Not going to talk about the starvation, or the disease, the heat, or what happened to anybody who lagged behind, even to drink from a mud puddle.”

“What happened to them?” said Ty.

“What did I just say?” said Mr. Sidney.

[“I’ve read the two previous Echo Falls mysteries featuring Ingrid (Down the Rabbit Hole and Behind the Curtain) and enjoyed them, but I think this one may be the best of all.”
– Claire Rosser, KLIATT (starred review)]