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Streams of Babel

The Trinity Falls Novels (Book 1)

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What to expect

When Cora Holman's mother dies, she assumes the inevitable: that her mother overdosed on the painkillers she'd been taking for years. So she's shocked to learn that her mother and a neighbor both died of a brain aneurysm the same night. When Cora and other neighborhood teens become ill with a mysterious flu, and government-type strangers arrive in her small town, they all fear the unthinkable—a terrorist attack. With each glass of water they drink, the people of Trinity Falls are poisoning themselves.

Meanwhile, a world away in Pakistan, a sixteen-year-old computer genius named Shahzad is working as a virtual spy. He's alarmed to see an influx of chatter about a substance called Red Vinegar that will, as he reads, "lead to many deaths in Colony One."

Can Shahzad sift through the babble of the chat room, find the location of the attack, and warn the victims in time? And if so, at what cost to him?

A Printz Honor Award winner and two-time Edgar Allan Poe Award finalist, Carol Plum-Ucci explores disturbing new terrain in this riveting novel that examines the heroes and victims involved in a terrifying act of bioterrorism.

Critics Review

“A page-turner…A thriller more thoughtful than most.”

Booklist

“The characters…are well drawn and have unique voices…Ultimately, this is a tautly paced thriller that will force readers to think about the complexities of living in a post-9/11 world.”

School Library Journal

“The swift pace grabs the reader right from the start, with a page-turning intensity. Plum-Ucci takes the incredible and makes it all too believable.”

Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Gripping…Fans of suspense will discover a thrilling ride.”

VOYA

“Rich with unanswerable questions and timely urgency, the book captures the frailty of post-9/11 American life.”

Horn Book

“A thriller that feels destined for the silver screen.”

Bulletin

“The cast of readers, the same in both volumes, is universally outstanding…The full-cast readings makes this an amazing experience.”

SoundCommentary.com (starred review)

u201cTold in brief chapters from the alternating viewpoints of the six main teenaged characters, this tense mystery is all too believable. Award-winning author Plum-Ucci keeps the tension high all the way through, and she creates credible characters who converse the way teens actually do.u201d

KLIATT

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