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Maine Literary Award Finalist 

My Mom's Favorite Book

Maine-bred, independent Rilla Brae is no stranger to the deep. She knows  the rhythms of hard work and harder seas. But when she experiences the  sudden death of her father, the veil between the living and the dead  blurs and she begins to be haunted by a girl on a nearby, uninhabited  island. The girl floats a song over the waves, and it is as beautiful as  it is terrifying. Familiar and distant.
 

Then Rilla meets Sam, a University of Southern Maine archeology student  tasked with excavating the very island where the ghostly girl appeared.  Sam sifts the earth looking for the cultural remains of an island people  who were forcibly evicted by the state nearly a hundred years ago. Sam  tells Rilla the island has a history no locals talk about—if they know  about it at all—due to the shame the events brought to the working  waterfront community. All Rilla knows for sure is that the island has  always been there—an eerie presence anchored in the stormy sea. Now  Sam’s work and the girl’s song lure Rilla to the island’s shores.
 

As Rilla helps Sam to unearth the island’s many secrets, Rilla’s visions  grow—until the two discover a tragedy kept silent for years. And it’s a  tragedy that has everything to do with Rilla’s past. 

 “The feminist ghost story you’ve been waiting for.” ~BUSTLE Magazine
 

“With a strong main character, a well-developed supporting cast, and  illustrative story-telling, the author has succeeded in meshing multiple  genres into one extraordinary YA novel.” ~School Library Connection
 

“An evocative backdrop of life as a lobsterman grounds the supernatural  elements, and Rilla’s steeliness shines—she’s the kind of captain  readers will eagerly follow. History and mystery meld beautifully in  this ghost story with depth.” ~KIRKUS Reviews
 

“The tension here is masterfully crafted—the phenomena move from easily  explained dreams to incessant tapping at the window to a chair rocking  alone to scratched pleas for help underneath Rilla’s window and  eventually to a drowning confrontation in the sea. Rilla’s panic at the  thought of becoming like her mother is palpable throughout, and it  becomes more urgent as the ghost’s anger increases. Readers will fall  into a deep internet hole if they seek out further information on  Malaga, but even those less curious will find Rilla’s tale—and that of  the ghost—compelling.” ~BCCB (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s  Books)
 

“Parker’s vivid descriptions of life on Maine’s coast and the lobstering  business ground a haunting and atmospheric tale about the sea and  reckoning with a community’s past.” ~Publishers Weekly
 

“Vivid descriptions of life on the Maine coast meld perfectly with the  haunting and tragically compelling story of Malaga, an island that  actually exists. This ghost story will grab readers, not letting go  until the final words. This is a recommended purchase for libraries  serving young adult readers.” ~VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
 

“Ideal for readers who love the books of Cat Winters or atmospheric horror grounded in realism.” ~Booklist
 

“A beautiful, mournful tale of a grieving young woman who faces, with  courage and empathy, the dark secrets of her family’s history and the  unknown terrain of her future. The Rattled Bones is utterly steeped in  the atmosphere and hardships of life on the Maine coast, exploring a  shameful and little-known episode of American history with unflinching  honesty and obvious respect.” ~Kali Wallace, author of Shallow Graves  and The Memory Trees
 

“An electrifying, taut tale of the sea, grief, and memory that will take  your breath away. You will not soon forget Rilla Brae, Malaga Island,  or S.M. Parker’s gorgeous, scary story. Keep the lights on.” ~Kathleen  Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author, Girl in Pieces
 

“Gorgeous and lyrical, Parker’s mesmerizing story is a siren’s song that  lures you into a beautiful fog of secrets and mystery.” ~Adriana Mather,  New York Times bestselling author of How to Hang a Witch
 

“In this chilling story of grief, ghosts, and secrets, Parker leads you  on a journey that reveals a deep and unexpected connection between the  past and the present. Full of twists and turns, darkness and light, THE  RATTLED BONES will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last  page.” ~Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used  to Be
 

“Equal parts beautiful and chilling, Shannon M. Parker’s sophomore novel  will sweep you away to the icy waters and small coastal towns of Maine,  where the past refuses to be ignored and family secrets are dredged to  the surface with the day’s catch. Unputdownable, and like the roar of  the sea once you’ve heard it, unforgettable.” ~Sarah Glenn Marsh, author  of Fear the Drowning Deep
 

“THE RATTLED BONES is like a ghost story told around a bonfire on a cold  northern beach. This exquisite, stormy mystery and its seafaring  heroine will keep you reading long into the night.” ~Rebecca Podos,  author of The Mystery of Hollow Places
 

“In THE GIRL WHO FELL, Shannon Parker established herself as a master at  weaving a compelling story in a high stakes, thrilling ride of a read.  She does it again, superbly, in The Rattled Bones, where a haunting on  the Maine coastline blurs the line between sanity and madness.” ~Karen  Fortunati, author of The Weight of Zero
 

“Gorgeous yet ghostly. Brave Rilla Brae is the ultimate heroine I wish I  had the guts to be.”  ~Marisa Reichardt, author of Underwater, Aftershocks and Juniper Jade v. Her Parents
 

“Shannon M. Parker has (once again) created a masterpiece. THE RATTLED  BONES flawlessly captures the eerie beauty of Maine and pulls back the  curtain on a piece of history that has stayed hidden for too long.”  ~Lilly Richardson, 18-year-old YA reader.