IT HAPPENED TO ANNA

Sadie Rivera can’t recall a time when she wasn’t haunted by the jealous ghost who threatens those she loves.

In the wake of the sudden death of Anna, her best—and only—friend in Arizona, Sadie is reluctant to forge new relationships, fearing that the ghost will hurt them like she did Anna. Raised by her pale-skinned single dad after her Mexican mom left the family, Sadie feels like she lives “in a different world than any other seventh grader,” and she withdraws “into her cloud of fog and numbness” to cope with her loneliness. That is, until she meets Charlotte and Mal, two polar-opposite girls at her new school in Idaho who both take an interest in befriending her. Strangely, the ghost doesn’t make an appearance; Mal, however, makes it clear that being her best friend means being her only friend. She isolates Sadie from Charlotte while taking advantage of her guilt and grief to push her to do things she’s uncomfortable with, such as executing cruel pranks that escalate. Mejia deftly navigates the pitfalls, pressures, and pleasures of girlhood during the middle school years. Sadie deals with tough issues faced by many young people, including grief, parental abandonment, self-esteem struggles, and toxic friendships, using horror elements as metaphors for anxiety and depression.

A spooky cautionary tale about the toll of unhealthy relationships and an ode to the power of true friendship.