I’m going to start this post with a little backstory on the week that I read Maureen Johnson’s mystery trilogy conclusion, The Hand on the Wall.
This February, my house flooded. The entire bottom floor is gutted, and frankly, so am I. In between fitful nights of sleep as fans downstairs struggled to air dry the walls, I wanted to get lost in a good book.
Enter “The Hand on the Wall.”
Johnson’s magnetic writing style pulled me out of my crisis filled reality and straight into the high stakes world of Ellingham Academy and all the mysteries it holds.
Moreover, I found myself empathizing deeply with Stevie, the novel’s protagonist. Stevie has an anxiety disorder, a condition which might seem at odds with her passion for true crime and investigation.
Seeing Stevie shine as an almost Veronica Mars-esque heroine was such an empowering experience, I wish I could show this book to my teenaged self, who thought anxiety disqualified her from being the hero of any story.
Even now, as I’m slogging through one of the most stressful crises of my adult life, I needed this book. I needed to see Stevie prevail against the odds. It’s what gave me strength to push on during an absolutely unparalleled week of stress, and beyond that, it’s just a darn good book.
If you like mysteries or you just need to feel a little bit more powerful than you did yesterday, I highly recommend this book!
Happy reading!
-Kat
Kat Pollock 