about the book
Noah, a teen punk with a troubled past, lives in Portland in 1983, and is greatly concerned: What is happening to all the girls? They’re quickly disappearing from Portland, and Noah suspects the creepy German owners of the local brewery, the PfefferBrau Haus, are involved.
Meanwhile, there is something wrong with Noah’s best friend, Evan, but Noah avoids facing the fact by focusing on the missing girls.
Upon learning of the battle of the bands competition at the PfefferBrau Haus, Noah decides to get his band, the Gallivanters, back together in order to get inside the brewery and solve the mystery. Joining his band is a mysterious new member, a David Bowie look-alike named Ziggy, who helps Noah uncover a load of mind-blowing secrets.
Soon, the two discover the Marr, a “toxic darkness”, is attacking not only the girls, but also Evan. Its only weakness? Music.
Noah has been uncovering secrets hidden in his own life—memories of his abusive father, his friendship with Evan, and his relationship with the girl band members. As more and more answers are uncovered, Noah wants nothing more than to find the key to dealing with it all.
about the author
Author M. J. (Mary Jane) Beaufrand, originally from Gresham, Oregon, graduated from Wellesley College and earned an MFA from the Bennington Writing Program.
As a teenager, Mary Jane read classics like those written by the Brontes and Charles Dickens. Then, while taking Art 101 in college, she started thinking back, leading her to eventually write historical fiction.
No longer sporting the bad perm she wore in the eighties, Mary Jane now lives in Seattle with her husband, two children, and dogs.
Source:
Author website
Author interview: The Ya Ya Yas
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