THE BURNING

A rumour is like a fire. You might think you've extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames ...

New school.

Tick.

New town.

Tick.

New surname.

Tick.

Social media profiles?

Erased.

There's nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the incident'.

At least that's what she thinks... until the whispers start up again. As time begins to run out on her secrets, Anna finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tale of Maggie, a local girl accused of witchcraft centuries earlier. A girl whose story has terrifying parallels to Anna's own...

A riveting story about everyday sexism at school and its affect on all the protagonists, girls, boys, parents and teachers. Bonus: the author leads us back and forth between the 17th century and our present.
Well done Laura Bates.