Book Log 2021 #63: We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

Danvers, Massachusetts is a pretty quiet suburb of Boston, probably best known locally for Liberty Tree Mall. But in 1692, Danvers - then known as Salem Village - was in the thick of what we know today as the Salem wtich trials. Today, Danvers more or less stays out of the witchcraft business, letting Salem play it up for tourism dollars.

But the 1989 Danvers High School field hockey team may be an exception. An eclectic mix of girls (and one boy), the seniors on the team are determined to go out on a high note. And, in order to guarantee success, they may have invoked some dark magic.

As the season plays out it's hard to tell if the team's success is due to their skill, blind luck, or something more sinister. The tensions of the season, and potentially being in thrall to evil, weigh on the friends and teammates, who still have to face regular teenage pressures of school, dating, and the future.

I really enjoyed this book, especially as it's set at a time and place where I was roughly the same age as the characters (I'm older by a couple of years). I was also a little distracted trying to reconcile background facts with my own memories. But in a good way.

A good October reading assignment would be to read this and Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts.