Secrets and grown-up lies

Figuring out what’s real and what’s an illusion is just part of the emotional roller coaster for the characters in Susan Vaught’s new novel, Freaks Like Us (Bloomsbury USA Children’s, $16.99). Readers will empathize with the parents of three mentally ill teens—and for the community—as everyone spends a day searching for a missing person. This young-adult novel opens a window into the mind of a teenage schizophrenic, Jason (nicknamed “Freak”), who shows loyalty, bravery and relentless love as we follow him on a worthy mystery ride. Vaught’s writing is sensitive and compelling as Freak and his two friends make big decisions in an adult world of deception and secrets.