She Came Back Different is a gothic dream for any young reader, and particularly for those who love dance. The story of Gemma and the Stadler elite ballet girls isn’t just the stuff of spore-filled nightmares. It’s also a story of subtle resistance; of how to keep from losing ourselves and our voices in the expectations of others. At times truly scary, any horror afficionado will shiver with delight at the girls’ valient efforts to save themselves–and at the strength and resilience of the friendships; a bright light that shines through the shadows to provide just the right amount of reassurance. —Gabrielle Kirouac Byrne, author of Rise of the Dragon Moon, and The Edge of Strange Hollow
She Came Back Different
Viking Children/Penguin Random House
Underneath the beautiful world of ballet lurks the dark side of perfectionism in this eerie tale!
The Stadler Ballet Conservatory prides itself on turning out not only perfect dancers but perfect pupils. Perhaps too perfect.
Gemma has been sent by her demanding mother in the hopes that her “rough edges” will be smoothed. But the life of a ballerina feels so far out of reach, she hardly dares to dream of it. Neve, on the other hand, is there on a rescue mission. Her once rebellious older sister returned from Stadler as a smiling, empty shell of her former self. If there are answers, Neve will find them.
In a tale alternating between their perspectives, both girls must brave a world of rules and conformity. One in which beauty hides a hideous and sinister truth that will devour their very souls if they cannot overcome their differences. Can they embrace each other’s flaws and their own in order to dig up the school’s rotten roots and unmask what’s really growing . . . and feeding . . . behind Stadler’s walls?
Acclaim for She Came Back Different
Just perfect for readers hungry for horror, She Came Back Different is a story that blooms most eerily, with hard-earned friendships that grow the strongest of roots. Oh, this is a truly delicious tale!—Heather Kassner, author of The Bone Garden
As dark and twisted as one of the vines covering the Stadler Ballet Conservatory, Stephanie Willing’s SHE CAME BACK DIFFERENT does not disappoint when it comes to the scares. Reading this you might feel as hollowed out as the dancers – the delicious six – that have recently enrolled at Stadler. While the dread beats like a heart from chapter to chapter along with a completely original setting, an incredible cast of characters, the heart of this story is about acceptance – for yourself and others – and the ways in which we find our place in the world. This is a story about protecting the people we love and the things we will do to save them. Willing’s writing is gripping and heartwarming – the perfect blend for the spooky kid in your life or the one that still lives in your heart. This page-turner of a book is a treasure.
—Ally Malinenko, author of the Bram Stoker nominated This Appearing House and Broken Dolls
Compulsively readable and beautifully written. I inhaled this book. A compelling twist on the haunted school genre. Deliciously creepy! —Matt McMann, USA Today bestselling author of the Monsterious series
Heart-pounding, creepy fun! She Came Back Different is both a deliciously uncanny thrill-ride and an ode to girlhood in all its weirdness and wonder. Perfection has never been freakier than inside Stadler’s secretive, shadowy halls.” —Mary Averling, author of The Curse of Eelgrass Bog and The Ghosts of Bitterfly Bay
Young readers who crave engaging main characters, ominous suspense, and a thrilling ending will love SHE CAME BACK DIFFERENT. Stephanie Willing has created a truly creepy tale, full of shocking surprises and some of the most disturbing villains I’ve ever encountered. —Wendy Parris, author of Stage Fright and Field of Screams
She Came Back Different will keep readers on their toes as they pirouette through this deliciously creepy tale. Stephanie Willing has crafted a masterfully creepy tale in which friendships and loyalty prevail over perfection and reputation. She Came Back Different is an intriguing, twisting tale that I couldn’t put down! —Laura Parnum, author of Peril at Price Manor and The Haunting of Bellington Cottage