Julie's parents have invited a Thai boy to come live with them for a school year. Julie becomes upset. The boy's letters and photograph gives him the appearance and attitude of a nerd, someone who might embarrass her at school, where she has worked hard to heighten her popularity status. However, the boy who arrives is a poised, heavy smoker. He acts politely, as expected, but also possesses an imperturbable demeanor. Bia's good looks and cool composure promise to supply him with a high social status at school, and Julie the envy of her girlfriends. Then her younger brother Dominic builds a traditional Thai spirit house in their backyard in hopes to make Bia feel more at home. Strange events start to occur. Suddenly, Bia acts hostile towards Julie. Does a spirit actually dwell in their backyard? And is Bia using its power to help himself - and harm Julie?
Author
William Warner Sleator III was born in Havre de Grace, Maryland on February 13, 1945, and moved to St. Louis, MO when he was three. He graduated from University City High School in 1963, from Harvard in 1967 with BAs in music and English. For more than thirty years, William Sleator thrilled readers with his inventive books. His House of Stairs was named one of the best novels of the twentieth century by the Young Adult Library Services Association. William Sleator died in early August 2011 at his home in Thailand.
