A literary blend of We Were Liars and 13 Reasons Why, THE STEPPING OFF PLACE unfolds in a nonlinear narrative, weaving together scenes from before and after Hattie Darrow’s death by suicide. The past informs the present, the present informs the past, all providing a window into a friendship that straddles childhood innocence and the turbulent oscillations of adolescence. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll live a friendship for the ages

THE STEPPING OFF PLACE
by Cameron Rosenblum
HarperCollins Children’s books, Summer 2020

Every girl loves her best friend, but Hattie is more like Reid’s social oxygen. Hattie’s the badass, Reid’s the wingman; that’s how it’s meant to be. But when Hattie drowns off the coast Maine while summering with her family two weeks before the start of senior year, Reid must confront the devastating loss and her own identity crisis, all while hearing and seeing Hattie everywhere. The police declare that Hattie died by suicide, but it just doesn’t make sense. Hattie was one of the most enigmatic and joyful people Reid has ever known. Something just doesn’t feel right, so Reid immediately begins to question the circumstances surrounding Hattie’s death. Little does she know she will soon unravel painful secrets about the person she thought she knew better than herself. This truth will force Reid to reexamine everything she knows about alphas and betas, truth and lies, and what it means to step into yourself.

Cameron Rosenblum has an English degree from Kenyon College (she had the same writing professor as Ransom Riggs and John Green!) and works as a children’s librarian in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. Active in SCBWI, Cameron has founded writing retreats in Maine and New Hampshire and co-directed the celebrated Whispering Pines Retreat in Rhode Island. Cameron has also served as a judge for the CYBILs award for middle grade fiction and guest blogged on nerdybookclub.com.