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White Smoke

Tiffany D. Jackson

Ages 14–18

Readers rate it 3.8 (76 on Hardcover)

384 pages · Released 2021

Content report card

White Smoke parent’s guide: what’s inside

High confidence

What it offers

Educational value

A note for parents

White Smoke is a gothic mystery-thriller that blends supernatural horror with real-world trauma, making it best suited for older teens. The book explores serious themes including racism, classism, mental illness, and gaslighting alongside haunting imagery and psychological tension. While not graphically violent, the cumulative weight of dark themes and disturbing moments—combined with a protagonist processing trauma—pushes this toward the upper YA range. Strong character work and emotional depth reward mature readers.

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From the publisher

Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with... Marigold is running from ghosts. The phantoms of her old life keep haunting her, but a move with her newly blended family from their small California beach town to the embattled Midwestern city of Cedarville might be the fresh start she needs. Her mom has accepted a new job with the Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house, one that Mari now has to share with her bratty ten-year-old stepsister, Piper. The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its... secrets. That’s only half the problem: household items vanish, doors open on their own, lights turn off, shadows walk past rooms, voices can be heard in the walls, and there’s a foul smell seeping through the vents only Mari seems to notice. Worse: Piper keeps talking about a friend who wants Mari gone. But "running from ghosts" is just a metaphor, right? As the house closes in, Mari learns that the danger isn’t limited to Maple Street. Cedarville has its secrets, too. And secrets always find their way through the cracks.

Shelved under

  • nyt:young-adult-hardcover=2021-10-03
  • New York Times bestseller
  • Strong Character Development
  • Diverse Characters
  • A mix driven
  • Unloveable Characters
  • Loveable Characters
  • Not Diverse Characters
  • Plot driven
  • dark
  • tense
  • mysterious

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ISBN 9780063029095 · HarperCollins Publishers

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