Junior Library Guild Selection and earned a starred review from School Library Journal. Her articles on libraries and education have appeared in School Library Journal, TEACH Magazine, and Education Week.
Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Classey's reply:
I am currently reading All the Colors of the Dark (2024), by Chris Whitaker, which a trusted friend recommended to me. Set in the mid-1970s, the story follows the abduction of a boy named Patch and how his absence impacts friends, family, and acquaintances. Through short, gripping chapters, readers get a vivid glimpse into a small Missouri townVisit Paige Classey's website.rocked by tragedy. The swift pacing and heart-wrenching character depictions have made it difficult for me to put down. It would be a great fit for anyone who enjoyed The God of the Woods (2024) by Liz Moore.
I generally like to alternate reading a book for adults with reading a YA or middle grade book. Along with writing for children and teens, I am a school librarian by day, so it's important to me to have plenty of recommendations for my students. Prior to All the Colors of the Dark, I read Kill Creatures (2025) by Rory Power. I picked it up because I had really enjoyed her novel Wilder Girls (2019). It also doesn't hurt that her books always have suchcompelling covers! Kill Creatures is another dark and twisty story, but in this case, our narrator is the one harboring a dark secret. Nan and her three best friends went out one summer night into a nearby canyon and only she returned; the other three vanished. At the one-year anniversary vigil, one of the missing girls suddenly returns. Our narrator can't quite understand how... considering she distinctly remembers murdering all three friends. I loved the unreliable narrator and the fresh storyline.
Q&A with Paige Classey.
--Marshal Zeringue
Posts
