Young Adult Fiction Supernatural
Tender Beasts
- Publisher
- Margaret K. McElderry Books
- Initial publish date
- Feb 2024
- Category
- Supernatural, Multigenerational, African American
- Recommended Age
- 14 to 18
- Recommended Grade
- 9 to 12
- Recommended Reading age
- 14 to 18
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9781665903523
- Publish Date
- Feb 2024
- List Price
- $24.99
-
eBook
- ISBN
- 9781665903547
- Publish Date
- Feb 2024
- List Price
- $10.99 USD
-
Downloadable audio file
- ISBN
- 9781797171661
- Publish Date
- Feb 2024
- List Price
- $35.99
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9781665903530
- Publish Date
- Mar 2025
- List Price
- $18.99
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
After her private school is rocked by a gruesome murder, a teen tries to find the real killer and clear her brother’s name in this “creepily potent story of a family legacy that gives terrifying shape to monsters real and imagined” (Kirkus Reviews) perfect for fans of The Taking of Jake Livingston and Ace of Spades.
Sunny Behre has four siblings, but only one is a murderer.
With the death of Sunny’s mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny’s once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family’s next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious note: “Take care of Dom.”
The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny…and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother’s simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he’s innocent, and although Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another.
As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to choose: preserve the family she’s always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build.
About the author
Mattel is a global learning, development, and play company with a portfolio of iconic consumer brands, including American Girl, Barbie, Fisher-Price, Hot Wheels, and Thomas & Friends. Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian-Canadian author who grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and her brand of writing can be described as “messy Black girls in fantasy situations.” She is the author of the YA novel Blood Like Magic and its sequel, Blood Like Fate. In her free time, she shares helpful tips for upcoming writers and details of her publishing journey through a YouTube channel dedicated to helping demystify the sometimes complicated business of being an author.
Excerpt: Tender Beasts (by (author) Liselle Sambury)
Editorial Reviews
"A creepily potent story of a family legacy that gives terrifying shape to monsters real and imagined."
12/15/23
"The dark, shocking secrets of the Behre family will have readers craving more."
1/1/24
"A fresh horror offering mixes social commentary on race and class with gore and supernatural possession."
3/1/24
