Conversion by Katherine Howe

by:  Katherine Howe
published by:  Putnam Juvenile
publish date:  July 1, 2014

It’s senior year at St. Joan’s Academy, and school is a pressure cooker. College applications, the battle for valedictorian, deciphering boys’ texts: Through it all, Colleen Rowley and her friends are expected to keep it together. Until they can’t.
 
First it’s the school’s queen bee, Clara Rutherford, who suddenly falls into uncontrollable tics in the middle of class. Her mystery illness quickly spreads to her closest clique of friends, then more students and symptoms follow: seizures, hair loss, violent coughing fits. St. Joan’s buzzes with rumor; rumor blossoms into full-blown panic.

I love Katherine Howe.  The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane is one of my all time favorite books.  So when I saw she had a book coming out this year, I was beyond excited.  I could not wait to read this book.  I will give a word of warning:  DO NOT READ The Fever by Megan Abbott before reading this book.  It will ruin things!!  You will feel like you're reading the same book.  The Fever was not a good book.  Conversion was a good book, so try to keep them straight!!  It was uncanny how similar the two books were.

What I liked about this book was that it did directly relate the modern day with the Salem Witch Trials.  It was actually drawing parallels between the modern day story, the testimony given and Arthur Miller's play The Crucible. I really enjoyed how the author tied all three together.

I would definitely recommend this book.  It's classified as YA, but I think it would have wide appeal considering the subject matter.  It was very well written and seemed to be well researched to me.  It would make a great Fall read!