Working at her parents' roadside gas station and struggling to cope with her alcoholic father and defeated mother, Kate escapes her stressful family life by writing stories. So when Mike, the new boy in town, threatens to rob the snack bar, Kate recognizes his need for attention and decides to befriend him instead of turning him in. But when she hears of a series of robberies in town and then about the murder of the popular girl at school, Kate is torn: will the crimes be solved if she reveals what she knows about Mike's past?

Both a suspenseful mystery and a sensitive portrayal of a young writer's coming-of-age, Thirteenth Child will grip readers from its first page to its startling conclusion.