Common Sense Media Review
By Lucinda Dyer
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Two teen podcasters solve cold cases in gritty mystery.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
A LONG STRETCH OF BAD DAYS refers to the days after a devastating tornado and flash flood struck Henley, Ohio, in 1994. The story begins 30 years later as Henley High School Valedictorian Lydia Chass finds out she's one history credit short for graduation. Due to an error made by the now former guidance counselor, who was too drunk to notice. Lydia's not going to let this threaten her admission to an Ivy League school and drops her polite girl persona and demands the school fix it. The solution? Lydia can make up the credit by doing a few episodes about local history on her podcast, On the Ground in Flyover Country. But it's not only Lydia missing a credit, it's the senior class bad girl, the defiant and combative Bristol Jamison, who hoped she'd be first person in her family to graduate high school. When Lydia offers Bristol a chance to co-host the podcast and make up her lost credit, a tumultuous, uneasy, and unlikely partnership is born. One event Lydia is determined to cover in the podcast is the one and only murder in Henley history. After the tornado, Randall Briggs had been found murdered and floating facedown in his trailer. But as they research the days around Briggs' death, they discover that a teen foster girl named Denise Halverson had disappeared at the same time and no one ever bothered to look for her. So who murdered Randall Briggs and had Denise been murdered as well? What Bristol and Lydia discover will unearth long buried and shocking secrets about both of their families.
Is It Any Good?
Amid the violence, sexual references, and constant profanity, a clear message comes through about teamwork and never judging anyone until you truly get to know them. Readers who are animal lovers should be warned that A Long Stretch of Bad Days includes several stories about dogs being trapped in the local animal shelter and drowning in the flash flooding. A podcast excerpt focusing on a county road crew has brief graphic descriptions of using shovels to clean up dead deer and coyote, scraping a possum family off the road, and the county's mass grave for smaller animals.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how A Long Stretch of Bad Days portrays working on a team with someone who's nothing at all like you. Have you ever had that experience? How did it turn out?
Why do you think it's so easy for people to make false assumptions about someone based on where they come from?
If you were creating a podcast about something that happened in your town, what would it be?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Mystery
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Character Strengths : Curiosity , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date : March 14, 2023
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 15 - 18
- Number of pages : 362
- Available on : Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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