White Smoke
By Barbara Saunders,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Teen uncovers town secrets in edgy horror story.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
Psychological thriller with a good message
Report this review
What's the Story?
When WHITE SMOKE begins, Marigold and her family are on the road, en route from their California town to a Midwestern city. Her mother, Raquel, has won an artist's fellowship, which gives her a free year in a home -- with the potential to buy, debt-free. The family is starting over: Her mother has divorced her father (who is Black). She and her brother, Sammy, are adjusting to their mom's new husband, Alec, who is White, and his young daughter, Piper. They arrive to find a rundown neighborhood plagued by crime as well as supernatural threats; their house might be haunted.
Is It Any Good?
This fun book is full of twists, turns, and surprises. In White Smoke, Tiffany D. Jackson (Monday's Not Coming, Grown, The Awakening of Malcolm X) invokes classic horror of the past, including the Twilight Zone (in her introduction, she credits "The Monsters Are Out on Maple Street" as "the iron spine" of the book) and even Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte. The main character has some elements of Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye; she's troubled and not likable until the end. As she does in her other books, the author builds sympathy for the main character by putting her in grave danger.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of opportunity in White Smoke. What prices do people pay to improve their lives, and what prices are too steep?
What do you think about the sibling dynamics in White Smoke?
The author creates tension by making the narrator unreliable. When did you trust her reports of strange happenings? When did you question her perceptions?
Book Details
- Author: Tiffany D. Jackson
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Adventures , Brothers and Sisters
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
- Publication date: September 14, 2021
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 384
- Available on: Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 3, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Books That Feature Characters Living with Mental Illness
Books to Help Kids Deal with Divorce
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate