Hi Bookish Friends! 📚📞
There are some things I simply do not answer after dark.
A knock at the door.
A strange noise in the basement.
A text that only says, “Are you awake?”
And definitely a phone call from an unknown number.
Because nothing good starts with an unknown caller at midnight.
Nothing.
Not a prize.
Not a friendly reminder.
Not someone politely asking if you’ve considered your car’s extended warranty.
In a YA thriller, that phone call means one thing:
Your life is about to get complicated.
So today’s question is:
Would you answer the unknown caller?
Here’s the setup:
It’s late.
You’re in bed.
The house is quiet.
Your phone lights up.
UNKNOWN CALLER
You stare at it.
You should ignore it.
You know you should ignore it.
But then it rings again.
And again.
And again.
Finally, you answer.
For one second, there’s only breathing on the other end.
Then a voice says:
“I know where your sister is.”
Your whole body freezes.
Because your sister has been missing for three days.
The police think she ran away.
Your parents are falling apart.
Your friends keep texting things like, “I’m sure she’s okay,” which is meant to help but does not help at all.
Then the caller says:
“If you want to see her again, don’t tell anyone.”
So… what do you do?
A) Keep talking and try to get as much information as possible.
B) Hang up and block the number because absolutely not.
C) Record the call and tell someone immediately.
D) Pretend to stay calm while texting your best friend, “I NEED HELP,” in all caps.
Kim’s Very Scientific Thriller Verdict
If you picked A, I get it.
You want answers.
You want your sister back.
You are also now emotionally attached to a very suspicious phone call, which is exactly what the villain wanted.
If you picked B, strong boundary.
Possibly smart.
Possibly the reason the caller leaves an even creepier voicemail.
If you picked C, yes.
Record. Save. Tell someone. Back up the file. Do not go wandering into an abandoned building alone because the mystery voice said so.
If you picked D, relatable.
Not the full plan, but relatable.
Sometimes panic needs a group chat before it becomes strategy.
What I’m Reading 📚📞
This week, I’m sharing Demonology for OverAchievers by Lily Anderson:
What would you be willing to do to earn a full-ride scholarship? Study harder? Join another club? Volunteer for one more extracurricular activity? How about summoning a demon?
Merritt Maldonado has spent her high school career doing everything she possibly can to stand out. She has joined clubs, taken on activities, worked hard, and built the kind of résumé that should make her an obvious choice for a prestigious full-ride scholarship.
There’s just one problem: Linus Lexington.
No matter what Merritt does, Linus seems to be right there competing with her. With the scholarship on the line and Merritt desperate to finally get an advantage, she makes what is probably the worst extracurricular decision imaginable—she strikes a bargain with a demon.
As you might expect, things do not go according to plan.
When the other scholarship applicants begin dying, Merritt realizes that her demonic deal has consequences she never anticipated. Then she discovers that Linus has somehow gotten mixed up with the same demon. Suddenly, the two rivals are forced to work together to figure out how to escape their bargain before even more people die.
This was entertaining and would be a fun read to pick up for Halloween. This was also part of a book tour sponsored by Toppling Stacks Tours.
You can find the book and read my full review here:
Why I Love This Kind of Setup
Unknown caller stories work because they put the main character in an impossible spot.
The voice on the phone may be lying.
Or telling the truth.
Or using one painful detail to pull you into a trap.
And when the missing person is your sister?
That changes everything.
Because now it’s not just a mystery.
It’s family.
It’s guilt.
It’s fear.
It’s every fight you ever had and everything you wish you had said differently.
Sister stories hit hard because sisters can be complicated.
You can love someone and be furious with them.
Protect them and resent them.
Miss them and still remember why they drove you absolutely bananas.
That’s what makes the stakes feel personal.
The Brave Conversation
This kind of story opens up a bigger conversation about fear, trust, family, and asking for help.
Because in real life, secrets can isolate people.
Fear can make someone freeze.
And a person in trouble may think they have to handle everything alone.
Books let us talk about that from a safer distance.
They let us ask:
Who would you call first?
What makes someone trustworthy?
When does keeping a secret become dangerous?
And why do we sometimes wait too long to ask for help?
So now I need to know:
Would you answer, block it, or record the call?
Reply with A, B, C, or D and tell me your unknown-caller survival plan.
No essay required.
Unless you have strong feelings about creepy voicemails, missing sisters, or people who whisper dramatically into phones.
In that case, I absolutely want to hear them.
Warmly,
Kim
P.S. Next time, we may be talking about whether you’d join the group chat. Because the scariest room at school might be on your phone.