“[A] deeply interior story sheds necessary light on an otherwise unspoken pain. A must-read.”
—Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor Author
Named Best Fiction for Young Adults—Young Adult Library Services Association
About A Trick of the Light
Out of nowhere, 15-year-old Mike Welles has a voice in his head. Chilling and seductive, it convinces him, “You can be strong. You can be fit.” Mike starts eating less and exercising more as the voice assures him it’s his only friend. Mike doesn’t even tell his own story—the voice in his head is the narrator of this unique book. Can Mike recover control of his mind—and his body—before it’s too late?
About Lois
Lois has written five novels for young adults, two nonfiction books for middle-school readers, and edited five books of original short stories. She grew up in Queens, New York City, and her novels take place in the fictional Queens neighborhood of Belle Heights—where nothing much happens except for seismic changes in her characters. Lois now lives in Manhattan near Washington Square Park with her husband, writer Tony Hiss.
Praise for Lois’s Work
“Ms. Metzger proved herself to be a master of the young-adult novel… enriching our perception of the marvels of human nature.”
—The New York Times Sunday Book Review
“A Trick of the Light is a masterpiece of narrative voice, riveting from beginning to end. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like it. Stunningly original and profoundly insightful, this book has touched me as a reader and inspired me as a writer.”
—James Howe
“A Trick of the Light should be required reading in our schools. Rendered with sensitivity and intelligence, Metzger’s beautifully drawn novel illuminates the sneaky-insidious nature of eating disorders with clarity, heart-rending honesty, and hope.”
—Robert Crais, New York Times #1 bestselling author
“Harks back to Kazuo Ishiguro’s classic Never Let Me Go. With a simplicity that belies its profundity, [Change Places with Me] will linger long in readers’ minds.”
—Booklist, ★ Starred Review
“Change Places with Me is a vivid, beautiful novel, a particular evocation of a story many of us have lived and all of us know. Read this to see what I mean.”
—Kim Stanley Robinson
“How I admire Lois Metzger’s thoughtful and suspenseful [Change Places with Me]—the pacing, the sympathetic characters, the emotional astuteness, the believable near-future setting. It captivated me from the first page to the last.”
—Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted
Read Lois's Essay
Why I Write for Young Adults
When I grew up, my parents, older brother, and I moved several times before I went away to college, but always within Queens—which, though part of New York City, didn’t feel like a city, or a suburb, or a small town, or the countryside. This place that felt like no place became the fictional “Belle Heights,” a place I keep coming back to.
Also by Lois
