The Scammer

Gr 9 Up–College freshman Jordyn is ready for a fresh start at historically Black college Frazier University. Her parents have been distant since the death of her brother and would rather she go to Yale. Determined to forge her own path and make the friends she lacked in high school, Jordyn is excited when she meets her three roommates at the start of the semester. All of that changes when her roommate Vanessa’s brother Devonte, who was recently released from prison, moves in. His conspiracy theories and enigmatic presence draw in Jordyn’s roommates as he gains a cultlike following around campus. As Devonte’s ideas and actions get more radical and he asks for more psychologically and financially, it is up to Jordyn to save herself and her newfound sisters. Jordyn and her roommates show how easy it can be to be taken in by a scam artist when making the transition from home to adulthood. Readers will anxiously watch as even the strongest of characters begin to succumb to Devonte’s psychological manipulations. Jordyn is not alone in her struggle to overcome Devonte’s manipulations. The only white student on campus, Nick, who is also dealing with his own grief, comes to Jordyn’s aid and serves as a potential romantic interest. Like most of Jackson’s books, expect the unexpected until the very last page in a cautionary tale that will have readers anxious to see who will survive the machinations of a charismatic manipulator.