THE HYSTERICAL GIRLS OF ST. BERNADETTE’S

9781534494589
  • Popular-The Star Reader’s Choice Awards 1st Prize winner
  • Booklist Editor’s Choice 2024 selection
  • Children’s Book Council Favorites Award 2025 selection

An all-girls school is struck with mysterious cases of screaming hysteria in this chilling dark academia thriller haunted by a deeply buried history clawing to the light.

For over a hundred years, girls have fought to attend St. Bernadette’s, with its reputation for shaping only the best and brightest young women.

Unfortunately, there is also the screaming.

When a student begins to scream in the middle of class, a chain reaction starts that impacts the entire school. By the end of the day, seventeen girls are affected—along with St. Bernadette’s stellar reputation.

Khadijah’s got her own scars to tend to, and watching her friends succumb to hysteria only rips apart wounds she’d rather keep closed. But when her sister falls to the screams, Khad knows she’s the only one who can save her.

Rachel has always been far too occupied trying to reconcile her overbearing mother’s expectations with her own secret ambitions to pay attention to school antics. But just as Rachel finds her voice, it turns into screams.

Together, the two girls find themselves digging deeper into the school’s dark history, hunting for the truth. Little do they know that a specter lurks in the darkness, watching, waiting, and hungry for its next victim…

Cover illustration: Leo Nickolls | Art direction: Sarah Creech

*****

PRAISE FOR THE HYSTERICAL GIRLS OF ST. BERNADETTE’S:

“A thrilling mix of ghost story and realism, this book manages to hit hard topics while not ignoring issues like Rachel’s fear of letting down her mom… A definite purchase for all libraries.” (School Library Journal – starred review)

Alkaf uses Malaysian supernatural elements to good atmospheric effect; even better is the sensitive, riveting portrayal of the girls’ inner lives. United, their voices become a blunt instrument…but one wielded with great skill and efficacy.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books – starred review)

”Alkaf successfully uses the oppressive mood and ominous hauntings to convey real-life terrors, from sexual violence to societal expectations, that keep young women from being heard. A gripping, perceptive read.” (Booklist – starred review)

“Piercing observations into the teens’ struggles gaining autonomy are explored alongside sensitively wrought instances of trauma and sexual violence via immersive prose peppered with Malay words and phrases.” (Publishers Weekly – starred review)

”The atmospheric writing creates a sense of foreboding that effectively portrays the horror of the girls who are pulled into the unknown…A perceptive examination of trauma and its manifestation on women’s bodies, minds and voices.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Alkaf thoughtfully includes themes relating to family, bodily autonomy, sisterhood, sexual assault, and trauma as she compassionately develops both Khadijah’s and Rachel’s sensitive inner lives…The Hysterical Girls of St. Bernadette’s depicts young women speaking out and showing up for themselves in a world that often silences and ignores them.” (Shelf Awareness)

*****