We Can Be Heroes

Kyrie McCauley, author of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award winner If These Wings Could Fly, delivers a powerful contemporary YA novel about the lasting bonds of friendship and three girls fighting for each other in the aftermath of a school shooting. Perfect for fans of Laura Ruby and Mindy McGinnis.

Beck and Vivian never could stand each other, but they always tried their best for their mutual friend, Cassie. After the town moves on from Cassie’s murder too fast, Beck and Vivian finally find common ground: vengeance.

They memorialize Cassie by secretly painting murals of her around town, a message to the world that Cassie won’t be forgotten. But Beck and Vivian are keeping secrets, like the third passenger riding in Beck’s VW bus with them—Cassie’s ghost. 

When their murals catch the attention of a podcaster covering Cassie’s case, they become the catalyst for a debate that Bell Firearms can no longer ignore. With law enforcement closing in on them, Beck and Vivian hurry to give Cassie the closure she needs—by delivering justice to those responsible for her death.

* Parade's Best YA Books of the Year * Rise: A Feminist Book Project Book of the Year * Banks Street Best Children's Books of the Year *

Can two teenage girls and the ghost of their friend take on an entire town built on guns?

• Enemies to Friends: Beck and Vivian never agreed on anything, but a quest for justice for Cassie turns their rivalry into a powerful, unbreakable bond.
• A Haunting Ghost Story: Cassie can’t move on, and her ghost is riding shotgun in Beck’s VW bus, guiding her friends on a mission she can’t complete alone.
• Art as Protest: Armed with spray paint, they create secret murals of Cassie, forcing a town built on firearms to confront the truth of her murder.
• Heartbreaking and Hopeful: A gripping and emotional story about the depths of grief, the power of friendship, and fighting for the people you love, even after they’re gone.