Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies, by Lindsay Ribar

For hundreds of years, the Quick family has been protecting Three Peaks, located in the shadow of The Cliff, from the terrible landslide that would most certainly kill everyone in town. They do this by reaching into the town's citizens and stealing memories, talents, afflictions, and other random things. Whenever someone begins to question the morality of what they do, family matriarch Grandma Willow reminds them of the deadly consequences of what happens if they stop stealing to repair the cliff.

If the cliff falls... everyone, everyone in town will die.

The summer he is 17, Aspen Quick comes to stay with Grandma Willow and Aunt Holly. Because of his unusually strong talent for Reaching, he is pulled into the ritual of repairing the cliff. Like anything, there are rules: You don't steal from family, You don't tell anyone about Reaching (or the ritual, or the cliff), and You don't talk about Cousin Heather. 

Like anyone blessed/cursed with such unusual magical abilitles, Aspen occasionally abuses this power. He causes the girl he's got a crush on to stop loving her boyfriend. He steals a friend's sobriety at a party. He takes away the fears and hopes and negative memories of people he's close to, usually to benefit himself. He doesn't think about the consequences of his actions (he doesn't think there are consequences). Besides, he never takes away anthing that would be missed or anything so big others would notice and start gossiping. Basically, Aspen is a selfish, manipulative jerk.

Enter Leah, the one person Aspen can't steal from (and he's tried) and the one person outside his family who knows what's going on. In talking with this girl, he begins to learn the awful truth about what his family does and that it may not be so harmless after all. Once he knows the truth, Aspen vows to set things right...or at least stop the family tradition of Reaching before further harm is done to the people of Three Peaks. 

But this may be easier said than done.

Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by author Lindsay Ribar is every bit as awesome and intriguing as the title suggests. Aspen is a complex character who undergoes a lot of personal growth throughout the story. The plot is suspenseful, creepy. and the many twists and turns keep the reader guessing until the Big Reveal at the end.

A definite Must Read!--AJB