The Chaperone — M Hendrix

In New America, girls are never alone.

Like every young woman in New America, Stella knows the rules:

Embrace purity.

Navigate the world with care.

Respect your chaperone.

Stella can’t go out by herself or spend time with boys except at Visitations. Girls in New America must have chaperones at all times until they marry, so Stella’s lucky that Sister Helen is like a friend to her.

And then the unthinkable happens. Sister Helen dies suddenly, and Stella feels lost. Especially when the Constables assign Stella a new chaperone just days later.

Sister Laura is...different. She has radical ideas about what Stella should be doing. She leaves Stella alone in public and even knows how to get into the “Hush Hush” parties where all kinds of forbidden things happen. As Stella spends more time with Sister Laura, she begins to question everything she’s been taught. What if the Constables’ rules don’t actually protect girls? What if they were never meant to keep them safe?

Once Stella glimpses both real freedom and the dark truths behind New America, she has no choice but to fight back against the world she knows, risking everything to set out on a dangerous journey across what used to be the United States.

>>> Click here to read a free excerpt. <<<

Honors

—Booklist Starred Review
—Parnassus Books Bestseller
—Amazon Bestselling New Release
—Barnes & Noble Bestselling New Release
—SCBWI Crystal Kite Finalist
—Hennepin County Library 2023 Apocalypse and Dystopia Staff Recs
—Culturefly Preview of Books to Look Forward Reading in 2023
—Book Riot Spring 2023 YA Books to Watch
—San José Public Library 2023 Pick: YA Dystopian Fiction

Praise

“The Chaperone is a twisting, page-turning vision of a terrifying future, a laser-sharp commentary on current events and the true meaning of the word ‘freedom.’”
—#1 New York Times bestselling author Sharon Cameron

“The Chaperone is a young adult dystopian novel set in a very conservative New America, which is just as creepy as you’d expect. And Stella is growing up and learning how to RESIST. I love that her resistance comes in part through READING. This book is inspirational, fast-paced, all-too-timely. Get it today!”
—Award-winning author Kelcey Ervick

Younger fans of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale will find this YA novel appealing. Fast-paced and sharply written, a sure bet to be banned in Florida.”
—Award-winning author M. Scott Douglass

“Hendrix’s dystopian society is somewhat of a Handmaid’s Tale for YA and offers a dark world with a glimmer of hope.”
—Booklist, STARRED review

“The Chaperone is a brilliantly conceived, provocative, and finely crafted YA novel written by M Hendrix. It just might be one of the year’s best books written in this genre and one quite likely to be banned in Florida...Without hyperbole, M Hendrix may be the Judy Blume, or S.E. Hinton for the 21st-century.”
—BookTrib

“This thrilling and evenly paced, dialogue-driven tale by Hendrix deftly explores issues of women’s rights, class privilege, and oppression.”
—Publishers Weekly

“Hendrix's storytelling is first rate: characters develop believably, and the action builds dramatically to a satisfying conclusion. A strong, rewarding contemporary vision of oppression.”
—Shelf Awareness

“Both a fast-paced coming to awareness story and a mirror—a dark crystal ball—of our own time. The Chaperone is an exciting, fast read, perfect for a summer road trip.”
—The Bowling Green Daily News

“M Hendrix does a good job of creating a world that feels very possible and scary in the current social climate of the United States.”
—Youth Services

“A very well-written book. The characters are vivid, and the plot develops naturally.”
—School Library Connection

“This book starts as a murder mystery that quickly fades into the background becoming a social commentary. Think the teen version of The Handmaid’s Tale.”
—Scottsdale Public Library