The Cousins
by Karen M. McManus
Three cousins who barely know each other have been brought together under mysterious circumstances.
When the rich grandmother they've never met sends them each letters inviting them to her island resort for the summer, their parents are ecstatic about the idea of getting back into their mom's good graces — and possibly her will.
What comes next, though, is a twisted mystery that needs to be solved, and family secrets won't stay hidden for much longer.
Content Notes: This book is a teen-appropriate introduction to mystery tropes. Families should be aware that it does contain non-graphic descriptions of a past murder and attempted murder. The teen characters find themselves facing dangerous situations. There are also instances of parental manipulation and psychological abuse.
How These Live Book Clubs Work
Participation in the live book club includes access to a set of resources and activities as well as interactive components.
Participants receive
- A suggested reading schedule
- PDF reading guides with comprehension questions
- Vocabulary/reading activities
- Discussion board posts in our online classroom
- Writing/multimodal project prompts related to the reading
- An invitation to a live discussion
- A recording of the summary of the live discussion
- An optional feedback add-on for the final paper/project
- Rubrics for at-home feedback
Families are welcome to use as much or as little of the suggested resources and activities as they'd like to fit their interest and schedules.
(There is an option to add a Feedback Add-on for Final Projects at checkout.)
Ages:
13-18
Dates:
December 1-31, 2025
Live Meeting:
Monday, December 29, 2025 at 1pm Eastern
Sessions typically last around 1 hour.
Those who cannot attend the live session will receive a recorded summary.
(Note: If there is high enrollment, additional live sessions may be opened to keep sessions small enough for meaningful discussion.)
Supplies:
- A copy of the book The Cousins (ISBN
9780525708032) - Used and borrowed copies will work just fine! If your learner is going to participate in final projects and reading guides, I recommend having a physical copy even if they primarily read the ebook.
- See Dayla Learning's affiliate Bookshop List
- Zoom account for live session
- Microphone and camera for live session (optional)
- PDF reader
-
Access to printer if you want to print worksheets