• Age: 12 to 16

What if the world wasn't like what you were taught to believe?
Would you want to know? Are the consequences of challenging authority worth it if they lead to the truth?
Katherine lives in a post-apocalyptic community" living in complete isolation. Her town is austere, run by utopians who have created a strict paternalistic order. Knowledge and the search for truth are not permitted. Katherine wants to find out what happened to Serenity, a little girl who has disappeared from the community, but when she breaks out, what she discovers is anything but what she expected. This haunting story about growing up and searching for truth will challenge young readers' notions about knowledge, the search for truth, and the fight for freedom.

PJ Sarah Collins is a Grade 3 teacher living in British Columbia. She was born and bred in the Lower Mainland, is passionate about all things green, and loves family life with her husband and three young kids. She loves gardening, bicycling with her kids, playing soccer, co-leading her school choir, volunteering at a neighbourhood JUMP Math Club, and looking for ways to see green initiatives succeed in her community.

P.J. Sarah Collins' profile page

"The author does a good job of creating enough suspense to keep readers engaged. The writing is solid, the story is believable and the author has incorporated messages about intellectual and physical freedom, as well as environmental issues…it will appeal to reluctant and young teen readers."
— Canadian Children's Booknews
"Collins weaves an intricate story that keeps readers intrigued and thinking about the meaning of truth and whether being sheltered from it is preferable to hard reality...Collins moves beyond the basic mystery and explores the intricate workings of the mind, the body, and the power of basic knowledge. Her story will keep readers engaged from beginning to end."
— School Library Journal

"A most interesting story for younger readers, who enjoy a tale with a distinct difference. In an odd town a girl named Serenity vanishes. Katherine must find the truth as those in town try to keep their secrets intact. Both creepy and very compelling."
— Shelf Life

"What Happened to Serenity? is a well written, well placed dystopian novel. Collins has created a strong heroine and has created a world that his both familiar and distant...This novel would be a good one for those interested in dystopian societies and for those who are interested in conspiracy theories and the government."
— Resource Links

"Katherine is a strong and interesting character. Her relationships with her family, teachers and friends are well conceived and realistic. The tension between Katherine and her mother is an especially authentic and touching portrayal of the mother-daughter relationship. . . An ideal addition to a middle school dystopian literature collection"
Recommended
— CM Magazine

"Collins? writing grabs hold of the reader and never lets go. Her use of Katherine to question our own society is worthwhile reading for both teenagers and adults. She reminds us all that there are ideals worth fighting for. "
— The Waterloo Record

What Happened to Serenity?

The town where Katherine lives is isolated and austere, and it’s run by Utopians who have forbidden the search for truth and knowledge. Katherine finds it nearly impossible to stifle her inquisitiveness and she often finds herself in trouble for it. When Serenity, the little sister of her best friend, Anna, mysteriously disappears, Katherine must break out of the town to find her. But what she finds on the outside is not at all what she expected.

In this YA dystopian novel set in 2021, author PJ Sarah Collins has created a fascinating world. The Community is a paternalistic society, founded after a purported Ecological Revolution in 1979. The residents believe they are the lone survivors and last people on earth, and theirs the only community in the world. Technology is mostly absent, the only exception being a television-like device called the Remote, which connects the entire community at set times in the evenings to transmit the news. There is also no individuality in the Community, and everybody must abide by the Manifesto created by their leader, Father.

At the centre of the story are two connected mysteries, neither of which Katherine can let go. The first is the identity of the author of a note that Katherine finds buried in a cornfield, a note suggesting that everything is not as it seems. The other is the disappearance of Serenity. Strong readers will likely figure out the twist, but the author does a good job of creating enough suspense to keep readers engaged.

The writing is solid, the story is believable and the author has incorporated messages about intellectual and physical freedom, as well as environmental issues. While not as complex as books like The Giver, it will appeal to reluctant and young teen readers.

What Happened to Serenity?

Katherine lives in a very strange town in complete isolation from the rest of the world. At school they are taught not to ask questions. When a little girl named Serenity disappears, Katherine decides she must find her. But what she discovers outside the “Community” has her baffled and confused.