June 11, 2025
In July, some of us from the UK Content team were delighted to attend the London book launch for The Last Thing You’ll Hear, the second novel by YA author Jan Dunning. This was especially exciting because many of us have worked with Jan when she was a freelance quiz writer for Accelerated Reader!
We were big fans of her first novel, Mirror Me. In fact, we were such big fans that the book was nominated for a Quiz Writers’ Choice Award in 2024 for best debut!
Our senior editor Krista said, “Mirror Me is described as ‘Snow White meets The Devil Wears Prada‘. While the book doesn’t disappoint in this regard, it is also so much more. The fantastical mystery surrounding Freya’s soon-to-be stepmother keeps you guessing, but above all, the story is full of heart and emphasises the importance of being true to yourself.”
The Last Thing You’ll Hear was also a big hit with the team. Our editor Peter attended the book launch and said, “After listening to Jan read an excerpt at its launch, I found myself hooked and ended up racing through The Last Thing You’ll Hear on my journey home that very evening! While the dark fairytale influence in the story is something that really appealed to me, what made it sing (pun fully intended) was the sibling rivalry between Wren and Lark and how their shared musical ambitions threatened to drive a wedge between them: it felt so real and recognisable.”
He also described it as a brilliant, pacy summer read. Good thing summer is right around the corner! If you or your older students need a new read, both of Jan’s books are quizzed on Accelerated Reader. Find the quiz details for Jan’s books at the end of this blog.
Authors are at the heart of Accelerated Reader, and we always love to hear their personal stories as well. Our editor Kerry caught up with Jan and got the lowdown on what she’s been working on.
What is your favourite fairytale and why?
I don’t know that I have a favourite, but I do like the darker, more complex or ambiguous fairytales where it’s not always clear who is a good character and who is the villain. The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a bit like this – the piper rids the town of rats, but when the people refuse to pay him, he comes back to take their children. It reminds me that all villains are motivated by something, and that they are the hero of their own story.
My recent book The Last Thing You’ll Hear is a loose retelling of The Pied Piper – it’s about two sisters whose lives are changed when an enigmatic music producer arrives in their small town of Hamlington and lures the local teens to a sinister music festival called Enrapture. There are also a lot of Sleeping Beauty references in the story – I’m not a fan of the original fairytale, so I wanted to reimagine Sleeping Beauty as an active and feisty heroine.
How do current issues impact your writing?
I would say that current issues to do with our world and our society have a definite impact when it comes to choosing subjects to write about. My books are set in the contemporary world so I want them to be plausible, but I also want them to resonate with young readers and address the things they care about.
My first book Mirror Me, explored ideas about perfection and beauty, particularly in the fashion world and on social media, while The Last Thing You’ll Hear looks at influence, obsessive fandoms and toxic masculinity. But at the same time, I don’t want bang a drum or preach to anyone. Teen readers are intelligent; they don’t want to be told what to think. I think it’s more interesting to pose subtle questions or set up situations that readers might recognise and then let them think about how they would handle it. Any ‘message’ needs to be subtle; I think it’s more important that the plot is convincing and compelling.
I also feel strongly that books for young people should retain a sense of hope. Books are often a form of escape or solace when you’re young, so I always try to balance out the bleak with a little optimism for the future.
Any tips for aspiring young writers?
When I do school visits this question comes up a lot! I think my answer remains the same – read. It’s all about reading. Read as much as you can. Find out what speaks to you, what types of stories, writing styles and genres you enjoy. If you don’t read novels, read short stories, or graphic novels, or watch TV and films.
It doesn’t matter what you read, the point is to immerse yourself in storytelling, because you’re learning at a sub-conscious level about what makes a good story. Structure, pace, tension, character-development, world-building – all these things come more naturally when you read a lot.
The other tip is simply to write, even just a little bit, as often as you can. And know that all first drafts are rubbish, nobody writes a perfect book in one attempt. The aim is to get the words down. You can edit them later and make them shine.
What can readers expect next from you?
I’m currently working on a story that I’m very excited about. It’s not a fairytale retelling this time, but it does have a supernatural slant because it’s a ghost story, and it’s delicious to write because the narrator is complex and deeply unreliable. I prefer ghost stories that are very ambiguous – the unsettling psychological kind, where you’re constantly second-guessing the plot, the setting and the characters, and this story is like that. It’s still early days but I’m enjoying drafting. It’s definitely the darkest story I have written so far.
What are you currently reading for yourself?
As part of my research for my new story, I’ve immersed myself in all things eerie, unreliable and uncanny! I’ve been re-reading some classic ghost stories, including The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson, Dark Matter by Michelle Paver, The Woman in Black and Dolly, by Susan Hill, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James and of course, M.R. James’ terrifying short stories.
For unreliable narrator inspiration I devoured an old favourite, We Have Always Lived in the Castle, another brilliant novel by Shirley Jackson, and I will always love We Were Liars, the classic YA novel by E Lockhart.
Books by Jan on Accelerated Reader:
Mirror Me
UY | Quiz # 243825 | BL 3.8 | Scholastic Ltd
The Last Thing You’ll Hear
UY | Quiz #270412 | BL 4.5 | Scholastic Ltd