Abigail

Booksellers geek out devising pithy comparisons that telegraph the feel of one book with the modified title of another. So I gave myself a pat on the back when I realized I had just finished the Hungarian To Kill A Mockingbird! Szabo was a popular and acclaimed author, and Abigail was voted the sixth most beloved novel by her compatriots (as well as adapted as a TV show and a musical). The story is told from the point-of-view of a girl (at a point in time after the events) with a wise father fighting on the right side of history, and a mysterious benefactor whose identity is revealed at the end. Adolescent readers will commiserate with Gina as she navigates her cloistered boarding school, and when they share her discoveries about the outside world, their minds just might be blown. Adults will be amused and appalled by the specifics of a Calvinist girls school in 1940s Debrecen (Szabo was a teacher in one), and the plotting and pacing guarantee a twisty, breakneck ride even if they can guess the destination.