Thirteens by Kate Alice Marshall

Who would have known my death had been planned since my birth on Halloween Day, thirteen years ago? Probably my mother, but everyone thought she was crazy and that she tried to kill me. I might never have known if I'd hadn't met Pip and Otto after moving to the small town of Eden Eld. Of course, I wouldn't have been in danger if I'd never come here in the first place. The three of us have the same birthday, same birthmark, and we have palindromic names. We've learned the town founders made some kind of deal with Mr. January to ensure their prosperity, but it came at a horrible cost to their ancestors. Pip, Otto, and I can see things that others cannot, but it means we'll be sacrificed in a few days, on Halloween. Maybe we can figure out a way to undo the curse, but where do we start? The backward clock is ticking.

This book was a finalist for the 2020 Cybils Award in Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction. The three kids made an entertaining team, as they found themselves with a common problem. They were going to lose their lives to maintain a curse that kept the town prosperous. They weren't going to let that happen which put them in conflict with their own parents, except for Eleanor. She didn't know what happened to her mother, but the story seemed to imply she wasn't actually dead. Pitting the kids against the parents and adults of the town created an unusual conflict and complicated matters. The author did a wonderful job of developing suspense, as the kids tried to understand what was happening and the futility of trying to stop it. However, I was very unsatisfied with the book's ending. I expect this book was only the beginning of an exciting series, but it left me wanting a more developed resolution to the plot. Overall, I liked the book very much but wish the ending had been different. I still recommend you give it a shot.