Thornhill School has a new counselor, and everyone loves her.
For the first time in years, the guidance office has a waitlist. Students who never opened up to anyone are suddenly lining up outside her door, walking out lighter, calmer, and strangely unable to remember what they actually said inside that room.
Maya Lewis notices things other people miss. She notices the counselor who knows too much about students she has never met. She notices the friend who cannot recall a teacher she has had for two years, and does not seem bothered by the gap. She notices that what is being lost is never random. It is always something personal. Something someone would only whisper to a person they trusted completely.
With her friends Alex, Lena, and Ethan, Maya starts asking the questions no adult at Thornhill seems willing to ask. What they uncover is a presence that does not simply listen. It takes. Quietly, precisely, one confession at a time, leaving students smiling and empty in equal measure.
The four of them have until the school's next full day of sessions to figure out what they are dealing with, and how to stop it, without anyone else at Thornhill realizing anything is wrong at all.
Because at Thornhill School, the secret always has to survive. The school always has to go on.
The Counselor Who Fed on Secrets is the ninth standalone mystery in the Thornhill School Mysteries series, a suspenseful, atmospheric read for readers ages 10 to 15 who love clever kid detectives, creeping dread, and monsters hiding in plain sight. No prior books required. Perfect for fans of eerie school mysteries who want a story that respects young readers with real tension and a satisfying, self-contained ending.