Finn_Wilder
Adopted seven years ago by the wonderfully chaotic Calloway family, fourteen-year-old Kenji has finally found where he belongs. A gentle, timid Neko by nature, he couldn't be more different from the chaotic Calloways, but they are close, loving and, for Kenji, unquestionably home.
Then, during a school fundraiser, Kenji overhears a conversation he was never meant to hear. By morning, thousands of dollars raised for a sick child have gone missing. Kenji knows who was involved. Worse, he knows who they intend to blame: his beloved older brother, Evan.
Painfully timid and wired with all the self-preservation instincts of a gazelle, Kenji must go against everything in his nature and find the courage to speak up before his brother pays the price for someone else's crime.
But knowing the truth and getting others to believe him are two very different things.
Warm, funny, poignant and deeply heartfelt, The Quiet One Who Knew is a small-town young adult feel-good mystery about courage, family, and how far one frightened boy will go to protect the people he loves.
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What is a Neko?
Neko (noun)
/ˈnɛkəʊ/
A fully human being, born with additional feline features: soft ears, tail, heightened balance and hearing.
Typically smaller and physically weaker than humans. Moves quietly through the world, more prey than predator. Agile when needed, quick to flee, not built to fight.
Usually quiet and observant. Trusting. Kind. Skittish by nature, with instincts tuned toward survival.
Prone to withdrawing when frightened, threatened or confronted.
Instinctively avoids drawing attention and rarely speaks out or challenges authority.
Most at ease in calm surroundings.
Prone to being mistreated by some humans who see only difference.