''Project 17'' is a

young adult In medicine and the social sciences, a young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence, sometimes with some overlap. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages ...

novel, written by

Laurie Faria Stolarz Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels featuring teenage protagonists, best known of which are the series of books beginning with '' Blue is for Nightmares''. Early life and education Stolarz grew up in Salem, Mas ...

, published by Hyperion Books in 2007. It tells the tale of six teens who break into the abandoned mental institution, the

Danvers State Hospital The Danvers State Hospital, also known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers, The Danvers Lunatic Asylum, and The Danvers State Insane Asylum, was a psychiatric hospital located in Danvers, Massachusetts. It was built in 1874 and opened in 187 ...

Plot

The Danvers State Hospital, located just outside

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, was built in 1878 and condemned in 1992. It is rumored by locals to be the birthplace of the pre-frontal

lobotomy A lobotomy () or leucotomy is a discredited form of Neurosurgery, neurosurgical treatment for mental disorder, psychiatric disorder or neurological disorder (e.g. epilepsy, Depression in childhood and adolescence, depression) that involves sev ...

. The novel begins at 7 AM, with Derik riding up to the Danvers State Hospital in his car. Looking at the crumbling brick building, he starts to think of the people that were locked up in there, the people who died after spending their lives there. The unmarked mass graves around the premises, the tunnels, and the messed up remnants of its former patients. He knows this is the place. The place where he'd make his movie. Derik is flunking out of school, and he decides to submit his film to a contest and save himself from a future of flipping burgers at his parents' diner. He gathers a cast of different backgrounds, and the eve before the hospitals' demolition, they break in. He gets more than he bargained for when the eerie experience changes his life. Forever.

Characters

Derik: The director of the movie, his love interest is Liza. He is an underachiever who wants to achieve something big before he graduates. Mimi: The goth of the group. Her motive for helping Derik is to investigate the life of her grandma, who was a patient at the hospital. She makes it her duty to rescue Christine Belle's doll; Christy after discovering her journal. Develops a strong bond Greta: One of two "drama kids" in the group. She aspires to be like actress

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

in every way possible. Her boyfriend is Tony. Greta's motive for working on Derik's film is the opportunity to be on television and possibly launch her acting career. Tony: One of two "drama kids" in the group. His girlfriend is Greta. Tony's motive for visiting the hospital is identical to Greta's. Chet: The jokester of the group. His dad is an alcoholic, which leads to a black eye. Chet's motive for helping out Derik is the opportunity to spend a night away from his troubled home life. It is hinted that he has a crush on Mimi. Liza: The braniac of the group, and Derik's love interest. Liza is wait-listed for admission to

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. Her school guidance counselor advises her to try to get involved in more extra-curricular activities, which leads to her agreeing to help Derik with his film.

References

*Robbins M. Project 17. School Library Journal. 2007;53(12):144-145. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=29376849&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site *Project 17. Publishers Weekly. 2007;254(50):52. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=28798019&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site *Project 17. Kirkus Reviews. 2007;75(22):1205. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=27947614&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site *Hutley K. Project 17. Booklist. 2007;104(6):39. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=27716750&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site *Glantz S. Project 17. Library Media Connection. 2008;26(4):77. Accessed July 10, 2025. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lkh&AN=28106112&lang=ru&site=eds-live&scope=site

External links

*
Hospital's official website
2007 American novels American young adult novels Novels set in Boston Ghost novels Hyperion Books books {{2000s-ghost-novel-stub