Just finished reading an amazing, thought-provoking Young Adult novel:
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr (Little, Brown, $16.99, published Oct 2009).
It's a hot, dry California summer. Sam (short for Samara), a fifteen-year-old pastor's daughter, hangs around the house, not wanting to do anything. Sam has always been the model daughter in a seemingly perfect family. But now everything's falling apart. Mom is in rehab. Pastor Charlie spends too much time with his flock and not enough with Sam.
Then a 13-year-old girl from the church choir goes missing. Suddenly a novel that seemed to be about family relationships and losing one's faith becomes as gripping as any crime thriller I've read. Who kidnapped Jody? Is it someone Sam knows? And is Sam, herself, in danger?
An expertly-crafted novel about hope and faith. This is the first book I've read by Sara Zarr and from now on, I'll be reading all of hers.
I always hear amazing things about her -she's definitely in my TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteHey Joanne, you've been SPLASHED by The First Novels Club! Come check out your award:)
ReplyDeletehttp://firstnovelsclub.blogspot.com/2009/10/our-first-award.html