Description
For thirteen-year-old Samantha, life consists of too many unanswered questions about her past.
Why has her father not tried to contact her all these years? How could he have allowed her twin sister to drown in Clearwater Quarry when they were only toddlers? And how can Samantha’s mother expect her to accept some man she hardly knows as her new father? Samantha already has a father out there. Somewhere.
A fateful decision sets into motion a chain of events and confrontations that will change Samantha’s and her family’s lives forever. As she sets out to find her father and discover what really happened the day her sister was presumed drowned, she uncovers painful secrets that threaten to destroy her family all over again.
Dori Butler’s dramatic, suspenseful, and sensitive story will draw readers into one family’s crisis unwittingly brought on by an adolescent girl’s search for the truth.
Reviews
“Middle-graders looking for a simple mystery will be pleased, and the story may inspire them to think about the concepts of identity and family that are threaded through the story.” ―Booklist
“Butler has a simplicity of narrative voice that makes the story easy to read while reflecting the often complex emotions of children…” ―School Library Journal
Awards
Best Children’s Books of the Year Teen Books List ―Bank Street College of Education, 2005
Kansas State Reading Circle Recommended Reading List (Middle School/ Junior High) ―Kansas National Education Association, 2005
Young Adult Top Forty ―Pennsylvania School Librarians Association, 2005-2006
Kentucky Bluegrass Awards (Master List, Grades 6-8) ―Kentucky Reading Association, Kentucky School Media Association, 2007
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award (Nominee, Grades 6-9) ―Maryland Educational Media Organization, 2007-2008
Charlotte Award (Nominee) ―New York State Reading Association, 2008
Emphasis on Reading Program (Nominee, Grades 4-6) ―Alabama Department of Education, 2006-2007
Iowa Children’s Choice Award (Nominee) ―Iowa Association of School Librarians, 2008
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee) ―Missouri Association of School Librarians, 2007-2008
Soaring Eagle Book Award (Nominee) ―Wyoming Library Association, Wyoming State Reading Council, 2007-2008
More Details
AR Level: 3.8
F&P: GRL Y, Gr 6, Genre RF
Lexile: 600L
Themes: Divorce, Family, Mystery, Siblings
BISAC 1: YAF042000 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Mysteries & Detective Stories
BISAC 2: YAF018060 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Family / Parents
BISAC 3: YAF058050 YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Social Themes / Death & Dying
