Holmes, Kathryn. The Distance Between Lost and Found. New York: Harper Teen, 2015. 978-0-06-231726-1. $17.99. 292p. Gr. 7 and up.

Hallelujah Calhoun has been a selective mute since “the incident” six month earlier with Luke Willis, the preacher’s son.  Now, at a church youth camp in the Great Smoky Mountains, Hallie must confront her friends, Luke, and his friends or remain quiet and alone forever.  With her choice to remain quiet and take the cruelty from the group, new-comer Rachel realizes something is wrong with Hallie and is determined to get to the bottom of the story.  During a group hike, Rachel has enough of everyone and decides to leave the hike and head back to camp in order to be sent home.  Hallie and Jonah, Hallie’s ex-friend and Luke’s best friend, go with Rachel because they want to go home too.  After a mistake on the trail, the group becomes lost in the mountains with only the clothes on their backs and the food they backed for a day-long hike.  Will they be saved before it’s too late, or is the vastness of Creation the trigger each needed to confront their situation, accept the past, and move forward?  THOUGHTS: With Christian undertones that allow the reader to question his/her beliefs without being preachy or overbearing, this is a great addition to adventure/survival collections, especially for female fans of the genre.

Realistic Fiction, Survival Erin Parkinson, Lincoln JSHS, Ellwood City

This is a great novel for female readers who enjoy realistic fiction, a little bit of romance, and some adventure, but don’t think this is completely for girls because the adventure and character of Jonah will definitely keep boys interested too.