Tag Archives: Missing Persons

YA – Difficult Girls

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Bane, Veronica. Difficult Girls. Delacorte Press. 2025. 978-0-593-90398-8. $19.99. 329 p. Grades 9-12.

Greta Riley Green has a new job at Hyper Kid Magic Land. She’s hoping that along with this job comes a fresh start after a scandalous incident makes her infamous. While avoiding social media and trying to hide as much of her past as possible, she is also trying to hide parts of her present as she tamps down her quirky personality. Greta wants to reinvent herself as PERFECTLY NORMAL. She astutely observes the hierarchy of park employees: the performers, the technicians, and the ushers – like herself. Things are off to a good start as she seems to make friends with Mercy Goodwin, possibly the best performer on staff. But then Mercy goes missing and Greta stumbles upon some clues that suggest Mercy may have suffered the same fate as another promising performer found dead in one the park’s rides decades earlier. Greta will have to lean on her co-workers and maybe even let them get to know the real her in order to solve the mystery before it’s too late.

THOUGHTS: Difficult Girls is a solid mystery whose diverse cast of characters makes it an enjoyable ride. Greta is highly anxious and she seems to have an imagination bordering on the delusional. Nonetheless, she is an endearing hero who many teens will find relatable. I had a pretty good idea of who the villain is, but there were plenty of plausible red herrings that kept me second guessing. Readers of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Truly Devious will enjoy this stand alone mystery.

Mystery

YA – The Moss

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Lueddecke, Lisa. The Moss. Simon & Schuster. 2025. 978-1-665-98449-2. $20.99. 293 p. Grades 9-12.

There’s something dangerous about a misty Maine bog that local residents call, the Moss. Emma Carver should know. Her house is on the edge of it, and she was always told not to go in. Her father even built a fence at the edge of the yard. Despite that, Emma’s mother disappeared and a few years later, her sister did too; everyone presumes they went – or were taken into – the Moss. Emma and her father both experience the grief from their disappearances, but only Emma seems to see the ghosts, hear the voices, and feel the unyielding pull of the mist. Emma decides she must find out what happened to her mother and sister, no matter what.

THOUGHTS: Fans of ghost stories will appreciate this book’s terrifying and beautiful descriptions of the supernatural visitors and the eerie atmosphere of this unique setting. Emma is a determined heroine haunted by uncertainty. The story slows in the middle as it seems she’s figuring out what to do and wallowing in her grief, but the beginning and the end are propelled by her resolve to discover the history of her old house and her dangerous trek through the bog. An author’s note mentions that this book originated during the pandemic, and the bog makes a brilliant metaphor for the feelings of disorientation and loss that many of us experienced during that time.

Mystery

YA – Mystery Royale

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Cavalancia, Kaitlyn. Mystery Royale. Hyperion. 2025. 978-1-368-09908-0. $19.00. 388 p. Grades 9-12.

Life is lonely for Mullory Prudence after her mother burns down their home and disappears, leaving her to take care of her ailing grandmother. Her parting words are enigmatic, “Run if the strange finds you.” One day, when a mysterious envelope addressed to her appears inside her gas station burrito, Mullory knows “the strange” has arrived. With the possibility of winning a fortune that would help her buy a new home and find her mother, Mullory is convinced to participate in Mystery Royale, a whodunit game to solve the murder of Xavier Stoudtmire. Along with six other participants and their macabre families, Mullory goes to Xavier’s luxurious estate on Long Island, enchanted with magic to gather the clues, solve the mystery, and win Xavier’s inheritance.

THOUGHTS: This was a juicy mystery that I couldn’t put down and didn’t want to end. Multiple perspective storytelling gives the reader insight into each character’s personal struggles and into the clues. There’s a dark Addams Family aesthetic, and the family dynamics inspire moments of the highest tension and danger, and also some of the most tenderness. The magic is enchanting. It is both silly and terrifying and the magical rules and structures are mostly consistent. Experienced readers may foresee a few twists in the mystery, but there are enough surprises that fans of the genre will be satisfied. A romance element is essential to the plot, but feels as though it is in the background, due to the reluctance of the participants and the urgency of the mystery.

Fantasy
Mystery

YA – They Bloom at Night

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Tran, Trang Thanh. They Bloom at Night. Bloomsbury. 2025. 978-1-547-61111-9. $20.00. 262 p. Grades 9-12.

On the Gulf Coast of Louisiana climate change and a hurricane have led a mysterious red algae bloom to infect the ecosystem and threaten to suffocate an already dying town. Noon, a Vietnamese-American teen, and her mother eke out a living with their family shrimp boat, while languishing with trauma and grief over lost loved ones. However, their living is threatened by being in debt to Jimmy, an unsavory man who has an iron grip on trade and supplies in the area. He offers them a chance to get out of debt by finding the monster that’s rumored to be disappearing people. He sends his daughter, Covey, to both help and surveil them in their search. Answers are elusive, but Noon and Covey’s friendship grows as mysterious forces bring about a reckoning with nature and monsters of all kinds.

THOUGHTS: Tran’s evocative language paints the sea and sky in soft impressions of beauty that contrast with the horror and gore of a town that is perhaps in the process of being reclaimed by nature. This story, told by Noon, allows readers a deep look at her psyche. Readers get an unflinching look at her emotions surrounding her grief for the dead, strained relationships with the living, and a recent violation of her sense of self. However, healing is possible through transformation and change, and the story ends on a hopeful note of rebirth.

Fantasy (Magical Realism)
Horror

YA – We’re Not Safe Here

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Chupeco, Rin. We’re Not Safe Here. Sourcebooks Fire, 2025.978-1728255965. $12.99. 352 p. Grades 8-12.

The small town of Wispy Falls is quiet, peaceful, and safe—or so the residents believe. Most work for the powerful Penumbra Institution, send their kids to school, and avoid the woods, where people have a habit of disappearing. Everyone knows the woods aren’t safe. Creatures live there. Cryptids, they call them. And then there’s the Backward Lady, who always seems to appear just before someone vanishes. Internet vlogger Storymancer and their devoted follower JellyBeanFish begin an investigation that peels back the layers of illusion around Wispy Falls. Is this town really the last place left on Earth? What’s behind the disappearances, the rituals, and the eerie bloodmoons? The answers may lie in a web of secrets no one was meant to uncover.

THOUGHTS: We’re Not Safe Here is a chaotic, creepy thrill ride set in a dystopian future where big pharma controls more than just medicine—it shapes reality itself. Told entirely through digital media forms like emails, video transcripts, and message board posts, this novel is uniquely immersive and deeply unsettling. A perfect pick for fans of experimental horror, sci-fi dystopia, and stories that blur the line between reality and conspiracy. 

Science Fiction
Mystery (Horror)

The town of Wispy Falls is supposed to be idyllic. It is self-sufficient, but isolated. Surrounded by dense woods after some unnamed disaster, they’re not really sure if there are other towns out there. No worries, however. Residents have only a 30-hour workweek allowing plenty of time to post to Reddit-like message boards, or upload videos to something like Instagram or TikTok. Storymancer is an “influencer” posting interesting videos of himself exploring interesting places around Wispy Falls. He has a small following when he sets out to find his missing brother. In fact, many of the townspeople have gone missing recently and none are ever found, until now. Someone took video that shows what appears to be a dead body in the woods and Storymancer has decided it’s time to get to the bottom of these mysteries. He connects with another poster, JellyBeanFish, who has inside access to some of the workings of Penumbra, the shadowy corporation that runs the town and seems to be researching the populations of cryptids, monster-like creatures that live in the woods. Storymancer and JellyBeanFish work together to figure out which posters have real information and which ones are really loony conspiracy theorists.

THOUGHTS: The story is told through reproductions of posts to message boards and vivid descriptions of shaky cell phone videos. This keeps the plot moving fast and while not all of our questions are answered, the mystery comes to a satisfying conclusion. Readers who like to dabble in YouTube rabbit holes or do escape rooms for fun will feel like they’re part of the action along with the online detectives.

Science Fiction
Mystery (Horror)

YA – Under the Same Stars

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Bray, Libba. Under the Same Stars. Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2025. 978-0-374-38894-2. $24.99. 471 p. Grades 7-12.

With a deft hand, author Libba Bray reveals her characters and their respective stories, over three time periods, linked by a metaphorical folk tale of the Hare and the Deer, then intertwines these stories. Best friends Sophie Mueller and Hanna Schmidt are teens residing in Kleinwald, Germany, at the start of World War II. Despite their opposite personalities–Sophie is bookish and optimistic while Hanna is dramatic and caustic–they share a devotion to the myth of the Bridegroom’s Oak in the nearby forest, where smitten people deposit their love letters in the hope of receiving a perfect match. With the infiltration of the Nazis into their cozy village, their friendship ebbs and flows; but ultimately, a series of events leads the pair to join the Resistance, entitled Die Eichel (acorn), and participate in subversive acts, culminating in their disappearance on winter solstice, 1941. In 1980, the reader meets Jenny who comes to Germany from Dallas, Texas, when her father takes a lucrative job in West Berlin. Raised with the expectation to be a perfect lady, Jenny’s desire to resist this conventional way of life takes shape when she meets and falls in love with  punk rocker, Lena, who introduces Jenny to her friends in the squat they share and invites Jenny to join their band, Sophie Scholl. Jenny also befriends a neighbor, the mysterious but affable Frau Hermann, who insinuates more questions than answers in the tales she weaves about her past. When the band gets a chance to play on the other side of the Berlin Wall, Jenny is unwittingly involved in Lena’s illegal activity, putting Jenny and her family at risk. Finally, contemporary Miles suffers the pandemic going to Zoom school from his Brooklyn home, while his two mothers are stranded away from home by their jobs. Miles’s friend and secret crush, Chloe, persuades him to help her investigate the life of her Mormar (grandmother), an immigrant who survived World War II. Miles’s research uncovers the links chaining all three stories together. Besides being an intriguing read, Under the Same Stars benefits from the incisive and expressive writing talent of Bray, who delves into the mindset of Sophie, Jenny, and Miles with authenticity, pathos, and, in the case of the latter, humor. Not to be missed, too, is the message underscored in the fairy tale. This young adult novel messages self awareness as well as global awareness and resolutely affirms the strength of hope.

THOUGHTS: This beautifully written novel touches different kinds of love, self-identity, and people’s inhumanity to people. It poses questions like, how do we stand up against oppression? How does what affects the least of us, affect all of us? Resistance and rebellion are themes, but also love and hope. Bray does have Jenny and Lena make love and also Sophie and Karl, but the descriptions are vague and not graphic. Students may want to read some other resistance nonfiction like, The White Rose by Kip Wilson and The Bieliski Brothers: The True Story of Three Men Who Defied the Nazis, Built a Village in the Forest, and Saved 1,200 Jews by Peter Duffy.

Historical Fiction

Told in alternating points of view, this historical mystery unfolds in 1940’s Germany, 1980’s West Germany, and 2020 New York City.  In Germany during World War II Sophie and Hanna are best friends in the small town of Kleinwald. Sophie is caught up in the magic of the Bridegroom’s Oak, a tree in the nearby forest that believers write to in order to hear back from their one true love. As the war makes its way into their small town, Sophie and Hanna learn how to fight back for the greater good. In West Berlin in 1980 Jenny is trying to find her place after moving from Dallas, Texas. In an effort to escape her strict parents and their conservative ideals, she becomes friends with Lena, a local punk rock girl, and becomes involved in the punk rock scene. Jenny begins to truly understand what the wall means and how it affects her newfound community, as well as who she really is. In spring of 2020 in New York City, Miles and Chloe are trying to navigate the end of their senior year during Covid when Chloe receives a mysterious package from her grandmother. Fascinated by its contents, the package leads Miles and Chloe to investigate a mystery from 80 years ago when two teenagers went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak. This story is expertly told by Libba Bray, and the three time periods and stories are intricately woven together to create a suspenseful tale that also highlights the importance of fighting for justice and what is right.

THOUGHTS:  This story was so thoughtfully written and does an excellent job blending all three viewpoints and time periods together. The theme of social justice is woven throughout the story and is a great example for students of why it is important to stand up for what is right even if it is difficult.  It was particularly interesting to read the chapters set in the 1980’s and during the beginning of Covid in New York City – both time periods are not often reflected in YA literature.

Historical Fiction
Mystery

MG – Rebellion 1776

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Anderson, Laurie Halse. Rebellion 1776. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2025. 978-1-416-96826-9. 405 p. $19.99. Grades 5-8.

It’s the spring of 1776, and thirteen-year-old Elsbeth Culpepper wakes to the sound of cannon fire. The Siege of Boston has begun, and her city is now a battleground. Her father is missing, and since he is the only family she has left, Elsbeth is suddenly on her own, struggling to survive in a war-torn city while avoiding the dreaded orphanage. She is left at the mercy of the rich family she works for, hoping that they will continue to shelter her as a servant. Just as the fighting intensifies, smallpox sweeps through Boston, adding a new layer of fear and urgency. Panicked crowds beg for risky inoculations and others reject them outright. Elsbeth, who is immune from a childhood bout with the disease, remembers (not too fondly) her mother and siblings’ battles with the illness before it took their lives. Yet she steels herself to care for the sick children in the wealthy household. With her loyal friend Shubel Kent by her side, Elsbeth searches for her missing Pappa during what little time she has off all while Boston is overwhelmed by a surge in smallpox cases and political upheaval surrounding independence. Elsbeth navigates threats to her safety, from the Pikes’ hostile housekeeper to a shady figure from her father’s past. In a city where not everyone can be trusted, Elsbeth must stay true to herself.

THOUGHTS: Rebellion 1776 is another standout book from Anderson. Fans of her Chains trilogy will see similar themes in both books (protagonists must survive on their own, care for others, and learn who they are in a fractured, dangerous world). Students will find parallels between smallpox vaccinations and recent debates about COVID-19 vaccines. This is a must-buy for any middle grade historical fiction collection.

Historical Fiction

Laurie Halse Anderson takes us back to the Revolution in Rebellion 1776. Elsbeth lost her mother and siblings to smallpox and has moved from Philadelphia to Boston. She’s tall and strong for 13 and can easily pass for 16, which helps her get work as a maid, but she dreams of being a seamstress. The large Pike family moves into the house where she was working. In addition to the Pike’s many children, the household also has a bossy housekeeper, and Hannah, a mischievous girl who they are caring for who is close in age to Elsbeth. After Elsbeth hides from her father during the Siege of Boston, she can’t find him, which means the Overseer of the Poor may send her to an orphanage or to the country to work on a farm. Elsbeth is fighting battles in the chaotic household with Hannah breaking the rules of society, the kids’ constant bickering, endless chores, and the housekeeper plotting against her. There is also chaos in Boston, which is trying to break from the redcoats, full of thieves, and is getting ready to shut down for smallpox inoculations. Elsbeth is smart, funny, and caring, and readers will enjoy her insights.

THOUGHTS: Rebellion 1776 is a well researched book that will transport readers to 1776 Boston and teach students about the Revolutionary War, rights of women (or lack thereof), and the smallpox outbreak while making these historical events of almost 250 years ago feel  important to the reader. Readers will learn about the early formation of the US government as well as the vaccine efforts. Like Chains and Fever 1793, Rebellion 1776 has likeable characters and conflict that will keep readers interested. At 416 pages, I still wanted to read more. This will make a wonderful addition to middle school historical fiction collections. Huzzah!

Historical Fiction

MG – The Bletchley Riddle

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Sepetys, Ruta, and Steve Sheinkin. The Bletchley Riddle. Viking, 2024. 978-0-593-52754-2. 394 p. $18.99. Grades 5 and up. 

Lizzie Novis needs to stay in England, no matter how hard her grandmother is trying to get her to Cleveland. Yes, the war with Germany is on, and yes Lizzie’s mother has been reported as killed in a bombing in Poland. But Lizzie thinks her mother might still be alive, so she has to stay to get her older brother Jakob to help her discover the truth. But finding Jakob only creates more mystery. What is his job at Bletchley Park and why can’t anyone talk about what happens there? Why is a man from M15 asking them questions about their mother? The race is on to defend the country against Hitler, and to learn the truth about their family. 

THOUGHTS: When two titans of historical fiction team up, the expectations are high, and this book truly delivers. This is a remarkably thrilling ride that is potentially satisfying for a wide range of ages. High school fans of Ruta Sepetys especially will love this, even if it’s written for much younger readers. The descriptions of code breaking are rich with math and riddle solving, and the interpersonal relationships are as charming as one would expect from these authors. Very highly recommended. 

Historical Fiction

YA – Little Moons

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Storm, Jen. Little Moons. Illustrated by Ryan Howe and Alice R.L. HighWater Press, 2024. 978-1-774-92107-4. 60 p. $20.95. Grades 9-12.

13-year-old Reanna’s life is turned upside down when her sister Chelsea goes missing. Despite searching for her both in and out of the reservation, her family cannot find her. Phone calls to her cell phone go unanswered. Posts on social media inquiring about her whereabouts eventually stop garnering comments. Reanna and her family have no choice but to try and move on as much as they can. Her mother believes moving to the city and starting a new life is the best way to dull her grief. Reanna and her siblings stay part time on the rez with their father and part time in the city with their mom, which Reanna hates. The only solace she finds from her grief is from diving into her First Nations culture, especially when she powwow dances in Chelsea’s beautiful regalia that she beaded herself. Only the youngest sibling, Theo, feels and sees Chelsea’s spirit in the form of a little moon. As Reanna’s mother distances herself from the tragedy, Reanna finds other ways to honor her sister’s life and make peace with the fact that she may never know her sister’s fate. 

THOUGHTS: Little Moons is a beautiful story about grief and how it impacts a family. Once readers know that Theo sees Chelsea in the form of a little moon, they will want to go back through all the pages to find where this little moon appears in the illustrations. Readers looking for a book with a neat, happy ending will not find it with this book. There is a content warning in the front as the book deals with the subject of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S), so take care when recommending to students.

Graphic Novel
Realistic Fiction

YA – Over My Dead Body

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Boo, Sweeney. Over My Dead Body. HarperAlley, 2022. 978-0-063-05631-2. 240 p. $24.99. Grades 7-10.

It’s not easy being a foundling, as Abigail Younwity knows all too well. On top of having no family of her own and being named after the Younwity Hidden Institute of Magic where she’s a student, Abigail knows that foundlings are especially vulnerable to the ghosts that haunt the untamed woods surrounding the school grounds. When Abigail’s friend Noreen disappears, Abigail knows that the forest holds the answers. On a hunt for information, she discovers a journal hidden in the hollow of a tree; it belonged to another student who vanished without a trace almost a century ago. The school administrators demand that Abigail leave the search to the Coven, but she can’t give up on finding the closest thing she has to a sister. Meanwhile, the Institute is preparing for the Samhain festival, when “the veil between the world of the dead and the living is at its thinnest,” and evil spirits are apt to strike. Time to find Noreen clearly is running out. Assisted by a handful of trusted friends and armed with some helpful spells, Abigail will risk expulsion, or worse, to solve this mystery.

THOUGHTS: Written and illustrated by Sweeney Boo, this vibrant graphic novel is pure witchy fun from start to finish, while also incorporating some weightier issues such as possessive friendship. Fans of Sabrina (in all its incarnations) and Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall and Lisa Srerle will love it!

Graphic Novel          Amy V. Pickett, Ridley SD