Never Missing, Never Found

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Contreras is excited about her first summer job at Five Banners Adventure World—she’s a huge fan of the Skywoman comics that are also the theme of the park. But Scarlett has a secret. When she was eight, she was kidnapped and held for years in a basement before she escaped, finding her way home to her father and younger siblings, Melody and Matthew. Settling in back home has been hard, but Scarlett’s new job is fun, and she’s smitten with her coworker Connor. When another employee goes missing and an oddly familiar coworker says things that Scarlett remembers from her awful past, she’s terrified anew. Scarlett is determined to hang on to her newfound happiness, but at what cost? Writing from Scarlett’s perspective, Panitch (Damage Done) tells a harrowing story of captivity, survival, and the pursuit of hope; readers’ hearts will break as Scarlett tries to find her place in a world that left her behind. A jaw-dropping final twist gives way to a surprising, satisfying conclusion to this tense, clever thriller. Ages 14–up. Agent: Merrilee Heifetz, Writers House. (June)