Jennifer Laughran , children’s bookseller, Books Inc., San Francisco, talks about a fall favorite, Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr.
With a Mom in rehab, and a pastor Dad who knows a lot more about shepherding his congregation than taking care of his own family, Samara feels like her whole world is falling apart. When a girl in her town is kidnapped, Sam latches on to the case as a way to feel useful and a part of something bigger than herself—but nobody in town is beyond suspicion, even the people that Sam trusts most. This is both an emotionally resonant novel about a crisis of faith, and an utterly absorbing mystery, and it is Zarr’s most accomplished book yet.
Once Was Lost (Little, Brown, Oct.) is a deceptively slim book, and the mystery element propels the story forward briskly, so it will be appealing for reluctant readers. There is a bit of a romance, and some definitely creepy insinuations about what might’ve happened to the abducted girl—but though there are complex themes, it is still a “clean read.” I recommend it for teenagers (and adults!) who like realistic, contemporary relationship-based fiction such as books by Sarah Dessen and Beth Kephart. It would also make a fantastic YA mother-daughter book club pick. (And I suggest that you have Kleenex with you when you read it!)
