"Once Was Lost" by Sara Zarr

I don't think I read the jacket of this book before reading it.  Sara Zarr's Once Was Lost was a book I had seen around in bookstores and the library and I guess I wanted to read it for that reason alone.  It wasn't the read I was expecting (though I'm not sure what I expected), but I enjoyed it quite a bit.


Once Was Lost is the story of Sam (short for Samara) a small town girl and the pastor's daughter.  At first I thought this book was going to revolve around Sam coping with the reality of having a mother in rehab, but the book is so much more.  The plot takes off when Jody, another teenage girl, turns up missing.  As the town searches and prays for Jody, Sam finds herself spending more and more time with the missing girl's brother Nick (one of the suspects in the case).  As the book progresses, Sam begins to push boundaries, question her faith and looks at her world with new eyes.

I still don't know what sort of story I was anticipating from this book, but I think that Zarr's writing is captivating and that readers can find a bit of themselves in Sam's tale.  Even though this book focuses quite a bit on Jody's disappearance, the book is solely about Sam and how she is dealing with the events in her life.  It's a short book, but it certainly a good one!



Sara Zarr on Twitter and Facebook!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

“Between Mom and Jo” by Julie Anne Peters

Between Mom and Jo is the fourth book by Julie Anne Peters that I have read (the others are Luna, Define Normal, and grl2grl) and I will certainly make a point to read the rest of her books. Between Mom and Jo follows Nick from early childhood through his teen years. Nick is different, not only because he has four first names (Nicholas Nathaniel Thomas Tyler), but also because he has two moms. Nick has little in common with his birth mom, Erin. They rarely see eye to eye on anything and he usually sides with Jo. However, the family is happy and enjoys spending time together. Outside of his home, Nick is often teased and ridiculed for his home life (even teachers treat him differently), but Nick’s moms stand by him and are raising him to not be effected by other’s words.

Everything suddenly changes when Erin and Jo split up. Erin has custody of Nick and forbids him from seeing Jo. Suddenly he plunged in the middle of their feud. He is torn between one mom’s wishes and his need to see Jo. And as if that weren’t enough, his mom soon begins dating again.

Though he may not have a traditional upbringing, I could easily identify with Nick. I felt that the purpose of this book wasn’t to read about a kid with two moms, but instead to read about a young man coping as his family falls apart. No matter what your background is, readers can relate to Nick’s loss and loneliness (don’t worry, I didn’t find this book to be overly depressing, just filled with emotion).

I will soon be reading more of Peters’ books, she really knows how to create realistic, unique characters!

Julie on Facebook and Twitter!

Happy Reading!
-Melly