16) The Missing, Book 1: Found – Margaret Peterson Haddix (Children’s Fiction/YA)

I stumbled across this in the library, and was hesitant to pick it up. After reading most of her Shadow Children series, I figured she had a lot to live up to, and this book looked like part of an attempt to repeat her prior series’ success. But… I read it anyway.

It was good, but not as good as her other work. There were some aspects of the book that felt contrived – particularly the ending sequence, though I understand that it needed to set up the next book – and the writing style and characters were similar to that of Shadow Children. There were some unbelievable parts, while other parts simply surprised me… namely, she doesn’t turn around and give everything a perfectly natural explanation in the end, like in many of her other books. That was good – a bit of a departure, so I appreciate the effort – but I’m not quite sure how it’ll pan out.

That said, I can say with certainty that I’ll read the next book, though it isn’t released until this coming August. I want to reserve judgment on the series as a whole until after I see how she develops the theme and moves the plot. In the meantime…? If you’ve liked her other books, it’s worth checking this one out. If you haven’t read Haddix before, try book #1 in the Shadow Children series first (Among the Hidden).

Rating: 2.5 coffees out of 5

Tags: books