Dead to You

January 2, 2012
This intriguing but slight character study is built around the first-person account of a teenager returning to his family nine years after strangers lured him into the backseat of a car and drove away. It’s emotionally rich territory, but the setup is highly improbable. Authorities reunite 16-year-old Ethan De Wilde with his family mere hours after he makes his claim, forgoing background and DNA checks. Ethan is enrolled in school the following week without placement testing or counseling. Presumably, McMann (Cryer’s Cross) has confirmed that such casual handling of a victimized family is possible, but the impression remains that the unlikely scenario has been created to suit her plot twists. Ethan’s voice is convincing, even compelling at times, but too many opportunities arise over the course of the novel for readers to notice what McMann is not letting Ethan say. In a work of short fiction, these elements could have succeeded or been ignored. As is, though, the ending feels a bit deceptive. Ages 14–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

December 15, 2011
Nine years have passed since Ethan Manuel de Wilde stepped into a stranger's car and disappeared. Now 16 and restored to his family, Ethan begins to settle down into this new life. His brother only vaguely remembers the day of the abduction, and his parents had a new child shortly after he vanished. There are some gaps in his memory, of course, but Ethan reconnects with his childhood best friend and new crush, Cami, and adapts to school. But when his younger brother Blake starts obsessing over Ethan's flawed memories, Ethan's facade of normality cracks, and he starts to look for a way out. McMann's narrative is layered and emotional, with constant questions about family dynamics, identity and reconciliation. While an amnesia-based plot risks a quick foray into formula, this resists, balancing the fractured nature of Ethan's recollections nicely with the character's development. The sibling rivalry builds secondary tension and suspense, especially as more and more gaps appear in Ethan's anecdotes. While the romance between Ethan and Cami is a bit forced, the love between Ethan and his little sister Gracie is genuinely touching. An updated abduction novel for a generation that has never seen a missing child's face on a milk carton. (Suspense. 13 & up)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

April 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-After being dumped in a group home, a 16-year-old boy searches for and finds his true name and family online. Ethan De Wilde was seven when he was abducted outside his home in Minnesota. His younger brother, Blake, was the only witness. Once reunited with his parents; brother; and Gracie, their "replacement child," Ethan struggles to remember anything about his life with this family and refuses to remember his time with Ellen, the woman who raised him. As Ethan adapts to a caring family and overwhelming community interest, he finds solace in a budding romantic relationship with the girl next door and a tenderly portrayed nascent bond with Gracie. Tension erupts when, spurred by complex emotions and a class project on genetics, Blake declares that his brother is a fraud. Ethan's first-person story unfolds circuitously but successfully explores the emotional devastation on those closest to an abducted child and a child's ability to cope with trauma. The long-awaited but abrupt conclusion to the story's central mystery is dramatic, packing an emotional punch and leaving plenty of questions unanswered.-Nicole Politi, The Ocean County Library, Toms River, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2012
Grades 9-12 Abducted at age seven, Ethan Manuel De Wilde grew up with a woman who loved him but couldn't take care of him, ultimately leaving him in an orphanage. After running away and living on the streets, he finds a photo of himself while searching a website for missing children. Now 16, he returns to his loving family but finds it difficult to reestablish relationships, especially with his younger brother, Blake, who doesn't believe he's the real Ethan. McMann piercingly depicts Ethan's mental illness as he suffers from anxiety attacks, bonds with his new little sister, and fails to understand why he has no memories of life with his real family. And there's the ethical issue: if he isn't who he thinks he is, what should he do? The bitter cold of a Minnesota winter serves as both metaphor and backdrop for a riveting read that is like the dark side of Caroline B. Cooney's The Face on the Milk Carton (1990). A realistic but shocking ending makes this an excellent choice for book discussion, and the simple sentence structure and complex content will appeal to reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)