A Psalm for Lost Girls

Starred review from January 9, 2017
Callie da Costa is 16 when her older sister, Tess, whom many believe channels God’s divine will, dies from an untreated heart defect. After a missing six-year-old, Ana Langone, reappears at one of Tess’s shrines and other reports of Tess’s miracles pour in, Callie’s mother is set on having Tess named a saint. Determined to stop the petition for sainthood and debunk the miracle of Ana’s safe return, Callie teams up with Danny, an old friend who has a complicated relationship with both sisters. Callie’s first-person chapters alternate with excerpts from Tess’s journals, weaving Tess’s final thoughts and experiences with those of Callie in the months after Tess’s death. Through these two perspectives—alleged saint and grieving sister—debut author Bayerl unspools a gripping story of loss and grace. The search for Ana’s abductor and the eventual revelations surrounding her kidnapping form a poignant parallel to Tess and Callie’s relationship, deftly underlining the ways in which grief can warp reality and encourage self-destruction. Richly and evocatively written, Bayerl’s story is ideal for fans of Jandy Nelson and Melina Marchetta. Ages 12–up. Agent: Erin Harris, Folio Literary Management.

January 15, 2017
Tess da Costa was believed to work miracles but lost street cred after failing to find Ana, a child abductee; when, months after Tess dies, Ana's found alive, Tess appears slated for sainthood--unless her sister, Callie, can stop it.Callie, white and wrapped in grief and anger, has no compassion to spare for Tess' followers, desperately coping with troubles of their own, or for Tess' Puerto Rican boyfriend, Danny, whom she recruits in her crusade. Callie's failing in school and at war with her hospital-receptionist single mom. Her feelings for Tess (and the church) are complicated. If Tess, 17, was the angel, Callie, 16, felt like her demonic twin. Tess' journal, excerpted throughout, reveals that being cast as saintly was no picnic, either. Not all plot elements mesh neatly. Callie and Danny's hunt for Ana's abductor, a plot thread explored partly from Ana's point of view, has gravitas; however resolved, a child abduction leaves lasting scars. While Callie's family history takes up a fair chunk of plot real estate, she's the story's beating heart--scrappy, resentful, funny, and, above all, observant of her hardscrabble, working-class southeastern Massachusetts town and its denizens. Of Portuguese, Latino, and Irish descent (but not Cape Verdean), with strong cultural and religious (Roman Catholic) immigrant ties, they've struggled economically since the mills closed. Plot and pacing could be tighter, but packed with vivid cultural scenery, this ambitious debut offers readers a journey worth taking. (Fiction. 12-16)

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Starred review from March 1, 2017

Gr 8 Up-Two years ago, Callie's older sister Tess started hearing a voice. Tess could often tell if something ominous was on the horizon. The resulting throng of believers changed the course of the da Costas' lives as their daily rhythm became punctuated by visitations from pilgrims and makeshift shrines to Tess. After Tess was unable to answer prayers to locate a missing girl (the da Costas' neighbor Ana), the pressure to perform intensified, and she died of an undiagnosed heart condition at 17. Callie's mom is focused solely on the hope that Tess will be made into a saint. Tess's secret boyfriend Danny and Callie set out to prove that nothing Tess did was miraculous so that her memory can be left alone. In the process, they become enmeshed in solving the mystery of Ana's disappearance. What may seem at first like a far-fetched premise turns out to be a beautifully rendered, wholly believable tale. Bayerl's characters jump off the page, and excerpts from the deceased girl's journal make her as real as everyone else. The idea that a teen might worry about her physical relationship with her boyfriend because it isn't the behavior expected of a saint feels as natural as more typical adolescent concerns. The mysteries of Tess's voice and Ana's unsolved kidnapping weave in and out and around the narrative, which also delves into grief, sisterhood, mental illness, class, and more. Fans of realistic fiction, mystery, or crime thrillers will find themselves at home in this spectacular debut. VERDICT A compelling must-have for YA collections.-Jill Heritage Maza, Montclair Kimberley Academy, NJ

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017
Grades 9-12 Before she died, Callie's sister, Tess, was obsessed with the kidnapping of Ana Langone. Tess heard voices, which helped her save a few lives in their rundown city, but after Ana disappeared, the voices stopped being helpful. Not long after Tess' death, Ana has miraculously returned home, though her kidnapper is still on the loose, and bitter Callie has taken on her late sister's obsession. That would be complicated enough, but Callie's also dealing with lingering religious fervor for her late sister. Tess was widely considered a saint, and Callie's mother and priest are spearheading a campaign to get her canonized. Callie, however, is furious with how the deified version of her sister has subsumed the real Tess she knew and loved. Bayerl packs a lot into her debut, and while the preponderance of plot lines occasionally clutters the narrative, there are some bright spots, such as Callie's complex relationship to her sister, some thought-provoking questions about religion, and the creepy details surrounding Ana's case. Ideal for fans of both mysteries and character-driven novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)