Where We Are

August 3, 2020
When 17-year-old Micah’s family pulls him out of school to decamp for their small Minneapolis religious cult’s underground compound, he can’t do much but leave a note and hope his girlfriend, Sesame, finds him. And Sesame tries, but Micah’s cell phone has been taken, the police won’t listen, and she doesn’t want to rely on others—since her grandmother died, Sesame has kept to herself, following her grandmother’s guarded precepts to the extreme. As the search drags on, though, she has little choice but to ask for help. The high school juniors alternate as narrators, connected by their solitude and efforts to understand their families, including Micah’s thoughts about why his parents follow their leader, and Sesame’s gradual rethinking of her grandmother’s approach to life. McGhee (What I Leave Behind) is especially good at portraying Micah’s terror and determination, a success that renders Sesame’s well-depicted but quieter chapters less effective. She has so little to go on that finding Micah seems impossible, and though McGhee includes a wealth of details about her life, her sections lack the urgency of Micah’s life-and-death struggle. Still, watching two in difficult circumstances teens work through fear and toward bravery is gratifying. Ages 14–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Pippin Properties. (Sept.)■

August 1, 2020
Two teens demonstrate loyalty and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. A week before winter break, the Prophet of the Living Lights cult whisks 17-year-old Micah Stone and his parents away to a secret compound. The Minneapolis high school junior has been worried about his parents' involvement with the group and has a plan in place to notify his girlfriend, Sesame, should something like this happen. But, forced to leave cellphones behind, all he can do is scribble a cryptic note for her before being loaded into the van. Sesame, who recently turned 18, has lived alone since her grandmother passed away. Only Micah knows that her home is an abandoned garage in an alley. Sesame and Micah have shared dreams for their future--traveling, fire spinning, and opening a cafe highlighting Micah's cooking. When Sesame realizes that Micah has been taken, she files a missing person report and begins her search. Micah, meanwhile, is trapped belowground with 16 cult members, singled out for punishment for insubordination, and with ample time to reflect. Alternating first-person chapters follow the teens' dueling experiences of intimacy and loss. Sesame's passion for poetry and Micah's will to endure are rendered with depth and precision. Ultimately, this is a celebration of growing up and finding one's voice in the face of hardship and societal expectation. Limited physical descriptions point to a White default for most characters. A thoughtful, realistic story of survival. (Fiction. 14-18)

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September 1, 2020

Gr 9 Up-After going their separate ways after elementary school, Micah and Sesame cross paths again in their late teens and quickly form a deep connection. When discussing Micah's parents' involvement in the group called the Living Lights, Micah laughs at the notion that it might be a cult. But Micah stops laughing when he and his parents are rounded up in a van late one night and driven to a compound where they're completely cut off from the rest of the world. Sesame senses something is off when she doesn't hear from Micah, and knows that if she doesn't act to find him, no one will. The story is told in first-person perspective, with each chapter largely consisting of Micah narrating his thoughts to Sesame, or vice versa. Secondary characters are present, but only superficially so; the focus is clearly on Micah and Sesame's relationship. While most of the story is linear, memories are often shown to provide context; some memories are seen twice to show both Micah's and Sesame's perspective. The story moves at a brisk pace due to the urgency McGhee weaves into the narrative. McGhee is never overly graphic in her depiction of life at the compound but doesn't withhold the physical and psychological torture inflicted on Micah. Micah and Sesame are both described as having dark eyes, and Micah's parents are pale. There is some cursing throughout. VERDICT An engrossing abduction tale whose pages will feel like they're turning themselves. Put this in the hands of April Henry fans.-Alea Perez, Elmhurst P.L., IL

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2020
Grades 9-12 Sesame and Micah love planning their future South Minneapolis caf� together, and only they know their deepest secrets: Sesame lives under the foster care radar in an abandoned structure following her grandmother's death; Micah is concerned about changes in his parents since becoming disciples to the Prophet. Late one night before winter break, Micah and his parents are whisked underground by the cult leaders, forced to leave their phones behind. When Sesame realizes that Micah has disappeared, she enlists the help of her best friends and a gay couple for whom Sesame works. While following clues, Sesame begins questioning her grandmother's insistence on absolute self-reliance, consequently learning to ask for help and embrace the knowledge that she's not a solitary being. This is not just a novel about loyalty and friendship but also family and survival. Sesame and Micah tell their stories in alternating chapters, and McGhee effectively captures the teens' isolation, Micah's desperation, and Sesame's determination. Perfect for readers searching for a realistic story about goodness in the face of evil.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)