Found Things

May 12, 2014
In her atmospheric first novel, Hilton (The Christian Girl’s Guide to Your Mom) transports readers to the deep woods of Quincely, N.H., and into the mind of 11-year-old River Rose Byrne, who has started speaking with an odd accent ever since her older brother, Theron, disappeared in the wake of a car accident that may have involved drunk driving. At school, River is tormented by a classmate, Daniel, but she finds an unexpected ally in new student Meadow Lark Frankenfield, who is teased because of her “popped-out eye and her lurchy way of walking,” but whose quiet confidence River admires. Meadow Lark gradually befriends River, joining her in dreaming and making wishes on the local river. When a dark wish they make appears to come true, and Theron’s possessions begin to go missing, their friendship is thrown into question. An eerie sense of foreboding surrounding Meadow Lark, the wishes, and Theron’s whereabouts creates tension that will carry readers through the book like the current of the river that River is so drawn to. Ages 9–12. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.

May 1, 2014
Since her older brother Theron disappeared from Quincely, N.H., several months ago, nothing seems right to 11-year-old River until she becomes friends with Meadow Lark and strange things start happening.River's good at wishing and hopes her brother will return. River knows she's adopted, but she has no idea why she's suddenly speaking differently, why her mind now wanders inside a mysteriously familiar house, why she wants to know her "real mama" or why she's drawn to the river even though she's afraid of water. Then Meadow Lark, a peculiar new girl, arrives, attaching herself to River, and the two loners bond, floating their wishes down the river, hoping they'll come true. When Meadow Lark comes to stay while her father's away, River's excited but gradually comes to feel her friend's taking over her place by the river, her bedroom and even her mother's affections. River gradually realizes she must find answers to the secrets of her missing brother, her birth mother, the strange house, her fear of water and her extraordinary new friend if her wishes are going to come true. With its effective river motif, this realistic, quietly powerful story unfolds slowly in the words of its thoughtful heroine, who eventually finds the things she had lost.A moving debut about secrets, wishes, friendship and trust. (Fiction. 9-12)

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June 1, 2014
Grades 4-6 When her brother, Theron, runs away after causing a car accident, River's adopted family is shattered: her mother doesn't happily hum anymore, her father works all the time, and she suddenly starts speaking with an unfamiliar accent. Then she starts having vivid, elaborate dreams of a house where she is sure she has never been. River and her family chalk it up to Theron's departure, but when a new girl, Meadow Lark, becomes River's best friend and starts encouraging her to make wishes, River learns more about her family, the river where she is forbidden to play, and her past than she ever bargained for. Debut author Hilton weaves a gentle story of steadfast hope in the face of loss, told from the perspective of an intelligent, sensitive young girl who is perceptive beyond her years. River's sometimes poetic first-person narration reveals her gradual understanding of the ways Theron's disappearance reverberates throughout her community. With enigmatic Meadow Lark benignly prodding her forward, River bravely seeks out answers and learns valuable lessons about forgiveness and faith.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)