DRIFTERS

Months after Micah's disappearance, Jovie seems to be the only the person who remembers Micah and Sylvan, her new friend, is the only one willing to help her find her. Is this tied to the mysterious company that claims to clean up a years old nuclear tragedy? What happens when Jovie herself goes missing in her hunt for answers?

Kevin Emerson's new middle-grade novel Drifters is more than just a teenage girl's suspenseful search for her ex-best friend. What starts off as your typical tale of longing for a lost -- physically and emotionally -- friend, grows into an intricate combination of mystery, fantasy, and heart. There is an engaging urgency in Emerson's tone as he uses a mixture of letters, interviews, and third-person narration to construct chapters that dance around in time and space. Amidst a frantic search for the truth and a riveting unraveling of the cause of the many disappearances, Emerson subtly and skillfully touches upon subjects that are far more emotional and real: what it's like having divorced parents as a young child, what it's like to grow apart from a loved one, what it's like to start anew.

Packed full of unexpected twists, sentimentality and questions that demand answers, Drifters by Kevin Emerson is perfect for fans of Stranger Things, Dark, and The Lovely Bones.