Imagine finally completing your first novel, having it published, then winning the Printz award! That's what happened to John Corey Whaley.
Where Things Come Back takes place on Lily, Arkansas. Seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter is desperate to escape this dull small town but afraid that he will fail like so many others he knows. The believed to be extinct "Lazarus" woodpecker is rumored to be spotted nearby and things get a bit livelier in Lily. Then his family is plunged into grief when his gifted younger brother Gabriel disappears without a trace. There is also a seemingly unrelated story of a disillusioned young missionary. That story, told in the third person, is strange and almost creepy. Everything comes together in a shocking, yet hopeful conclusion in the last pages.
This multi-layered book requires a patient, sophisticated reader. The use of symbolism and religious themes add depth to the story. Grief and pain are balanced with humor derived from Cullen's romantic interests and sarcastic comments. I would book talk it to older teenagers paired with the nonfiction book
Race to Save the Lord God Bird (see my earlier blog). To "hook" readers I would focus on the disappearance of the brother. "Imagine if your much loved brother left the house one day - and didn't come back".
