The Space Between Lost and Found

Cassie Rodrigues's adventurous mother was the vital heart of her family, always singing and making grand plans. Now that she has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, she's childlike, unpredictable, and unable to remember Cassie's name. Cassie's father wants to keep her mom indoors to protect her, but Cassie, an artist, knows that Mom, who "has always loved being outside and going places," needs to walk in the canyon near their Santa Fe home and do the things that bring her joy. Though the fifth grader has pulled back from her best friend Bailey, she enlists Bailey's help to take her mother on one last adventure--secretly achieving her mom's lifelong dream to swim with dolphins in San Diego--before she's moved to a care facility. The moving narrative gives readers a sense of the condition's advancement through Cassie's memories of her mother, pre-Alzheimer's. Though Cassie's endless patience with her mother's behavior at times strains credulity, it shows the depth of her love amid the disease's realities, convincingly portrayed alongside the heartbreaking loss that Cassie and her father experience. Ages 8-11. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 4-7--Amidst flashbacks to happier times, 12-year-old Cassie and her father do their best to cope with her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The disease is rapidly progressing--her mom might remember a pop song or how much she loves dolphins, but not what she likes to eat or even Cassie's name. Meanwhile, Cassie struggles at school with the art show, and with maintaining a good relationship with her ex-best friend Bailey. Of the multiple conflicts, the most dominant might be Cassie's desire to take her mother to swim with dolphins at an aquatic park against her father's wishes. The call for this last adventure develops slowly, about one third of the way through the book. This lack of immediate, solvable conflict may be too sluggish to appeal to most children. Older readers may appreciate the unanswerable difficulties. Bailey's mother's death, which happened when Bailey was a toddler, sets up an intriguing comparison between grieving a mother's cognitive changes and a mother who is gone both in body and spirit, not that such a comparison can be objective given human resilience. However, Cassie's classroom dynamics feel much more like a fifth grade classroom, and her interactions with friends regarding art and soccer seem juvenile. The metaphors examining Cassie's feelings and artistic endeavors generally add a lilting, poetic feel to the story. With Cassie's intense feelings and the surrealistic behaviors of her mother, the book flows dreamily from flashbacks to lost memories, ending with love and affirmation. VERDICT A lovely but not particularly gripping examination of a girl grappling with her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease.--Erin Reilly-Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A compelling portrait of a girl negotiating the harrowing journey." —BCCB, starred review

"Moving." —Publishers Weekly

"Filled with raw emotion and exemplifying the power of family, The Space Between Lost and Found is a moving novel in which a girl struggles to find her place in an upended world." —Foreword Reviews

"Stark-McGinnis writes with empathy. . . . Thoughtful and enlightening." —Booklist

"Cassie's perceptive narration rings true . . . A sensitive exploration." —Kirkus Reviews

"Cassie is an engaging narrator.....The delivery of the book's art and math themes is effective without being heavy-handed and helps unify the story... [An] emotionally intense read." —Horn Book Magazine

"A beautiful story filled with heart." —Holly Goldberg Sloan, author of Counting by 7s and coauthor of To Night Owl from Dogfish, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"An amazing debut — filled with heart, lyrical prose, and a heroine who soars!" —Jewell Parker Rhodes, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Boys, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"A heartbreaking and hopeful story about a young girl who learns the power of kindness and the beauty of belonging." —School Library Journal, starred review, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"Poignant... This heartbreaking but ultimately redemptive middle grade novel shows the beauty of accepting one's true self and finding a place to belong." —Foreword Reviews, starred review, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"Stark-McGinnis nimbly constructs poignant relationships born of reciprocal patience, trust, and understanding, and December's connections with Eleanor, Cheryllynn, and the red-tailed hawk feel authentic and earned... This sensitive debut is a sincere and hopeful exploration of family, history, and belonging from a promising new voice." —Publishers Weekly on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"Stark-McGinnis' prose is carefully crafted, direct, and convincing...appealingly hopeful." —Kirkus Reviews on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"This ably constructed first-person narrative is meant to tug at the heartstrings and it surely does, encouraging readers to hope for a happy ending to this affecting story." —Booklist on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"Stark-McGinnis adds a vivid artistic flourish with the avian theme [and] writes with smooth sympathy... This is a gracefully written modern take on the orphan story." —BCCB on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"Emotional, bittersweet, and ultimately uplifting. In her first novel, author Sandy Stark-McGinnis deftly walks the line between showing the sadness and uncertainty in main character December's life without letting the story get too intense or heavy. December is a great characte.... Her narrative is engaging and heart-rending, showing how kids in tough circumstances have to protect themselves emotionally.....This is an excellent read for middle-grade readers and up." —Common Sense Media on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"An emotional tale about finding one's home and facing one's truth...An extraordinary debut!" —Ellie Terry, author of Forget Me Not, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS

"This soulful story will wing its way straight into your heart." —Jess Keating, zoologist and author of the My Life is a Zoo series, on EXTRAORDINARY BIRDS