FIND THE MOON

In Fehlbaum’s YA novel, a troubled teen is taken in by family members she’s never truly known.

Kylie Jean Briscoe dislikes homework, but her assignment on the first day of her sophomore year in Texarkana is the least of her worries. Kylie’s mother, Matilda, is an abusive drug addict who often treats both the teen girl and her beloved little sister, Aliza, as an afterthought, leaving Kylie to scavenge for food and evade nosy neighbors. After law enforcement finally intervenes, Kylie and Aliza are separated: Aliza goes to Louisiana with her biological father, Travis, and his family, and Kylie is sent to Texas with her maternal grandparents, with whom she lived as a toddler. Kylie’s grandmother LeeAnn, grandfather Oliver, and uncle Joey, a police officer, are eager to bring Kylie into their fold, but the teenager is reluctant to make connections—especially with Aliza so far away. Soon Kylie enters the local high school and finds solace in friendship with her English teacher’s son, Ethan, and the school’s creative writing club. However, an alliance with her mysterious, magnetic classmate Casey could prove dangerous to Kylie and those around her. Fehlbaum, a former English and creative writing teacher, notes in her acknowledgments that she drew some inspiration from her students for this novel. Kylie is a well-developed character whose traumatic experiences have, in part, led her to mistrust those who claim to love her. Kylie’s grandparents are fully fleshed out, too—still smarting from the loss of their daughter to drugs, but happy to welcome their granddaughter into their lives. Watching Kylie progress from sad and angry to healthy and fulfilled is often rewarding. However, some readers may find the novel’s use of Southern vernacular a bit exhausting to parse at times: “That little girl ’n me was like peas ’n carrots when she was a young’un.”

An emotional journey from lost to found, featuring engaging characterization.