FALLING FROM GRACE

The disappearance of a 12-year-old girl along the coast of Australia during a storm disrupts her family and a 14-year-old boy who accidentally becomes involved. Absorbed in a tracking game on the beach, Grace and her sister Annie get lost. With the tide rising, night approaching and rain falling, Annie insists on a short cut up the cliff where the reluctant Grace falls and vanishes when the cliff-side collapses. The same afternoon, Kip is on the beach when he discovers Grace’s backpack floating in the water. Kip returns the backpack to Grace’s frantic father and mentions seeing two figures on the beach earlier. The search for Grace ensues for days with full media attention, and police place the innocent Kip under surveillance. Determined to find Grace and exonerate himself, Kip has good intentions but doesn’t use the best judgment. Meanwhile, Annie feels guilty she forced Grace to take the disastrous short cut and wonders what life will be like without her sister. Annie and Kip tell this riveting story of disappearance and search in alternating voices laced with insights about their own journey from innocence to experience. (Fiction. 11-15)