Horn Book

When Monday doesn't show up on the first day of eighth grade--or in the days after that--Claudia undertakes a heartwrenching quest to find her missing best friend. The search leads readers through a winding, nonlinear tale of sisterhood, identity, loss, and secrets kept and revealed. Social issues such as neighborhood gentrification, race, poverty, as well as the healing of connection and the destruction in disconnection, underlie the gripping plot.

Kirkus Reviews

Washington, D.C., eighth-graders Claudia Coleman and her best (and only) friend, Monday Charles, were inseparable, often mistaken for twins—until the day Monday disappeared. Brown-skinned with kinky hair, the girls had each other's backs, and Claudia relied on Monday in ways no one else knew. But when Monday doesn't show up for the first day of school with no warning or explanation, Claudia becomes worried. After a week goes by, Claudia begins a search for her Monday without much help from the adults around her. Claudia refuses to give up on Monday like she thinks everyone else has: How can a young girl just disappear and have no one look for her? The plot unfolds in nonchronological order, a technique that risks having the story feel clumsy at times. Despite a resolution that reads as somewhat anticlimactic and a narrator who is sometimes as naïve as she is skeptical, the draw of this novel, which was inspired by actual events, lies in its interwoven themes of the effects of gentrification, especially on black residents whose connections, culture, and community become afterthoughts in the face of capitalism; mental illness in the black community; and biases around the value of missing children, black girls in particular. Secrets and how silence often causes more harm than we can imagine are also addressed.A tragic and heartbreaking tale of love, loss, grief, growth, and perseverance. (Fiction. 13-adult)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Jackson-s sophomore novel, following 2017-s acclaimed Allegedly, features another ripped-from-the-headlines premise that will keep readers guessing through the final pages. After a summer in Georgia with her grandmother, Claudia returns to Washington, D.C., ready to take on eighth grade with her best friend, Monday, even though Monday didn-t respond to any of Claudia-s letters over the past two months. Claudia soon finds, though, that Monday is gone. Stories about where she is don-t add up and no one seems concerned, but Claudia can-t shake the feeling that Monday might be in real trouble. Time shifts-in chapters such as -Before the Before,- -The Before,- and -The After--create a measured and intense buildup as Claudia realizes that Monday was keeping painful and potentially dangerous secrets. Claudia-s mother-s frequent reminder to check in at home--Breadcrumbs, Claudia. Always good to leave breadcrumbs--prompts both Claudia and the reader to remain vigilant. Jackson-s characters and their heart-wrenching story linger long after the final page, urging readers to advocate for those who are disenfranchised and forgotten by society and the system. Ages 13-up. Agent: Natalie Lakosil, Bradford Literary Agency. (June)