Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review It's the end of a long, hot summer, and nothing is right. Samara's mother is in rehab, her father, a popular pastor in their small town, is always busy, too busy for Sam anyway, and then something shocking happens. Jody, a 13-year-old girl, a member of their church, disappears. As the days drag on, Sam finds herself drawing away from her friends and her father, who has a secret she easily guesses, and instead spending time with Nick, Jody's brother, who may or may not be a suspect in the disappearance. Zarr sets a hard task for herself here: interweaving a number of strong story strands and giving them equal weight, even as she tightens the whole with questions about faith and God. While her relationship with Nick does not always seem quite credible, everything else comes together as an impressive whole. Sharply delineated characters and an uncomfortable atmosphere that's more than just the heat add to the story's depth.

Starred Review for Publishers Weekly

Two strong new novels, both starring pastor's daughters, explore the sometimes thorny intersections of religion and family life.

<REVIEW PUBLISHER=""Reed Business Information-US"" RELEASEDATE=""08/17/2009"" LANGUAGE=""EN"" SECRIGHTS=""YES"" PUBLICATION=""Publishers Weekly"" PUBDATE=""08/17/2009"" VOLUME=""256"" ISSUE=""33"" PAGE=""64"" SECTION=""Reviews"" SUBSECTION=""Children's Books"" CONTENTTYPE=""Review"" AUTHNAME=""Staff"" STARRED=""YES"">Once Was LostSara Zarr. Little, Brown, $16.99 (224p) ISBN 978-0-316-03604-7

Faith takes a front seat in National Book Award–finalist Zarr's (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Story of a Girl) hard-hitting third novel. When 13-year-old Jody Shaw is kidnapped in broad daylight, her abduction rocks the once secure town of Pineview and her church community (“A thing like this changes the way you think about everything and everyone, and you can never go back”). Her disappearance provides an eerie backdrop to protagonist Samara Taylor's personal drama: her mother's alcoholism, which prompted a four-week stint in rehab, and her father's refusal to focus on anything (his marital problems, the inappropriateness of his relationship with a 26-year-old church member, his parental responsibilities) other than his role as pastor to a flock in need. Sam's questions regarding God's existence (“Do you just decide that you do believe, no matter what, and then force your mind shut when doubts try to come in?”) and her place in the world feel all-encompassing, aptly mirroring the mood of her close-knit community as they trawl for answers in Jody's case. Beyond delivering a gripping story, Zarr has a knack for exposing human weakness in the ordinary. Ages 12–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)

Horn Book

Zarr illuminates both the big questions and intimate challenges of being a "preacher's kid." Sam, fifteen, experiences a crisis of faith when her mother enters rehab. Then comes the real crisis: thirteen-year-old Jody, a member of the church youth group, disappears. Zarr navigates the ripped-from-the-headlines topic with empathy and delicacy, offering a believable portrait of small-town dynamics while creating deftly realized characters.

Kirkus Reviews

The abduction of 13-year-old Jody Shaw has absolutely devastated the small, close-knit community of Pineview, Calif. Though the Shaw tragedy has affected everyone, readers see it through the eyes of 15-year-old Samara Taylor, whose father is the Shaws' pastor and spokesperson. Even before Jody goes missing, Sam is floundering—her mother has spent the last few weeks at a facility being treated for alcoholism, and her father is having trouble coping. When Jody disappears, Sam's faith in God and in both of her parents is further challenged. Her new friendship with Nick Shaw, Jody's older brother and a potential suspect in Jody's disappearance, could either lead to her salvation or destruction. Which will it be? And what becomes of Jody? Bold-faced newscasts periodically interrupt the narrative, providing updates on the Shaw case and maintaining a sustained sense of urgency. This rare combination of in-depth character study and gripping mystery relies on a strong sense of emotional truth to do justice to some tough subject matter without graphic or violent scenes. Riveting. (Mystery. YA)

School Library Journal

Gr 7-10 For 15-year-old Sam, a pastor's daughter, believing in God was natural until, somehow, a few years back doubt crept in. If God is all good and all powerful, why isn't He fixing anything? Sam's mother's alcoholism resulted in a DUI and landed her in rehab; her father is gone all the time dealing with other people's problems, and he doesn't seem to know how to communicate with his wife and daughter even when he is home. Things ratchet up even further when a local girl is abducted from their sleepy Northern California town, a crisis that drives much of the plot. Then, unexpectedly, Sam experiences a moment when she truly connects with God. Bit by bit, the areas of brokenness begin to move toward healing, although perfection is still a long way off. Sam is a complex and fully formed character whose insight into her own behavior fluctuates in a wholly believable teenage way. Her shy exterior is offset by a sardonic voice, reflecting, for example, on the fact that her alcoholic mother is a better parent than her pastor father. In the background is a beautifully developed metaphor for Sam's life as she tries to find ways to take charge of her backyard, where even drought-resistant plants have succumbed to a massive heat wave. This multilayered exploration of the intersection of the spiritual life and imperfect people features suspense and packs an emotional wallop. Faith Brautigam, Gail Borden Public Library, Elgin, IL

Voice of Youth Advocates

Samara Taylor knows that everyone expects her life to be picture perfectùshe is the pastorÆs daughter, after all. At fifteen years old, however, Sam feels like her world is wilting all around her. During one particularly scorching August, SamÆs mother gets a DUI and enters rehab, leaving Sam alone with her father who seems to have the right words to comfort everyone but her. Then the sudden disappearance of a thirteen-year-old member of SamÆs church youth group seems unreal. As the search for Jody extends from hours into days, Sam questions not only her belief in God but also her faith in her father, her mother, and the people she thought she could trust in her community. Sam is not expecting a miracle, but she certainly would welcome one. ZarrÆs fans will not be disappointed by this beautifully crafted novel about a teen coping with a loss of faith. Jody was lost, but no matter the outcome of the search, readers will perceive that SamÆs life has changed forever. Readers will be drawn into this realistic story, hoping that Jody will return safely, SamÆs mother will recover, and Sam and her father will find a way to reconnect. Heartbreaking at times, this novel is also full of hope because Sam learns to accept the world around her even though she realizes it is never going to be perfect.ùAmy Wyckoff.