Adderson takes on the unsettling viewpoint of a sixth-grade boy who, along with his six-year-old brother, has apparently been abandoned by his mother. The boys' circumstances are dire: little food, little money, and one adult's call away from being taken (again) into protective custody. An elderly neighbor comes to the rescue, but it turns out Mrs. Burt has additional motives for helping them, having to do with her own unresolved parenting issues. Curtis, the book's narrator, may come off as surprisingly self-possessed for someone who lacks a sense of security, but he, his brother, and Mrs. Burt are not only sympathetic but compelling. The trio finds adventure when they escape to Mrs. Burt's old cabin in the woods, and all three find satisfaction and solace there in the "middle of nowhere." Although darkness runs through the novel, so do themes of forgiveness, respect, and familial attachments. The story ties up a bit neatly, but few readers would deny these characters their moments of peace.

When Curtis and Artie's mom disappears and weeks go by, Curtis keeps her absence a secret. They survive with the help of elderly neighbor Mrs. Burt, but after she takes them to her cabin in the woods, Curtis begins to feel conflicted about her intentions. The subtly resilient tone (with comic notes) will keep readers going through the heavy moments and the moral conundrums.

A mother who disappears, two brothers left alone and a seemingly kindly neighbor make up the ingredients of this unsuccessful story about troubled families. Eleven-year-old Curtis has always helped care for his little brother while their mother works and attends school. Now she has not come home, rent is due and food is running out. Haunted by memories of a horrible foster-care family with whom he stayed the first time his mother left him, Curtis fears that he will be separated from his little brother. Then strange but kindly Mrs. Burt, who lives across the street, offers money and meals. When she takes them to a remote lakeside cabin in British Columbia for the summer, Curtis is slowly drawn into this brave new world of chopping wood, building an outhouse and fishing. In truth, Mrs. Burt has "absconded" with the children because she mourns her son who drowned in the lake 40 years ago. Curtis' mother has not run off but has been badly injured and is lying in a coma. In a few pages of the finale, the narrative flow abruptly wraps up, leaving too many loose ends and unanswered questions. Curtis' first-person narration necessarily limits readers' access to the puzzle, and his easy acceptance of the big reveal strains credulity. The elements of a good story are present, but its telling lacks resonance, character development and depth of understanding. (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 5-8 When 12-year-old Curtis's mother leaves him and his five-year-old brother, Artie, without warning, Curtis does everything he can to prevent Social Services from finding out. However, he soon discovers that he has an ally: a crotchety elderly neighbor who needs his help as well. Mrs. Burt takes the boys from their rundown apartment to a remote country cabin where Curtis learns about wilderness living, and Artie's allegiances waver. Smooth writing, appropriate pacing, well-chosen details, and a well-crafted sense of place make this book an easy read, particularly in the second half where readers learn about day-to-day life in a remote wilderness and find themselves cheering for the narrator's courage and determination. Curtis's convincingly reasonable voice makes it almost possible to overlook various plot flaws: his utter lack of suspicion or curiosity, or sense of moral dilemma. For a less-problematic hiding-from-social-workers offering, readers might prefer Jennifer Richard Jacobson's Small As an Elephant (Candlewick, 2011), or Traci L. Jones's Silhouetted by the Blue (Farrar, 2011). Rhona Campbell, Washington DC Public Library