Where Ella Went

by Laurie Morrison

A clever, funny multimedia mystery from author Laurie Morrison, about soccer teammates trying to solve the disappearance of their beloved team captain—and facing a few secrets of their own
  Why did Ella leave?
  
Eighth Graders Sadie and Pug don’t have anything in common except for their love of soccer and their loyalty to Ella, the overachieving team captain. So when Ella doesn’t show up for the most important game of the season and her parents pull her out of school, Sadie and Pug are determined to find out what happened, even though they don’t usually get along. There’s no way Ella abandoned the team!
   
But as Sadie and Pug dig deeper, they begin to realize that Ella’s life wasn’t as perfect as it seemed. And maybe Sadie and Pug have a few secrets that need to come to light, too. Maybe all their classmates do…
  
Told in recordings, letters, texts, journal entries, and emails, Where Ella Went is a funny and absorbing slice-of-life mystery about friendship, teamwork, and the pressures of being in middle school. If Sadie and Pug keep searching for answers, they risk sabotaging the end of their soccer season. But can they ever move on if they don’t learn the truth? And what if Ella needs them even more than they need her?

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 14, 2026

About the author

Laurie Morrison is the coauthor of Every Shiny Thing and the author of Up for Air, Saint Ivy, Coming Up Short, Keeping Pace, and Where Ella Went (coming April 14, 2026). Laurie’s books have received starred reviews and been chosen as Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and finalists for state award lists. She holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and she lives with her family in Philadelphia, PA, where she teaches middle school language arts. You can visit her website at lauriemorrisonwrites.com

Reviews

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Where Ella Went, by Laurie Morrison, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Ella is in eighth grade and is captain of her schools soccer team, when she suddenly disappears. Pug and Sadie are classmates and teammates of Ella, and want to find her. I forgot about all the big feels from elementary school. This book had so many emotions throughout it. It was a really good and engaging read.

[Melanie Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laurie Morrison (Coming Up Short, Up For Air, Saint Ivy, Keeping Pace) tackles drama among members of a middle school soccer team and the drama that unfolds among friends, family and school friends when one of them disappears without a word to anyone in this title.

Ella is the top offensive player on her school’s soccer team and her club team, was elected student council president, is a straight-A student and as team captain, always seems to know just what to say or what cookies to bake to keep her school teammates psyched up for the next game. But on the day her team will face their greatest rivals, “Everything Ella,” so-dubbed by a classmate who is not her biggest fan, she doesn’t show up and no one knows where she is, why she left and her parents and the school principal have insisted that no one pursue the mystery or try to contact her. So, of course, several set out to do both those things.

Told in text messages, emails, podcast transcripts and more, key players record their thoughts about the missing 8th grader and detail the ways they attempt to figure out the ways, whys and wheres of her disappearance. Middle grade readers are sure to love the humor of the stuffy principal’s emails about their school’s social contract and how it applies to Ella and her passive aggressive attempts to get more people to read them, will attempt to determine what would make such a successful classmate to disappear and wonder about a whole lot of other encounters and relationships that bubble up among Ella’s peers. Soccer fans, especially, will enjoy accounts of games, notes about coaching personalities and training mishaps. Some, like myself, may find that the search for answers gets a little bogged down in the minutiae at times, but overall, this is the kind of teen drama that will keep 5th-8th grade girls enthralled.

Solid choice for libraries serving grades 5-8 with zero profanity, no sexual content outside one kiss, and only a small amount of violence that is integral to the plot. Positive messages about supporting one another, respecting boundaries, and allowing each other to make mistakes without letting them define who they are. Representation: various family configurations including two moms, traditional two parent, divorced and separated; diverse in race, academic and athletic prowess; one character has ADHD and there is a Neurospicy lunch bunch group w/a guidance counselor.

Thanks for the eARC, Edelweiss.

[Hope Hunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right before the most important soccer game of the season, star-player Ella disappears in a cloud of mystery. Her team was not forewarned, instead they showed up prepared to play the game of their lives to this point, only to discover Ella is gone and all the adults are refusing to tell the rest of the team and Ella's friends why. The kids are certain Ella would never abandon their team like this and begin to investigate.

Another great story that I hope to see on future state reading award nominee lists. There is a lot to this book for middle grade readers (and adults with kids!) This book is about a young girl who is simply too busy and as too high of expectations placed on her and is trying to reach the bard of perfection that has been set. I loved the format of the book - this story is told in texts, podcast transcriptions, and journal entries. Great realistic fiction to library collections.

[Jenn Bishop · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't think of anything that would've sent me down the rabbit hole in middle school quite like a classmate and friend leaving out of nowhere and going incommunicado--with no reasonable explanation from all of the adults. That's the situation Pug and Sadie find themselves in when their well-liked teammate and classmate Ella suddenly doesn't show up for an important soccer game. Combine that premise with a story told across multiple formats -- text messages, emails, podcast recordings, etc. -- and you have the kind of compelling story that will keep a middle schooler off TikTok for the afternoon -- or this distractible grownup off Instagram! Laurie Morrison is at the top of her game with this appealing and riveting upper MG novel.

[Cordelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this newest book by Laurie Morrison. She is just a superstar and combining a moving coming of age story with humor. I loved Pug's spunkiness and determination, Sadie's sensitivity and poems, which really helped to distinguish their voices and the fact that they become friends thrown together by Ella's disappearance. I also think the theme of shame is well-explored from multiple angles, from the kids but also from the adults. I also felt like I knew and understood many of the secondary characters, particularly Sloane and Brayden. I can't wait for kids to read this--I think they will just devour it!

[Quinn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't really enjoy this one. The multimedia format was interesting at first but quickly became grating. Far too much time was spent exploring various unnecessary side plots that didn't really go anywhere. A lot of information could have been cut out to make the story neater and more concise. The big reveal about Ella was underwhelming and I just didn't feel convinced by any of it.

[Ali · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this riveting epistolary mystery in a single sitting. Imagine if Judy Blume wrote Only Murders In the Building. Told through journal entries, podcast transcripts, texts, and narrative prose, WHERE ELLA WENT is not only the story of a star soccer player’s disappearance, but also a complex, funny, and empathetic study in teen friendships, forgiveness, and mental health issues. Middle school readers won’t be able to put it down.