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If You Find This
Three boys, two grandpas, a tree, a map and some hidden treasure... Let the adventure begin.Eleven-year-old Nicholas Funes knows he's weird. He plays the violin far too well to be cool, he collects square roots and prime numbers and, weirdest of all, he talks to a tree who he believes is his brother. Plus, he doesn't have all that many friends. But even he is about to struggle with how strange his life is about to get. His long-lost and never-spoken-about Grandfather Rose turns up on Nicholas's doorstep one day, fresh out of a lifetime's prison sentence and suffering from dementia. Curious about this grandfather he's never known, Nicholas tries to unravel Grandfather Rose's stories. In particular, one about the family treasure that he hid years ago and that will be the solution to all their rather pressing financial woes. Because his mother needs to sell their house, and if they leave the house, they'll leave Nicholas's brother behind. And Nicholas is desperate to keep what little family he has together. With the help of two extremely unlikely allies, Nicholas must unwrap the secrets of his family's past in order to give them a shot at a future.
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 17, 2015
26 people are currently reading
1127 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Baker
56 books131 followersNamed one of Variety's "10 Storytellers To Watch," Matthew Baker is the author of the story collections Why Visit America and Hybrid Creatures and the children's novel Key Of X, originally published as If You Find This. Digital experiments include the temporal fiction "Ephemeral," the interlinked novel Untold, the randomized novel Verses, and the intentionally posthumous Afterthought. Born in the Great Lakes region of the United States, the author currently lives in Iceland.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
October 5, 2018
I am amazed that I would like this book so much. It is a book written for the 9-11 age group. Yet our adult book club consisting of 8 women had selected it for our Sept read. I have to admit, I was aghast. Why would the Sept hostess pick this book. I'm glad that she did because I really enjoyed it.
The book is tailor made for someone like me. I was a math major in college and am into music, playing 'a little' piano and doing some singing at church.
From Kirkus Reviews:
Middle school misfit Nicholas embarks on a wild adventure involving long-lost family heirlooms.
Nicholas is a science whiz, a music prodigy and a math genius. He has no friends and is bullied by almost everyone. His stillborn brother is buried in the backyard under a pine tree planted in his memory. Nicholas speaks to him via his violin and hears his voice in the air. He may lose this all-important relationship if his parents are forced to sell their home. His life is further complicated by the arrival of his ex-con, senile grandfather, whose rambling memories hint at buried treasure. When fellow misfits Jordan and Zeke, along with Jordan’s grandfather, form an unholy alliance with Nicholas, they uncover multiple secrets: a haunted house, a mysterious island, shipwrecks, gangsters and more. Convoluted clues, lots of red herrings, interference and danger from many directions all result in a not-so-merry chase—for the characters, though not for readers. As they careen from one mad adventure to another, the boys also discover truths about themselves and how to negotiate the morass of emotions and relationships that form the social jungle. Baker has Nicholas speak directly to readers in the form of annotations, using musical terms like “forte” and “glissando” to indicate voice tones. Nicholas’ voice is so earnest and endearing that readers will root for his success.
My further feelings:
Some parents of kids 9-11 think this an in-appropriate book for children in this age bracket. Topics such as abortion, war, gangsters, dead bodies and a child buried in the backyard seem too mature for this age bracket audience. As I read the book, I thought these topics were handled sensitively and was surprised to see so many parents call this book out. I also noticed that adult readers seemed to really enjoy this book.
There are some things that occur in this book that seem to defy believability, but I still enjoyed it.
5 stars
The book is tailor made for someone like me. I was a math major in college and am into music, playing 'a little' piano and doing some singing at church.
From Kirkus Reviews:
Middle school misfit Nicholas embarks on a wild adventure involving long-lost family heirlooms.
Nicholas is a science whiz, a music prodigy and a math genius. He has no friends and is bullied by almost everyone. His stillborn brother is buried in the backyard under a pine tree planted in his memory. Nicholas speaks to him via his violin and hears his voice in the air. He may lose this all-important relationship if his parents are forced to sell their home. His life is further complicated by the arrival of his ex-con, senile grandfather, whose rambling memories hint at buried treasure. When fellow misfits Jordan and Zeke, along with Jordan’s grandfather, form an unholy alliance with Nicholas, they uncover multiple secrets: a haunted house, a mysterious island, shipwrecks, gangsters and more. Convoluted clues, lots of red herrings, interference and danger from many directions all result in a not-so-merry chase—for the characters, though not for readers. As they careen from one mad adventure to another, the boys also discover truths about themselves and how to negotiate the morass of emotions and relationships that form the social jungle. Baker has Nicholas speak directly to readers in the form of annotations, using musical terms like “forte” and “glissando” to indicate voice tones. Nicholas’ voice is so earnest and endearing that readers will root for his success.
My further feelings:
Some parents of kids 9-11 think this an in-appropriate book for children in this age bracket. Topics such as abortion, war, gangsters, dead bodies and a child buried in the backyard seem too mature for this age bracket audience. As I read the book, I thought these topics were handled sensitively and was surprised to see so many parents call this book out. I also noticed that adult readers seemed to really enjoy this book.
There are some things that occur in this book that seem to defy believability, but I still enjoyed it.
5 stars
May 5, 2015
Eleven-year-old Nicholas, a math and music prodigy, is sad and confused, and what makes it worse is that he has no friends to talk to. His father lost his job, which means that he and his mother are going to have to sell their home and join him in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where he's found work again. There's just one problem: his younger brother is buried under a tree in the yard, and Nicholas doesn't want to leave the tree behind. Enter Grandpa Rose, Nicholas' maternal grandfather. Just released from prison and in the beginning stages of dementia, he insists that there are heirlooms hidden in a local haunted house that will be worth enough to save Nicholas' house. With the help of some unlikely allies, can Nicholas help his grandfather collect enough memories to find the heirlooms?
Oy. Where to begin with this book? It's like the nursery rhyme about the little girl and her little curl: when it was good it was very, very good, but when it was bad it was horrid. I'll begin with what I liked: the premise of a boy trying to extract information from his ailing grandfather in order to find a treasure is a really good one, and although as the book wore on I began to suspect what the ending would be (and liked it), I thought it was a good way to orient a novel. The different perspectives of journal entries from Grandpa Rose and narration from Nicholas helped to immerse me in the worlds of a dementia-addled criminal and an eleven-year-old boy at the same time. The writing was really lyrical and pretty in many places.
But for me, the good can't make up for the bad, I'm afraid. First of all, the stupid musical notation every time anything in the text made a noise - good grief, it was enough to make me want to stop reading halfway through. Heaven forbid the author just say that someone shouted something without printing (fortissimo) underneath it. Conversations were incredibly aggravating to read because (forte) or (mezzo-piano) was printed under each "said," and although I get that the author made this choice because Nicholas is a musical prodigy, it is a gimmick that I could definitely have done without and I think it is going to turn off a lot of target-aged readers.
I hesitate to criticize Nicholas' relationship with the tree representing the brother that their mother miscarried, particularly given the dedication alluding to the author's own losses. But it was peculiar and not very well developed, and didn't make much sense. Eleven is a little old to actually believe that you can communicate with a tree by playing a violin, and although I understand Nicholas' attachment to the tree, I find it hard to swallow that he actually thinks he needs to "save his brother."
Finally, for an action-adventure book, this dragged way too much. Snappiness is key when you're trying to write a book like this for children, and it just felt bloated and I found myself skimming page after page of meaningless conversation in order to try to get to the places where the plot would advance. After reading Avi's excellent Catch You Later, Traitor, which built suspense nicely and kept the action moving, this was a particularly glaring problem with the book.
I didn't like this book personally and won't be recommending it to target-aged readers, as I don't think they'll like it, either. Too bad, since Baker has a gift for language.
Oy. Where to begin with this book? It's like the nursery rhyme about the little girl and her little curl: when it was good it was very, very good, but when it was bad it was horrid. I'll begin with what I liked: the premise of a boy trying to extract information from his ailing grandfather in order to find a treasure is a really good one, and although as the book wore on I began to suspect what the ending would be (and liked it), I thought it was a good way to orient a novel. The different perspectives of journal entries from Grandpa Rose and narration from Nicholas helped to immerse me in the worlds of a dementia-addled criminal and an eleven-year-old boy at the same time. The writing was really lyrical and pretty in many places.
But for me, the good can't make up for the bad, I'm afraid. First of all, the stupid musical notation every time anything in the text made a noise - good grief, it was enough to make me want to stop reading halfway through. Heaven forbid the author just say that someone shouted something without printing (fortissimo) underneath it. Conversations were incredibly aggravating to read because (forte) or (mezzo-piano) was printed under each "said," and although I get that the author made this choice because Nicholas is a musical prodigy, it is a gimmick that I could definitely have done without and I think it is going to turn off a lot of target-aged readers.
I hesitate to criticize Nicholas' relationship with the tree representing the brother that their mother miscarried, particularly given the dedication alluding to the author's own losses. But it was peculiar and not very well developed, and didn't make much sense. Eleven is a little old to actually believe that you can communicate with a tree by playing a violin, and although I understand Nicholas' attachment to the tree, I find it hard to swallow that he actually thinks he needs to "save his brother."
Finally, for an action-adventure book, this dragged way too much. Snappiness is key when you're trying to write a book like this for children, and it just felt bloated and I found myself skimming page after page of meaningless conversation in order to try to get to the places where the plot would advance. After reading Avi's excellent Catch You Later, Traitor, which built suspense nicely and kept the action moving, this was a particularly glaring problem with the book.
I didn't like this book personally and won't be recommending it to target-aged readers, as I don't think they'll like it, either. Too bad, since Baker has a gift for language.
June 24, 2015
What a strange, charming, creepy, heart-tugging adventure. I do wonder if some of it might go over the heads of younger readers, but as an adult, I loved it. Nicholas, Zeke and Jordan make a great trio of misfit heroes.
December 16, 2024
Reread from ten years ago, from when I was a lot younger and the world felt a lot bigger and scarier.
At the time I wasn’t sure whether I liked this book. It plays with text and typography to the point that it almost feels like it’s doing too much. I was skeptical of the main character’s supposedly “genius” brain. But passages stuck with me for years. There are so many yous that you’ve been. Even She gave me my knees. (I promise it makes sense in context.)
A decade later, I’ve never read another book quite like this one. It’s not perfect. It’s maybe overstuffed with ideas and themes, the way debuts often are. But I’ve carried it with me for a decade, and that counts for a lot.
***
"Do you know the thing about violins and fiddles?" I said. "They're these musical instruments. But they’re actually the same instrument. The difference is how you play it. If you play the instrument this way, it's a violin. If you play the instrument that way, it's a fiddle. That's the choice you have to make, as the musician, every time you play it. But you have to make the choice with yourself, too. You play yourself this way, you're a fiddle. But you play yourself that way, and then you're a violin, a completely different sound, something you never knew you could be." —p. 269
At the time I wasn’t sure whether I liked this book. It plays with text and typography to the point that it almost feels like it’s doing too much. I was skeptical of the main character’s supposedly “genius” brain. But passages stuck with me for years. There are so many yous that you’ve been. Even She gave me my knees. (I promise it makes sense in context.)
A decade later, I’ve never read another book quite like this one. It’s not perfect. It’s maybe overstuffed with ideas and themes, the way debuts often are. But I’ve carried it with me for a decade, and that counts for a lot.
***
"Do you know the thing about violins and fiddles?" I said. "They're these musical instruments. But they’re actually the same instrument. The difference is how you play it. If you play the instrument this way, it's a violin. If you play the instrument that way, it's a fiddle. That's the choice you have to make, as the musician, every time you play it. But you have to make the choice with yourself, too. You play yourself this way, you're a fiddle. But you play yourself that way, and then you're a violin, a completely different sound, something you never knew you could be." —p. 269
March 31, 2015
If You Find This was a change of pace, and a much needed one. I don’t often read middle grade, because it is often a very quick read with little depth involved in the stories. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of depth and absorption within this book. And I was also surprised by the fact that this was written by a debut author. Having read and reviewed so many books, there are just things I don’t expect to find in a book from a debut author, it’s not because they don’t have the talent, I just find certain aspects of writing come to fruition better in later books from authors, rather than debuts.
Matthew is an amazing storyteller, and once you jump into If You Find This, you won’t be able to pull yourself out of it. Like with most middle grade books, it will undoubtedly be a quick read for anyone that mainly reads YA, but it has that feel you would expect from a YA book as far as the depth of the story. It’s just naturally toned down to help make it easier for younger people to read. This is a perfect book for a young person making that transition from MG to YA, in my opinion. It will give them a glimpse of what to expect in YA, while still giving them that really fun aspect you tend to get from most MG books.
Nicholas was definitely a unique character. You could easily tell that he was going to be an interesting character from the start, and you won’t be disappointed as he really keeps up that persona throughout the entire book. I wouldn’t go as far to say that he is my favorite MG character, because I don’t really feel as though he was. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great character, and a character that I feel many people will be able to like.
Overall the story was really well rounded. I didn’t find any major plot holes, or anything that left me asking a lot of questions or not feeling like the story was going in the direction it should be. Matthew did a great job writing the book in a way that is very fluid, and easy to keep up with. I can’t imagine many people going through this book and ever really hitting a spot in which they say they are confused or not able to keep up. It’s a very straightforward story, which I feel is a great thing as far as what I feel Matthew was trying to accomplish with the story.
I know many YA readers tend to shy away from MG books, because they feel as though they might be a little childish, etc. If you are hesitant about that with this book, you shouldn’t be. It’s a really great book, and while it is definitely aimed at a younger audience, there is something here for everyone to enjoy if you are willing to give the story a chance.
Matthew is an amazing storyteller, and once you jump into If You Find This, you won’t be able to pull yourself out of it. Like with most middle grade books, it will undoubtedly be a quick read for anyone that mainly reads YA, but it has that feel you would expect from a YA book as far as the depth of the story. It’s just naturally toned down to help make it easier for younger people to read. This is a perfect book for a young person making that transition from MG to YA, in my opinion. It will give them a glimpse of what to expect in YA, while still giving them that really fun aspect you tend to get from most MG books.
Nicholas was definitely a unique character. You could easily tell that he was going to be an interesting character from the start, and you won’t be disappointed as he really keeps up that persona throughout the entire book. I wouldn’t go as far to say that he is my favorite MG character, because I don’t really feel as though he was. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great character, and a character that I feel many people will be able to like.
Overall the story was really well rounded. I didn’t find any major plot holes, or anything that left me asking a lot of questions or not feeling like the story was going in the direction it should be. Matthew did a great job writing the book in a way that is very fluid, and easy to keep up with. I can’t imagine many people going through this book and ever really hitting a spot in which they say they are confused or not able to keep up. It’s a very straightforward story, which I feel is a great thing as far as what I feel Matthew was trying to accomplish with the story.
I know many YA readers tend to shy away from MG books, because they feel as though they might be a little childish, etc. If you are hesitant about that with this book, you shouldn’t be. It’s a really great book, and while it is definitely aimed at a younger audience, there is something here for everyone to enjoy if you are willing to give the story a chance.
November 30, 2015
In my reading career I have come across many books that I really enjoyed, was captivated by, found compelling. Fewer are the characters that I have LOVED (Wesley and George,
Joey Pigza, Flavia de Luce). Nicholas, Zeke, and Jordan of If You Find This join this group of beloved characters. These are troubled, quirky, difficult people, who are all doing the best with the lives they have been handed. I found each boy's personality intriguing and interesting. I loved Nicholas' relationship with his brother and Zeke's with his wolfdogs. Jordan...well, I appreciated learning more about why Jordan gave people nicknames. The adventure these three boys go on is exciting and important. The side trips and detours and roadblocks are interesting. The ending is unexpected and unforeseen but most realistic. This isn't an easy or simple read; like the boys, Baker's writing is quirky and odd and sometimes discomfiting. But like the boys, spending time with the story is well worthwhile.
Joey Pigza, Flavia de Luce). Nicholas, Zeke, and Jordan of If You Find This join this group of beloved characters. These are troubled, quirky, difficult people, who are all doing the best with the lives they have been handed. I found each boy's personality intriguing and interesting. I loved Nicholas' relationship with his brother and Zeke's with his wolfdogs. Jordan...well, I appreciated learning more about why Jordan gave people nicknames. The adventure these three boys go on is exciting and important. The side trips and detours and roadblocks are interesting. The ending is unexpected and unforeseen but most realistic. This isn't an easy or simple read; like the boys, Baker's writing is quirky and odd and sometimes discomfiting. But like the boys, spending time with the story is well worthwhile.
June 8, 2015
SUMMARY: Nicholas has had several difficulties in his life. His younger brother died, his father lost his job, and now they must sell their house. Nicholas does not want to leave his house because his baby brother was buried in the backyard under a large tree. He believes the tree to be the spirit of his brother. His grandfather has shown up after getting out of prison. But not all is well with his grandfather who is failing from dementia. At school, Nicholas is a genius, excelling at math and violin, but has no friends. He spends every day eating his lunch in the bathroom by himself. His grandfather claims to have hidden a trunk of heirlooms. If Nicholas helps him find them, he would have money to keep the house. Through many crazy events, Nicholas teams up with two other misfits for school as well as one of their grandfathers to find the treasure. Through the hunt, he gets to know his grandfather as well as himself.
THE GOOD: There are parts to the hunt that are quite interesting and keep you riveted. I desperately wanted to get to the end to see what was in the trunk.
THE NOT AS GOOD: Where to begin? First, the writing of the story is poor. The sentences are choppy and the description is extremely weak. The author uses the same descriptive words over and over and over again. Then there is the issue of the author's use of musical and mathematical words throughout the entire story. This is overdone to the nth degree. When a person is speaking, the author uses forte or piano in parentheses throughout the book. This is extremely distracting. Often, throughout the book, Nicholas will stop to explain a musical term and how it must explain the mood of the moment. A couple of these might have worked, but there were far too many. During the dialogue, instead of making it a natural part of the action going on, the author uses "he said" and "she said" for every single piece of dialogue! This brought me to annoyance within the first chapter.
Almost every single character was unlikeable. They were bullies, thieves, criminals, snobbish, or just plain weird. There is a fine line between quirky and weird. Baker crossed over this line several times. Nicholas has a very strange belief that his brother is the tree in the backyard. He plays his violin as a way to communicate to the tree, and Nicholas believes the tree speaks back to him. Jordan is mean to people because he believes he will become his abusive father. Tragedy was overdone excessively. Everyone had a major sob story which was used to excuse their bad behavior. The book was full of extremely unrealistic bad behavior such as daily stealing and bullying. Plot twists were strange, random, and unrealistic. The bullies never receive what they deserve. Everyone just shrugs off their bad behavior. And I was highly disturbed by the fact that Nichoas kept his grandfather in an abandoned house living off of canned fruits and vegetables. The grandfather becomes ill because of this. The ending is such a complete let down that I was mad at myself for completing the book to get to the ending.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: This book is advertized for ages 8-12 which is completely inappropriate for the maturity of the story for the following content:
A dead baby buried in the backyard, bullying (lots), stealing(lots), a seance complete with a pentagram, dead bodies being dumped by gangsters and descriptions of the condition of the bodies, gangs, death, fighting, and discussions about abortion, euthanasia, war, and violence.
This book should not be read read by anyone below middle school age.
THE GOOD: There are parts to the hunt that are quite interesting and keep you riveted. I desperately wanted to get to the end to see what was in the trunk.
THE NOT AS GOOD: Where to begin? First, the writing of the story is poor. The sentences are choppy and the description is extremely weak. The author uses the same descriptive words over and over and over again. Then there is the issue of the author's use of musical and mathematical words throughout the entire story. This is overdone to the nth degree. When a person is speaking, the author uses forte or piano in parentheses throughout the book. This is extremely distracting. Often, throughout the book, Nicholas will stop to explain a musical term and how it must explain the mood of the moment. A couple of these might have worked, but there were far too many. During the dialogue, instead of making it a natural part of the action going on, the author uses "he said" and "she said" for every single piece of dialogue! This brought me to annoyance within the first chapter.
Almost every single character was unlikeable. They were bullies, thieves, criminals, snobbish, or just plain weird. There is a fine line between quirky and weird. Baker crossed over this line several times. Nicholas has a very strange belief that his brother is the tree in the backyard. He plays his violin as a way to communicate to the tree, and Nicholas believes the tree speaks back to him. Jordan is mean to people because he believes he will become his abusive father. Tragedy was overdone excessively. Everyone had a major sob story which was used to excuse their bad behavior. The book was full of extremely unrealistic bad behavior such as daily stealing and bullying. Plot twists were strange, random, and unrealistic. The bullies never receive what they deserve. Everyone just shrugs off their bad behavior. And I was highly disturbed by the fact that Nichoas kept his grandfather in an abandoned house living off of canned fruits and vegetables. The grandfather becomes ill because of this. The ending is such a complete let down that I was mad at myself for completing the book to get to the ending.
AGE RECOMMENDATION: This book is advertized for ages 8-12 which is completely inappropriate for the maturity of the story for the following content:
A dead baby buried in the backyard, bullying (lots), stealing(lots), a seance complete with a pentagram, dead bodies being dumped by gangsters and descriptions of the condition of the bodies, gangs, death, fighting, and discussions about abortion, euthanasia, war, and violence.
This book should not be read read by anyone below middle school age.
March 22, 2015
Nicholas is one of those kids that isn’t fitting in and he knows it. His dad is off in another part of the state working and his mom is trying to make ends meet. And then who arrives into their lives but his grandfather. Who Nicholas thought was dead. But he wasn’t. He was just in prison. His grandfather has always been one of those fellows who just can’t stay out of trouble, and he got mixed up with gangsters somehow and wasn’t really part of his family’s lives. Now he wants to make up for those years. He’s confused, though, and he needs a lot of help to figure out the words he had tattooed on himself, words that can lead Nicholas to the family heirlooms.
This is a fabulous adventure story, and you really must read it. It has both characters that seem very real and lots of surprises in the plot. Okay, I’ll say it again: give it a read.
This is a fabulous adventure story, and you really must read it. It has both characters that seem very real and lots of surprises in the plot. Okay, I’ll say it again: give it a read.
May 30, 2017
Staff Pick
This is a page-turning adventure tale full of quirky characters. After breaking two grandpas out of the rest home and moving them into the ghost house, Nicholas and his friends are on the hunt to find heirlooms worth enough money to give each of them everything they want.
This is a page-turning adventure tale full of quirky characters. After breaking two grandpas out of the rest home and moving them into the ghost house, Nicholas and his friends are on the hunt to find heirlooms worth enough money to give each of them everything they want.
April 14, 2015
I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. That’s not to say that I wasn’t expecting it to be good. I’m a sucker for anything vaguely related to treasure hunts. But Baker definitely surprised me, in a good way, with his vivid, three-dimensional characters, his intriguing ideas, and his very atmospheric prose. I fell for all of the characters, hard, and when they suffered, my heart cracked. I assure you, If You Find This definitely deserves to be found and every word of it savored.
If You Find This is the story of Nicholas, a teenage prodigy in math and music who is facing a problem a lot of people have faced, the looming threat of having to move away from one’s roots. But in Nicholas’s case, it’s worse, because his home contains a tree that Nicholas believes is the spirit of his brother, who was stillborn. (Weird, I know, but it definitely works in the context of the story.) Enter Nicholas’s grandfather, a former criminal who is fairly certain that he buried valuable heirlooms nearby.
Before long, Nicholas joins forces with Zeke, his thieving locker partner, and Jordan, whom everyone hates, and tries to hunt down the heirlooms. All three of these people have stories to explain their rather bizarre and misanthropic behavior. They’re not caricatures; all three of them feel like they have more depth than some people I know. You can’t help but liking these characters, even when they’re taking their anger out on the world, or each other.
I was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the ideas Baker was able to come up with. His perspective on life is unique and I don’t think I remember ever being taken with an author’s ideas so much since I read Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, so that’s some fairly prestigious company that he’s in. For example, early on in the story Nicholas mentions being saddened by the fact that he’s only ever going to be himself. Nicholas also thinks that everyone has words that can destroy them, words that can crush your spirit. And that’s true, when you think about it. So he really made me think. I like authors who make me think.
One thing that really annoyed and confused the hell out of me was the constant musical notations that Nicholas makes very often. I’m not musically inclined, and I understand that it’s an expression of his character, but it got distracting from time to time. The ending was also fairly unsatisfying, although it redeemed itself slightly on the last page. But I think that’s reflective of real life. We don’t always get the endings we want. We get the endings we’re given.
Matthew Baker was able to take what would have otherwise been a pedestrian treasure hunt and infuse it with wit, charm, and effervescent characters in his debut novel. I can only imagine what sort of fascinating stories he’ll come up with in the future, but one thing is for sure: I very much look forward to finding out.
If You Find This is the story of Nicholas, a teenage prodigy in math and music who is facing a problem a lot of people have faced, the looming threat of having to move away from one’s roots. But in Nicholas’s case, it’s worse, because his home contains a tree that Nicholas believes is the spirit of his brother, who was stillborn. (Weird, I know, but it definitely works in the context of the story.) Enter Nicholas’s grandfather, a former criminal who is fairly certain that he buried valuable heirlooms nearby.
Before long, Nicholas joins forces with Zeke, his thieving locker partner, and Jordan, whom everyone hates, and tries to hunt down the heirlooms. All three of these people have stories to explain their rather bizarre and misanthropic behavior. They’re not caricatures; all three of them feel like they have more depth than some people I know. You can’t help but liking these characters, even when they’re taking their anger out on the world, or each other.
I was absolutely flabbergasted by some of the ideas Baker was able to come up with. His perspective on life is unique and I don’t think I remember ever being taken with an author’s ideas so much since I read Diane Duane’s Young Wizards series, so that’s some fairly prestigious company that he’s in. For example, early on in the story Nicholas mentions being saddened by the fact that he’s only ever going to be himself. Nicholas also thinks that everyone has words that can destroy them, words that can crush your spirit. And that’s true, when you think about it. So he really made me think. I like authors who make me think.
One thing that really annoyed and confused the hell out of me was the constant musical notations that Nicholas makes very often. I’m not musically inclined, and I understand that it’s an expression of his character, but it got distracting from time to time. The ending was also fairly unsatisfying, although it redeemed itself slightly on the last page. But I think that’s reflective of real life. We don’t always get the endings we want. We get the endings we’re given.
Matthew Baker was able to take what would have otherwise been a pedestrian treasure hunt and infuse it with wit, charm, and effervescent characters in his debut novel. I can only imagine what sort of fascinating stories he’ll come up with in the future, but one thing is for sure: I very much look forward to finding out.
March 21, 2015
I love it when you receive a truly great book in the mail from the publisher! Matthew Baker's storytelling skills are unique and vivid=almost like he is Nicholas Funes himself. The first chapter pulled me in and I had to go back and reread it to nearby friends just so they could confirm it's realness. It begins: "My brother is a tree. He wasn't always a tree. When I was seven, my mom was pregnant and my brother was inside her. I had been asking for a brother for years and years and years, and now I was finally going to have one. But the night before my eighth birthday, my brother came out to soon. He was half-grown, unfinished. There was nothing the doctors could do. He was already dead. We hadn't even named him yet." Nicholas relays the rest of the story to us in such a matter-of-fact manner that we just have to believe in him. Truly the most unique book I've read for elementary students in awhile.
(finished~roadtrip home from Arkansas)
(finished~roadtrip home from Arkansas)
May 31, 2015
Some stories are best told in a simple linear fashion. Others are greatly enhanced by creative structure. Where’d You Go Bernadette, I’ll Give You the Sun, Cross Over, and Brown Girl Dreaming come to mind. In his debut novel, If You Find This, Matthew Baker chose two highly intelligent devices to incorporate into his story: His main character’s fixation on prime numbers, and the use of musical notations in the text. Piano, forte, da capo, staccato, allegro.These are more than gimmicks, they are essential to Baker’s well-told story. And further, music and math will engage both teachers and students as they read the delightful adventure of Nicholas who sets out on a treasure hunt in a cast of misfits.
Corabelshofner.com
Corabelshofner.com
March 26, 2015
Baker has written a mystery adventure story with a unique main character. Eleven-year-old Nicholas has a lot to deal with. His talents in math and music and special ways of looking at the world have isolated him from everyone else his age. He bonds with two other friendless kids at school to find a treasure that might give each one of them something they so desperately need. I enjoyed reading about these characters and cared about their struggles all the way to the end.
Recommended for children in grades 4-7.
Reviewed by Carol Kaner, Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library
Recommended for children in grades 4-7.
Reviewed by Carol Kaner, Youth Services, Vernon Area Public Library
January 5, 2016
This book is categorized in the 4th to 8th grade reading level, yet it brings up topics that are not appropriate for 9 and 11 year old children. My kids loved the first chapter, and we were excited to continue reading. But as the story progressed, this author brought up strange topics out of no where, that he may feel strongly about, but are just not appropriate for the recommended age group.
These topics are debated or mentioned in detail in this book: abortion, euthanasia, same-sex attraction, war, stealing, seances, descriptions of dead bodies.
These topics are debated or mentioned in detail in this book: abortion, euthanasia, same-sex attraction, war, stealing, seances, descriptions of dead bodies.
May 1, 2015
Nicholas is a lonely math genius who rescues his grandfather from a nursing home to go on a treasure hunt. This is a sad adventure story with resilient misfits who will lie and steal to achieve their goals. A complex story for mature middle grade readers that feels like a Tom Sawyer / Holes mashup. I particularly enjoyed that one of the grandfathers in the story is a retired school librarian and is often referred to as a superlibrarian.
September 28, 2015
The characters are 11 and deal with way to many depressing and conflicting topics that I don't want my 11 year old reading about and thinking are normal. Including Bulling, dysfunctional families, gay questioning, death and grieving, smoking teenagers, seances, french kissing, abortion, euthanasia, war, gangs, descriptions of dead bodies, lots of sealing just to name a few. The idea of the story and treasure hunt is good, but just to much other stuff to deal with.
October 13, 2014
I think this book is special.
February 26, 2016
Not my typical genre, but this book was worth the divergence. It was exceptional.
July 29, 2015
page five. already poignant.
November 16, 2015
Too obtuse for me.
November 13, 2022
Bored at my sisters' house last New Year, I flipped through the first chapter of this book. I met a boy who believes the tree in the backyard is his brother. His parents told him it was after losing his brother in a miscarriage and planting the tree in the baby's honor.
I was half-horrified, half-fascinated. I kept thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. What if the tree died? What if they moved? These parents would traumatize their kid for a second time!
I mentioned this to my sister and she gave me her trademark "no duh" expression. "That's the point of the book."
Which, in retrospect, is an arguable statement but it sure got me to read the story.
This is one of those books that seems inescapably middle school and yet entirely beloved because of it. Think The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet or The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone. The narrator is naïve, awkward, and loyal. It isn't quite a coming of age, magical realism story, but it walks the line between the two.
Solid audiobook and worth the read if you like the middle school genre.
I was half-horrified, half-fascinated. I kept thinking of all the ways it could go wrong. What if the tree died? What if they moved? These parents would traumatize their kid for a second time!
I mentioned this to my sister and she gave me her trademark "no duh" expression. "That's the point of the book."
Which, in retrospect, is an arguable statement but it sure got me to read the story.
This is one of those books that seems inescapably middle school and yet entirely beloved because of it. Think The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet or The Extremely Inconvenient Adventures of Bronte Mettlestone. The narrator is naïve, awkward, and loyal. It isn't quite a coming of age, magical realism story, but it walks the line between the two.
Solid audiobook and worth the read if you like the middle school genre.
December 10, 2016
Given to me by a student who loves to read as much as I do, If You Find This did not disappoint. I knew I'd be hooked from the beginning by the quirky narrator.
A math and music genius who struggles with peer relationships, Nicholas is determined to save his "brother" (the tree) and save his family. He embarks on an adventure to find his family heirlooms with the help of his senile grandfather, some unlikely friends and enemies, and a whole lot of adventure. A complicated adventure with quirky characters and unlikely events (hidden caves, tattooed treasure maps, codes to break, and mathematical and musical references). Nicholas must risk everything to save his family home before it sells, but can he do it in time, and will his grandfather's memory return enough to unlock the secrets inside? Can his new "friends" help?
An unexpected, fun book. Entirely unpredictable and unrealistically fully of twists and turn. Kept me on the edge of my seat (bed).
A math and music genius who struggles with peer relationships, Nicholas is determined to save his "brother" (the tree) and save his family. He embarks on an adventure to find his family heirlooms with the help of his senile grandfather, some unlikely friends and enemies, and a whole lot of adventure. A complicated adventure with quirky characters and unlikely events (hidden caves, tattooed treasure maps, codes to break, and mathematical and musical references). Nicholas must risk everything to save his family home before it sells, but can he do it in time, and will his grandfather's memory return enough to unlock the secrets inside? Can his new "friends" help?
An unexpected, fun book. Entirely unpredictable and unrealistically fully of twists and turn. Kept me on the edge of my seat (bed).
November 19, 2018
Before you go reading reviews. Please give a second thought about it. I suggest you read the book before you read the reviews. For starters, everyone has their own opinion on books. I saw so many low ratings on this that I just wanted to not read it anymore. I did anyways and I have no regrets at all. This counts for any book you read. most of the time, you are more drawn to the lowest ratings of the book. You got take into that what you might like someone else might not or vice versa.
Despite , the fact that this is my first review, please keep in mind. That these are my own opinions and you probably won’t like the book the same way I do.
For a middle grade book, I believe this was written very good. This Is not a young adult, so don’t go into it with a mind like it is. I personally prefer middle grade books over young adult.
First, In my own opinion it was paced very good. If the pace was any faster, I believe you wouldn’t see the character development. From Nicholas , Zeke and Jordan. Each with their own set of personalities and characters development throughout the story. Which I personally like seeing in a story.
Second, the little words underneath said or yelled did not bother me. As matter of fact, I believed it added character to the story as a whole. Plus, is also connected with the main character and what they love to do. Also , they are very subtle and very easy to know what each word means. ( or you could just ignore them as the story goes)
Third, if there is one thing that caught my attention was how the story ended.It didn’t end like other middle grade books which is a big plus for me .
Last, I liked how realistic the characters were in the book. There’s no arrogance from the main character. The side characters were treated like they had a purpose in the story unlike other books I’ve read .And how it took time for all of them to get along with each other.
So, in the future I might try other books by this author. Which is good for me because I’m usually picky reader.
I suggest if you like adventure, true and honest character development, humor, and the such a wonderful journey that this book brings. Then why not try it out for yourself. If not, no bad feelings!
Despite , the fact that this is my first review, please keep in mind. That these are my own opinions and you probably won’t like the book the same way I do.
For a middle grade book, I believe this was written very good. This Is not a young adult, so don’t go into it with a mind like it is. I personally prefer middle grade books over young adult.
First, In my own opinion it was paced very good. If the pace was any faster, I believe you wouldn’t see the character development. From Nicholas , Zeke and Jordan. Each with their own set of personalities and characters development throughout the story. Which I personally like seeing in a story.
Second, the little words underneath said or yelled did not bother me. As matter of fact, I believed it added character to the story as a whole. Plus, is also connected with the main character and what they love to do. Also , they are very subtle and very easy to know what each word means. ( or you could just ignore them as the story goes)
Third, if there is one thing that caught my attention was how the story ended.It didn’t end like other middle grade books which is a big plus for me .
Last, I liked how realistic the characters were in the book. There’s no arrogance from the main character. The side characters were treated like they had a purpose in the story unlike other books I’ve read .And how it took time for all of them to get along with each other.
So, in the future I might try other books by this author. Which is good for me because I’m usually picky reader.
I suggest if you like adventure, true and honest character development, humor, and the such a wonderful journey that this book brings. Then why not try it out for yourself. If not, no bad feelings!
September 10, 2018
Okay, true confession, I didn’t finish the book. But that was because the kids started to do a seance, and I finally said enough was enough. There had been enough red flags I’d tried to ignore throughout (“boylover” being one standout, a nickname one boy gave a fellow male classmate), but the seance was enough to remind me of my own reading criteria and give me the out I needed to not continue.
Agreed with other readers that the subtext denoting piano terms (pianissimo, forte, and everything in between) was distracting, if not downright annoying at times. Initially clever, but man, we get it already.
Agreed with other readers that the subtext denoting piano terms (pianissimo, forte, and everything in between) was distracting, if not downright annoying at times. Initially clever, but man, we get it already.
July 7, 2022
This was fun. I think there are aspects to the writing (mostly adding musical dynamics to everything) that make it more interesting, but will also make it more challenging for readers. The narrator himself is also a bit of a challenge because he thinks differently - again, if a student is able to follow it (conversations with his brother the tree), it’s both touching and fun. Lots of adventure and solving clues. I hope some of my students will love to see how the author makes some of his own rules.
June 17, 2018
The concept of this book is clever. It's written with musical and mathematical notations that show how loudly or quickly, slowly or softly noises and words happen. That's the only reason why I gave it two stars. But the story line kind of fell flat for me. What's with all the books lately about crazy grandfathers? And this one was very anti-climatic and I think tried to be more than it actually was.
August 13, 2018
This was a great audio to have in the car. Some preteen boys trying to track down grandpa's lost treasures. If they can find them it will solve their problems (like not having to move). My favorite was the two personalities of the the two grandpas that escape from the nursing home together and then take care of each other while hidden away in the "ghost house."
#50/50BookQuest categories= Book with a mystery, book from the bottom shelf, verb in the title, and written in first person.
#50/50BookQuest categories= Book with a mystery, book from the bottom shelf, verb in the title, and written in first person.
January 8, 2018
Excellent modern-day treasure hunt story for older children, looking at issues like peer pressure, what it is to be 'normal', the difficulties that come with acute intelligence, and the meaning of loyalty and friendship. Beautiful depiction of how a relationship can continue after death. And a happy ending.
April 4, 2019
Nicolas lives with his mom bear the lakes of Michigan, his father in the UP trying to find work. His grandfather mysteriously reappears after a prison stint. His grandfather shares a tale of heirlooms and fortune that might help Nicolas and his family save their home. Creative story with unique characters.
Began to drag a bit towards the end.
Began to drag a bit towards the end.
March 15, 2021
I love a good mystery and this book started out really strong, but it lost some momentum towards the end as the plotting became more convoluted. The musical annotations were a clever idea in a book about a young mathematical and musical genius, but ultimately they became too distracting. I would also have liked to see Zeke's identity explored a little more.
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