Worth A Thousand Words

by Brigit Young

Whether it’s earrings, homework, or love notes, Tillie “Lost and Found” Green and her camera can find any lost thing—until a search for a missing person forces her to step out from behind the lens.

Ever since a car accident left Tillie Green with lasting painful injuries, she's hidden behind her camera. Through the lenses, she watches her family and classmates, tracking down misplaced items and spotting the small details that tell a much bigger story than the one people usually see. But she isn’t prepared for class clown Jake Hausmann’s request: to find his father. In a matter of days, Tillie goes from silent observer to one half of a detective duo, searching for clues to the mystery of Jake’s dad’s disappearance. When the truth isn’t what Jake wants it to be, and taking photographs starts exposing people’s secrets, Tillie has to decide what—and who—is truly important to her.

Genres: Middle Grade, Mystery, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery Thriller

273 pages, Hardcover

First published August 14, 2018

About the author

Brigit Young is the author of four middle grade novels: WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS, THE PRETTIEST, BRIGHT, and BANNED BOOKS, CROP TOPS, AND OTHER BAD INFLUENCES. Additionally, Brigit has published poetry and short fiction in dozens of literary journals and taught creative writing to kids of all ages.

Brigit lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughters, gecko, and dog. She loves British mystery TV shows, hanging out with her fabulous kids, and tending to her garden.

Reviews

[Jacob Appel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect gift for a family member....

Twelve-year-old Tillie Green, injured in an automobile accident at age eight, compensates for her limp with her photographer's eye, taking pictures of classmates and family members. She earns a reputation as her middle school's "Lost and Found" by solving mysteries through careful examinations of her pictures. Yet some puzzles prove more challenging than others, and when Jake Hausmann asks for help locating his missing father, the pair find themselves embroiled in the complex and fraught adult world of Templeton, Illinois. Part mystery, part bildungsroman, Worth a Thousand Words is a masterful tribute to friendship. Tillie Green proves a precocious and truly lovable heroine who shines in this masterful middle-grade debut.

[Nichelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good book. The character development was awesome. I couldn’t put it down and finished it in one sitting.

[Laura Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to @macmillankidsbooks for the free book to share with @kidlitexchange; it comes out August 14 and belongs in every elementary and middle school library.
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I absolutely loved this #mglit mystery, a DEBUT novel from #BrigitYoung. 5 book for me!
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Here's why:
The characters
Tillie is honest and observant. I loved seeing her grow and come from behind her camera. I love seeing her discover that her classmates aren't as bad as she thought.
Jake is HILARIOUS, kind and funny. Wait, did I say that? ;)
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The mystery
I genuinely didn't know what was going to happen in the beginning, but once I figured it out, the mystery became how it would all resolve. Overall very satisfying to read.
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The emotions
This book is actually a bit heavier than I expected (which is probably why I like it so much...anyone notice how much I like the sad/depressing books??), but it's dealt with so sensitvely. I'm not going to give away what happens, but it's pretty intense. Adults are imperfect and that reality is evident all throughout this book.
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In short, don't miss this one. Debut books often don't get as much press so I'm super happy to be able to spread the good news about this one! I can already think of several kids who are going to love it.
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swipe for the back!
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#kidlitexchange #bookstagram #book #reading #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaholic #booknerd #bookgram #librarian #librariansfollowlibrarians #librariansofinstagram #booklove #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookish #bookaddict #booknerdigans #booknerd #ilovereading #instabook #futurereadylibs #ISTElibs

[Alexa (Alexa Loves Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars! This is a charming little story, and I liked how it focused on both understand one’s self and shifting your perspective on what you really see about yourself and the world.

[Delilah · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a great book that I couldn't stop reading.

[Rosita Alfieri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dopo un terribile incidente avuto da bambina, Tilly non è mai riuscita fisicamente a riprendersi del tutto lasciandola con un'andatura zoppicante. L'incidente ha condizionato tutta la sua vita, inclusa quella sociale. Tilly e timidi e non ha amici. Ma ha qualcosa per gli altri non hanno: una passione sfrenata per la fotografia e la capacità di usare questo suo talento per ritrovare cose scomparse.
Ma quando a scuola un ragazzo gli chiede aiuto per ritrovare non un oggetto ma il suo stesso padre, la vita di Tilly comincia lentamente a cambiare.

Sinceramente non mi aspettavo molto da questo libro, eppuro devo dire di esserne rimasta assolutamente soddisfatta.

La storia si rivolge a un pubblico giovane (pre-adolescente) è cerca di trasmettere dei messaggi importanti, primo tra tutti quello della "diversità". Secondo me è innegabile che l'autrice sia riuscita a toccare tutti i punti giusti e con uno stile fresco e leggero ma non banale.

Nonostante la mia età non ho potuto fare a meno di apprezzare il libro, che è risultata una lettura veloce e intrattenitiva. Si tratta di un libro che io personalmente farei leggere a tutti i ragazzini delle medie... e a dire la verità sarebbe stato bello che le mie insegnanti avessero proposto letture così a i miei tempi!

I protagonisti Tilly e Jack sono stati di una dolcezza infinita e il modo in cui l'autrice li ha caratterizzati ha fatto nascere in me un forte sentimento di protezione nei loro confronti.

La storia in se è molto carina, con questa sorta di investigazione tramite la quale conosciamo man mano ogni aspetto della personalità di Tilly e Jack.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

okay but like why did this make me shed a single tear? kids books are so frickin' sad sometimes :(

3 1/2 stars because the dialogue was kinda cringey at points and I struggled for the majority of the beginning to connect with the main character, but it did get an emotional response from me in a non-emotionally manipulative way, so kudos on that.

read for class!

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and to @kidlitexchange for sharing a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This story of family, friendship and a strong girl’s courage is a memorable one. Tillie was severely injured in an auto accident four years ago when her father was driving faster a bit faster on icy roads than he probably should have been. After many surgeries and countless doctor and physical therapist visits, Tillie still walks with a limp and faces almost constant pain. As a result, she’s shut herself off from her old friends and only views her middle school world through her camera lens - her safety zone. However, her pictures of daily life have caused her to gain a reputation as “lost and found girl” among her classmates, ever since one of her pictures led her to find a bracelet lost by Diana, the most popular girl in seventh grade. This reputation is why Jake, the class clown, comes to Tillie to find what he has lost - his father.

This mystery leads Tillie to summon her courage to step out of her safety zone as she helps Jake search for his father, his best friend, who simply disappeared one day with no explanation. The search helps her to be brave enough to take some chances as she allows Jake to begin to see who she really is. And it allows Tillie to see the real Jake behind the “class clown” mask; to learn that he’s both hilarious and kind. It also leads Tillie to the need to make some very hard choices when she learns the solution to the mystery. It’s a mystery that definitely made me want to continue reading and compelled me to quickly return to learn the ending; the ending which was definitely surprising!

This mystery, a debut from Brigit Young, is one about family, forgiveness and friendship, and deserves to be in every elementary and middle school library. I’ll be looking forward to another book from this author very soon!

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this middle grade novel exploring guilt, friendship, and family issues! Very complex characters, and interesting dialogue in this one. Highly recommend!

[Laurie]

Such a wonderful book! This has a perfect blend of mystery and heart, with interesting, endearing characters. I couldn't put it down!

[Ada Wetherbee · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books this year.

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle-grade books are very hit or miss for me. I mean, I'm an adult, so that's probably to be expected, but I've found that while most children's books and most YA hold up perfectly fine, middle-grade often hits a very particular level of "this is how the world works" that really only works below a certain age. But the few books that don't do that tend to be very good, and this is one of them. It was surprisingly deep for a middle-grade novel, without being overwhelmingly negative or intense. We need more books like this--books that actually address serious issues in a realistic way, rather than either pretending they don't exist or being overly melodramatic and basically a huge downer.

It's easy to like Tillie. She often feels left out or limited because of her disability, but she's also mostly comfortable with who she is and what she's been through. She's far more affected by the way other people treat her for her disability than by the disability itself, but she's not some perfect cherubic kid with no complaints, either. And the way she turned to photography to help her cope, and the way she uses it to feel more comfortable with being on the outside looking in, is done really well.

The whole plot is woven together artfully. Typically, in children's/middle-grade books, the A-plot and B-plot are either almost wholly separate or it beats you over the head with how connected they are. Here, they're both literally and symbolically connected, but that connection is shown naturally. Middle schoolers might not consciously get the symbolic connection, but I think they'll get the gist of it simply from how the story is told.

Surprisingly, it also addresses potential concerns about constantly taking pictures of people without their knowledge or consent, without condemning her passion for photography. While of course taking as many pictures of people as Tillie does isn't healthy, I honestly hadn't even thought about it until it was brought up, because it's so in line with the slightly over-the-top behavior we constantly see going unchecked in fiction.

While the characterization of everyone besides Tillie was a bit weak, it's entirely possible that's deliberate, given that one of the underlying messages is about thinking you know more about what's going on than you actually do. In that case, what we see is Tillie's idea of the people around her, which is naturally shallow, exaggerated, and occasionally inconsistent. I'm not sure if it was fully deliberate or not, because it did feel legitimately uneven at times, but most of the characters did show substantial growth, at least.

I did find myself wondering if Tillie was implied to be gay/bi. There are several instances throughout the book where she longingly admires how beautiful a particular girl or woman is, and aside from one sentence saying she'd "never kissed a boy," there's nothing suggesting attraction to boys whatsoever. I feel like I should say it doesn't really matter, and in a way it doesn't (since, obviously, there's no romance in the book), but we're only just now reaching the point where LGBT presence is barely acceptable in middle-grade. I get why the author didn't explicitly say Tillie likes girls, if the implication was intentional (though I suspect it wasn't)--it's still too controversial outside of "subject novels" at this age level--but there's enough for a young LGBT kid to latch onto for much-needed representation. If we assume that she is, it's refreshing to see a book about an LGBT person just existing, rather than it being entirely about their sexuality. And, if nothing else, at least we have a book about a twelve year old that doesn't end up with her "dating" the boy she's been hanging out with. (Note to authors/publishers: Yes, twelve year olds do "date," and some even go well past sheepish pseudo-dating, but most twelve year olds are, you know, single. Because they're twelve. Stop pairing them off in every mid-grade book. And you're fooling no one with all the "aww they like each other but aren't officially a couple" endings.)

[ReginLaRadiosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Foto” significa luce. E “grafia” significa scrittura o disegno. Dunque “fotografia” significa disegno di luce. A pensarci bene, è molto interessante. Perché noi pensiamo alla fotografia come a uno strumento usato dai nostri genitori per ricordarsi di quando eravamo piccoli, ma in realtà è una scienza e un’arte della luce, e di come la luce si riflette nel mondo.

Tillie è una giovane studentessa alle prese con la magia delle fotografie. In seguito a un incidente stradale che le ha provocato dei gravi danni alla spina dorsale, si è ritrovata sin da piccola a dover fare i conti con una gamba malandata e costanti sedute di fisioterapia.
L’amore per la fotografia è nato grazie al nonno che le ha regalato la sua prima macchina fotografica con la speranza che non si sentisse esclusa dalle attività della famiglia e della vita in generale. La prima foto è stata un’esperienza unica che Tillie si ricorda ancora con chiarezza e da quel momento la sua passione è cresciuta a dismisura.

Tillie aveva passato il primo e il secondo anno nascosta dietro l’obbiettivo della sua macchina fotografica.
[..] Tillie si era calata in quel ruolo, sforzandosi di ridurre al minimo l’interazione sociale – una strana ragazza, forse, se uno ci avesse pensato, ma nessuno perdeva tempo a pensarci, e così Tillie era semplicemente anonima.

La macchina fotografica che Tillie si porta sempre dietro è diventata un’appendice di cui non può fare a meno e passa le sue giornate a fotografare ogni angolo della scuola. Grazie a queste foto molto spesso riesce a ritrovare oggetti dimenticati e perduti, passando dal completo anonimato al soprannome di “Ufficio Oggetti Smarriti” (Lost & Found).

La vera avventura di Tillie inizia quando Jake, un suo compagno di scuola, le chiede aiuto per trovare il padre scomparso. Le ipotesi sono tante e variegate: è stato rapito? Contatta sua madre solo per pochi minuti perché è controllato? Sta fuggendo da uomini del governo? Lavora per la Cia?
Il padre è il migliore amico di Jake e per questo non si capacita di ciò che è successo; è sicuro che sia scomparso per un motivo preciso, ma quale? E come fare per ritrovarlo?

Così Tillie dopo le mille insistenze di Jake, esce dal suo guscio e si lancia in una avventura investigativa che porterà grandi cambiamenti e novità nella sua vita.

“Lost & Found” è un romanzo che mi ha attirata subito e ci ho visto giusto!

Tillie è la protagonista indiscussa del romanzo. Il suo personaggio subisce un cambiamento graduale e delicato che fa emozionare e sorridere perché da adolescente che usa la macchina fotografica per schermarsi dal mondo diventa una ragazza che sfrutta la fotografia per un puro piacere personale.

Inoltre Tillie non si sente normale, la gamba zoppa, la sua timidezza sono le sbarre dietro le quali si sente imprigionata e i genitori non l’aiutano a sentirsi più sicura perché la madre vive nell’apprensione e il padre, che ha provocato inconsapevolmente l’incidente, è posseduto da sensi di colpa e impotenza di fronte alla vista della figlia.

L’arrivo di Jake nella sua vita cambia le carte in tavola perché, grazie alla sua vitalità e alla sua amicizia, Tillie esce dal suo guscio, capisce che la sua vita non è finita dopo quell’incidente e che il suo futuro è pieno di possibilità e speranze.

Forse un giorno avrebbe davvero fatto la detective. Forse avrebbe addirittura lavorato per la Cia. Come fotografa. Forse sarebbe diventata telereporter e avrebbe girato il mondo documentando guerre.

La domanda finale della trama è: fino a che punto ci si può intromettere nella vita degli altri in nome della ricerca della verità?
Scoprirete che non è una risposta facile ma io sono dalla parte di Tilly sempre e comunque!

“Lost & Found” è il libro perfetto per iniziare l’anno nuovo pieni di speranza e positività. Tillie è una ventata di aria fresca: dolce, delicata e intensa.

Feltrinelli Up non mi delude mai! Quando lo leggerete, fatemi sapere cosa ne pensate e forza a tutte le Tillie che sono dentro di noi!

[Alexa Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tillie Green's nickname is Lost and Found because she takes a lot of pictures, notices details and can find stuff that you've lost. This time, a boy named Jake has asked her for help finding his dad. She usually only finds stuff, but he is desperate. They start trying to solve this adult mystery and it works out about how you would think.

What made this story interesting to me is Tillie's leg. It's permanently damaged from a car accident that happened 2 years ago when her father was driving and they skidded on black ice. Her father has not gotten over this yet--he can't look at Tillie, he can't really talk to Tillie and he never drives her anywhere. Her family has treated her disability as such--something that stops her from doing almost anything. Fortunately, her grandfather got her into photography.

But there's something creep about the number of photos she takes and how she files them. I don't know if younger readers will pick up on the fact that this is a little bit weird. I think so, although I know I was trying to give Tillie the benefit of the doubt. But fortunately, her new friend Jake gives her other new friends and has a new perspective on her leg from outside her family.

Lots of growth happens here for Tillie and her father. And they solve the mystery! The mystery is fine, I would say the outstanding portion of this book is the treatment of Tillie's disability and how it has changed her life, for worse. Only now, 2 years later, can Tillie try and make it better. Although there is still a lot left unresolved with her mother so it's not perfect. But those feelings from Tillie are so authentic and the fact that the way she is treated really changes her life for the worse. That's unfortunately authentic too, but hopefully getting better at the end of the book.

[Ornella Calcagnile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recensione completa su Peccati di Penna
Lost & Found è uno young adult fresco, genuino, puro, lontano dai drammi estremi e le storie d'amore troppo complicate per l'età che hanno i personaggi anche perché in questo romanzo i protagonisti sono molto giovani, intorno ai tredici anni, e si trovano ad affrontare situazioni piuttosto comuni che si mescolano alla fantasia. Per farla breve: non ci sono eccessi, sesso o argomenti forti.

Tillie è il nostro punto focale, una ragazza che a causa di un incidente zoppica e prova spesso dolore alla gamba lesa. Per questo suo handicap, la giovane si sente diversa, emarginata, e senza volerlo lei stessa è la prima ad allontanarsi da tutti.
La sua unica valvola di sfogo e la fotografia che da un lato la aiuta e dall'altro contribuisce a metterla nei guai. Tillie è una sorta di piccola investigatrice con un occhio in più che scatta e immortala momenti e particolari. ...continua

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[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give this one a 3.5. I liked the idea behind the book, but was able to solve the mystery pretty quickly. I enjoyed reading this book and found it easy to like the protagonist, twelve-year-old Tillie Green. After she was injured in a car wreck, Tillie has had to endure considerable physical pain and finds it hard to walk as quickly or as smoothly as her classmates. But she's earned a tiny bit of fame through her ability to solve mysteries through the use of her camera. In fact, she's even known as Lost and Found Green because of that ability. When his father seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth amid conflicting stories from his mother, classmate Jake Hausmann begs Tillie to help him find his father. At first Tillie is reluctant to do so because she remembers him making fun of her around some of their classmates. Eventually, her better nature prompts her to do the right thing, the two become friends along the way, and she eventually sorts things out but not in a way that will be pleasing to Jake. While Tillie is searching for the truth about Jake's father, she is also facing some hard truths in her own life related to herself and to her father. Of course, a picture often is worth a thousand words, but sometimes pictures don't tell the whole story, and maybe, just maybe, if she gives others a chance, they might end up becoming her friends and confidants. When Tillie willfully destroys all her cameras, my heart broke for her. This book offers much to think about when it comes to forgiveness, acceptance, and disappointment in the adults in our lives.

[Laina SpareTime]

Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything.

I wrote an entire review from this book and WordPress didn’t save it. I didn’t notice until almost a month later so this review is just gonna suck now.

I really liked this. I really liked how it represented disability and chronic pain as a person with a disability and chronic pain. I especially appreciated the way the book balanced Tillie’s limitations from her chronic pain/disability versus showing she is still capable of things. It really shows her well as a whole person. Being disabled is a part of her, and it’s a fairly big part, but she never becomes a stereotype or one-note. Middle grade literature has a problem with disabled kids being props in what should be their stories and this book is a great example of one that doesn’t do that.

Sorry, this review was better the first time. Highly recommend checking this one out, though. It’s very sweet and funny and it’s a great mystery, too.

Representation: Tillie has mobility issues and chronic pain. I believe she and Jake are both Jewish as well.

Content notes: Mentions of the car accident that caused Tillie’s accident, ableism, some bullying, parental cheating.

[ElleTi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Premesse deboli, uno stile poco originale e un finale da latte alle ginocchia.

Cioè, il padre di Jake, fuggito a casa dell’amante, per tre settimane non si fa vivo col figlio che lo pensa rapito dalla mafia o simili; e quando finalmente la verità viene a galla, grazie al lavoro di Tillie, tutto il biasimo ricade su di lei? Il biasimo di adulti ipocriti che si accorgono della sua attività di fotografa/stalker solo quando questa colpisce i loro interessi. Voglio dire, a scuola Tillie scatta decine di foto al giorno e nessun insegnante (compresa la Martinez) si fa grossi problemi sulla privacy di studenti e docenti.

(Voglio escludere l’ipotesi che nessun insegnante si sia mai accorto delle foto, perché Tillie vive con la macchina fotografica al collo. L’intero corpo docente dev’essere proprio idiota per non fare due più due.)

Quando però sono gli adulti a finire al centro delle foto (la Martinez sulla soglia di casa, il padre di Tillie dal buco della serratura — ma che razza di porte hanno in quella casa??) ecco che scatta il moralismo sulla privacy e il rispetto delle persone, con una forza che non ammette concorso di colpa da parte degli adulti che circondano la ragazzina. Per carità, Tillie è davvero una piccola stalker in erba; ma proprio perché le sue azioni sono gravi, è assurdo che in un ambiente educativo come la scuola abbiano potuto proseguire indisturbate per anni.

[LetyDarcy · Rating 4 out of 5]

⠀
Tillie Green ha avuto un incidente d'auto quando aveva 7 anni ha rischiato di rimanere paralizzata. Cammina per miracolo, ma lo fa zoppiccando vistosamente, imbottendosi di analgesici e visitando continuamente il medico.
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Per il suo ottavo compleanno il nonno le regala una macchina fotografica per fotografare la prima partita di calcio a cui Tillie non parteciperà. È l'inizio di una grande passione che a 13 anni è diventata quasi ossessione. Tillie, timida e silenziosa, osserva il mondo da dietro l'obiettivo e conserva dettagli e ricordi di una vita che non sa vivere. Nelle foto ritrova oggetti e particolari per i suoi compagni di scuola, che la usano per cercare di tutto, dalle cuffiette ai biglietti d'amore.
⠀
Un giorno le si avvicina Jack, un ragazzino nerd e simpatico, che le chiede aiuto per ritrovare il padre scomparso. Jack è una rivoluzione nella vita di Tillie, perché sembra credere che la sua disabilità sia solo un dettaglio fra tanti.
⠀
La trama da qui ha uno sviluppo piuttosto prevedibile, ma è compensata dalla profondità dello sviluppo dei personaggi: Tillie e Jack stanno crescendo e crescere, scopriranno, significa prima di tutto mettere in discussione il mondo degli adulti, anche quelli che sembrano essere un mito, e venire a patto col fatto che fanno errori.
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[Lesley Burnap · Rating 4 out of 5]

My rating if this book vacillates between 3.5-4 stars. I liked this audio-book but it is definitely for OLDER MG readers/listeners due to reason Jake’s dad “disappears” and concern over kids investigating an adult matter. For grades 5/6+.

There was much that I liked about this book-the growing friendship between Tillie & Jake, the development of the character of Tillie, Tillie’s love & use of photography, how the author handles Tillie’s physical difficulties, etc. However, there were some things that stretched my belief in the book, such as Tillie confronting a particular adult. I also think that Jake’s family issue(s) would have been handled differently in real-life. I also wonder about Tillie’s relationship with her father-which seems authentic, being angry with himself/self-loathing, but unfair to Tillie herself. I would like to hear what others think.

[Lizanne Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for an empathy building book, then stop right here. Tillie’s life changes dramatically when she is in a car accident with her father. Her grandfather’s gift of a camera gives her a new interest that leads her to find lost items for her classmates. When Jake asks Tillie to help him find his missing dad, Tillie learns that finding honest answers is not always painless and that friendship can lead to changes she had not foreseen.
Thanks so much to author Brigit Young for choosing me on the Shelf Awareness giveaway. My middle school library patrons are going to live this book.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first middle grade novel that I have ever read that illustrated the importance off catharsis from the eyes of a young adolensce. Tillie doesn't realize how dramatic real life can be until an actual crisis arrives at her locker, begging for help. I'm not going to say much else to save you from spoilers, but I think this novel does a beautiful job of showing grown up problems through the lens of minors who, above all, want to be kept in the know about what goes on in the world of grown ups.

[Jaymie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story about friendship and acceptance that includes an interesting mystery. The photography angle as a means to solve little mysteries - and eventually the big one - was clever. A more grown up Cam Jansen without the photographic memory.

I would say this is for older middle grade readers (10-14) because I found the solution to the mystery to be a little more mature than I would choose for an 8 or 9 year old. Of course, readers of any age come in a variety of maturity levels, but it is something I would keep in mind when recommending it to a reader.

[Ana(stasia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved piecing together the mystery of where Jake's dad went throughout the whole book, but toward the end of the story, I was completely puzzled. I hadn't thought about what had really happened. I always thought Cubicle Man was bad, too, just like Jake and Tillie thought, even though he was just looking out for his friend, even if he made some bad choices. After Tillie found out why Jake's dad was lost, I kind of didn't like Ms. Martinez much anymore, but again, she just made a big mistake that affected someone else's family. Anyway, this book was pretty good. 4.5 stars.

[nel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novel really sweet and short. I enjoyed the plot, it had a good amount of action (as much as a realistic fiction book for middle graders can have) and the author really thought a lot about how the characters would develop as the story progressed. I previously had read a book by this author and liked it so I hoped this was going to be at least as good, and it was! I really liked the whole concept and felt it was executed well. Overall, a really fun book that is lighthearted, yet so realistically emotional.

[Clarissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an entertaining story about likeable characters. The mystery was resolved in a very believable way. A story of two seventh graders, Jake and Tillie, helping each other while solving the mystery of the disappearance of Jake's dad. Because Tillie was injured in a car accident at age nine, she walks with a limp, and is frequently in pain. She has become a self conscious loner who takes pictures of everything, and uses the pictures to help people find lost things. Now Jake has enlisted her help in finding his missing father.

[Anne O'Brien Carelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive this ARC and am sure middle graders will zoom right through it. Not only was it a good story that keeps you wondering what is around the corner, but the characters are believable and engaging. The author did a beautiful job of weaving in the MC's injury and her relationship with her father and friendship with Jake. I hope the author is working on her next book because she will definitely get a following when this book comes out. Highly recommended.

[Kerri Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tillie is good with a camera, so good that out of the many photos she takes she can use them for detective work to find lost items at school. She takes this to a new level when her new friend Jake, loses his dad! Some detection work leads to some astounding results, but does every picture tell the right story? A surprising look at what is true including the friends you make.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Penso che Tillie si sia persa come tutti quegli oggetti che aiuta a ritrovare, ma nel momento in cui ha compreso che non è la fotocamera a dettare le regole ma che ad essere speciale è lei abbia finalmente ritrovato sé stessa

[Malika · Rating 5 out of 5]

This refreshing novel was a page turner. I got sucked in immediately and had to know how the mystery ended. The lovable characters were well-developed. I recommend this to both young readers and adults.