I was so excited to start this debut novel from author Valerie Fraser Luesse. The first thing I usually notice about a book is its cover and I totally loved this one. Missing Isaac is a beautifully written story that takes place during the 1960’s in the small southern town of Glory, Alabama.
The main character was Pete, an eleven year old boy who loses his father to an accident at the beginning of the book. Pete has an unlikely friend on the farm, a field hand named Isaac who works for his grandpa. Pete feels that his mom is so sad about the death of Pete’s dad that he doesn’t want to add to her sorrow by showing his. So Pete shares his feelings with Isaac about his father’s death. Then one day out of the blue, Isaac disappears. Pete is left now without his best friend and he is determined to find out what has happened to him.
There were so many things that I loved about this novel. First the author is just flat out an AMAZING storyteller. The plot was original and flowed smoothly. The characters were believable and wonderfully developed. The dialogue and interaction between the characters was realistic and smooth flowing. Valerie Fraser Luesse’s descriptive prose brings Glory, Alabama and its inhabitants vibrantly to life.
Missing Isaac is a story of class and race in the 1960’s South…a story of loss, unlikely friendships, and a boy’s determination to not give up on a friend…. I hope this is the beginning of a long writing career by this gifted storyteller. Four out of five stars for Missing Isaac!!!
Thank you Valerie Fraser Luesse, Revell, and BookishFirst for providing me with a review copy of this book to read.
The main character was Pete, an eleven year old boy who loses his father to an accident at the beginning of the book. Pete has an unlikely friend on the farm, a field hand named Isaac who works for his grandpa. Pete feels that his mom is so sad about the death of Pete’s dad that he doesn’t want to add to her sorrow by showing his. So Pete shares his feelings with Isaac about his father’s death. Then one day out of the blue, Isaac disappears. Pete is left now without his best friend and he is determined to find out what has happened to him.
There were so many things that I loved about this novel. First the author is just flat out an AMAZING storyteller. The plot was original and flowed smoothly. The characters were believable and wonderfully developed. The dialogue and interaction between the characters was realistic and smooth flowing. Valerie Fraser Luesse’s descriptive prose brings Glory, Alabama and its inhabitants vibrantly to life.
Missing Isaac is a story of class and race in the 1960’s South…a story of loss, unlikely friendships, and a boy’s determination to not give up on a friend…. I hope this is the beginning of a long writing career by this gifted storyteller. Four out of five stars for Missing Isaac!!!
Thank you Valerie Fraser Luesse, Revell, and BookishFirst for providing me with a review copy of this book to read.