Missing Okalee Review

 

About the Book
When compared to her nearly perfect little sister, Phoebe Paz Petersen feels she doesn't measure up in her parents’ eyes. Okalee is smart and beloved for her sunny disposition, but if Phoebe can get picked for the coveted solo in the school choir, she’ll stop being a middle-school nobody and finally get her chance to shine.

The sisters have one very special, secret tradition: River Day—when they hold hands and make their way across the cold, rushing Grayling River to celebrate the first hint of spring. This year’s River Day crossing, however, goes horribly wrong, and Phoebe’s world is suddenly turned upside down.

Heartbroken and facing life without Okalee, Phoebe is more determined than ever to sing the solo in the school concert as a way of speaking to her sister one last time. But Phoebe’s so traumatized by what happened, she’s lost her beautiful singing voice.

Kat Waters wants the solo for herself and is spreading a terrible rumor about what really happened to Okalee on River Day. If Phoebe tells the truth, she fears her family will never forgive her and she may never get to sing her goodbye to Okalee.

About the Author

LAURA OJEDA MELCHOR is from Montana and grew up in a Spanish-speaking home that celebrated her family’s Cuban culture. She is a self-described bookworm who graduated with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. She lives in Alaska with her husband and son.

Visit Laura online at lauraojedamelchor.com
Instagram: @lauraojedamelchor
Facebook: Laura Ojeda Melchor, MFA
Twitter: @lauraomelchor
TikTok: @lauraojedamelchor

Advance Praise

“Touching and poignant. Melchor weaves Phoebe’s story of forgiveness and family into a gripping tale of love and loss.” —Terry Catasús Jennings, author of the Definitely Dominguita series

“Melchor combines grief with guilt for an emotionally intense story about Phoebe, whose sister drowns in a river...Captures the pressures of being an older sister and the unique challenges of losing a sibling. As her perspective matures, Phoebe authentically struggles to imagine other people complexly, leaving plenty of room for significant self-exploration. Meanwhile, many readers will identify with her passion for self-expression through singing. Accessible prose mixed with a candid look at death makes this likely to be popular with reluctant readers. For fans of Jude Banks, Superhero (2021) and other serious middle-grade novels with heart, this is a solid addition to any collection.” —Booklist

Review 

Missing Okalee was a hard book to read...I just wanted to reach within the pages and help Phoebe. For such a young age, Phoebe deals with a lot...her sister's death, dealing with guilt, dealing with bullying and trying to find a support system outside of her family. Phoebe felt left out before her sister's death and after there was no one to really to watch out for her. There wasn't a supportive family. One of her best friends avoid her and she's bullied while she's dealing with a hard situation. The tragedy wasn't only in the sister's death, but in the treatment of Phoebe by the parent's and her peers. This book might be a good one for parent's to read as well as youth. For parents, it teaches that you need to be aware of your kids and let them feel the measure of your love. This will help youth to learn to build empathy and want to reach out to those that need support. I feel like this book could generate a good discussion in a classroom, book club or with a parent and youth. Even though this book is heartbreaking, there are many good lessons to be learned and to be gained by reading it. To learn more, click here.

Please note that this post contains affiliate links that help support this blog. I received a free copy to review, however, I provided my honest opinion.