Picture Me Gone
*Starred Review* Mila, 12, is something of a mentalist. She can read expressions, sense underlying emotions, and put human puzzles together. Even though her father’s lifelong friend Matthew has gone missing, Gil and Mila carry on with their plan to fly from England to Matthew’s home in upstate New York, only now, instead of a visit, the purpose of their trip is to find him. The story is presented as a mystery, and it is, but it is so much more. Rosoff, who writes each of her books differently (and often brilliantly), shapes this story as much by form and intuitions as by events. In making the choice not to use quotation marks for the dialogue, readers are immediately pushed inside Mila’s head. Every conversation is filtered through her observations; even the way she can “read” Matthew’s loyal dog, Honey, informs what she learns and understands about Matthew, including his motives and machinations. Wisely, Rosoff also provides a parallel subplot about Mila’s own best friend that anchors Mila as a recognizable 12-year-old. Without that plot point, her multinational heritage and surprising gifts might make her hopelessly “other.” As readers move deeper into the story (literally deeper as Mila and Gil find themselves in snowbound rural settings), Matthew’s situation becomes a surprising tunnel for Mila to learn more about her own father and what adults are capable of. There’s no condescension or compromise to the obvious audience either in premise or prose. It’s another choice, one that allows the book to offer its many insights on the human condition to a widespread readership. Grades 6-9. --Ilene Cooper