Sophie Marks doesn't want much really, just the things the average 14-year-old takes for granted: school, friends, laughter, an occasional trip to the mall or the movies. It's so little to wish for, but Sophie knows she'll never get any of those things. Not as long as she lives with Cheryl Marks. Her mother is so afraid of the outside world, so paranoid of what she calls the "No Good," that she refuses to leave the house any more than she absolutely has to. Since Sophie doesn't work or go to school, she's never allowed to stray outdoors. Her mother insists she remain inside, with the door locked and the shades drawn against prying eyes. Sophie obeys, as she always has, because it's the only way to keep her mother calm. But she can't stop hoping, wishing things were different.

As isolated as the Marks' new rental home is, it's not the only one hidden back in the woods. When Sophie spies a boy about her age playing outside with his dog, the urge to reach out to him is so strong that she does the unspeakable - she talks to him. Soon, she's creeping outside to play baseball with him. Then, she's sneaking over to the house where Joey Rudd lives with his two aunts. Their home life seems so sweet, so normal, that lonely Sophie can't stay away. She has to be extra careful, though - if her mother knew she was consorting with strangers, Cheryl would pack up their meager belongings and drag Sophie onto the next train out of there.

Sophie's small rebellion sparks a curiosity she's never felt before. Now, she's wondering about her mother: Why is Cheryl so afraid? As she sifts through the few momentos her mother's kept from their life together, Sophie discovers a shocking truth, one that has her questioning everything she's ever known to be true.

(Readalikes: Reminds me of Miles From Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams; June Bug by Chris Fabry; Circle Nine by Anne Heltzel; The Talk-Funny Girl by Roland Merullo; Sparrow Road by Sheila O'Connor and Dirty Little Secrets by C.J. Omololu)

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language (no F-bombs) and mature themes/situations

To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find

His patience pays off. When Autumn takes off one day after a particularly intense day in the Herbert household, fate delivers her right to his door. He's delighted. She's terrified. He wants her to stay forever. She's desperate to get back to her family, however screwed up they may be. As the days of her captivity wear on, Autumn realizes it's up to her to save herself. Digging deep for the inner strength she needs to survive, Autumn's determined to prove - if not to her family, at least to herself - that she's not invisible, not helpless, not ordinary. Not at all.

The Missing Girl, a chilling psychological thriller by Norma Fox Mazer, is told in alternating voices that give an already intense story added depth and intensity. The Herbert sisters, all realistically flawed, are sympathetic characters, which makes their plight even more affecting. Still, I found their story a little too generic, a little too predictable, a little too reliant on coincidence to be believable. Like all books of this sort, it's also disturbing. Although it does end on a hopeful note, I still found this one too dreary. Ultimately, The Missing Girl - the last book, incidentally, that Mazer wrote before her death in 2009 - left me feeling more disappointed than anything else.