Taken to California, Sky is separated from River. She loses her home, her world, even her name. For apparently Sky is actually Megan, and River is Lucas. But why does everyone hate River? Who was his father, Helmut, really? And what secrets is Sky's grandmother keeping about her mother, Petal?
As Sky struggles to cope with life in this alien world — a world of clothes, cars, houses and shopping centres; a world where people need to read and write in order to learn; a world where money can buy you anything except happiness — she faces the realisation that everything she thought she knew about herself and her past might have been a lie. But with no past to return to, and a present she doesn't understand, how can she face the future?
This is a beautifully written story that deftly plays with ideas of identity and family. As a character, Sky resonates with authenticity, welcoming us into her heart and mind. Her innocence and ignorance when faced with modern society is confronting — I found it an eye-opening examination of so much that we consider 'normal' — while her desperate longing to be reunited with River is heartbreaking.
I was hooked from the first page.
Title: Searching for Sky
Author: Jillian Cantor
Publisher: Bloomsbury, $15.99 RRP
Publication Date: July 2014
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781408846643
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult
