Johnny Merrimon’s twin sister has been missing for a year. Johnny is still searching for her even though he believes that everyone else has given up. His father left shortly after the disappearance, his mother’s boyfriend keeps her drugged and abuses her, but Johnny won’t give up hope. After another girl goes missing, a man tells Johnny the words he’s been waiting to hear for a year: “I found her.” Is the man talking about the recent disappearance, or about Johnny’s twin sister? Johnny is convinced the man has found his sister, and no one can tell him otherwise. His search becomes more desperate after the second girl goes missing, and what Johnny finds is not what he expected.
The Last Child sucked me in immediately. 13-year-old Johnny Merrimon is a strong character who struggles to keep it together while searching for his twin sister. You can feel the tension and Johnny’s despair throughout the book. There were many twists I wasn’t expecting. This is the first book by John Hart that I’ve read, and I will be reading more.
Carrie
Hart has captured the resilience of youth and the horror that exists in the world. The characters are real and complex. This compelling story and subject matter are dark, but moving and uplifting in a way too. The excellent plot line makes this an action packed thriller with plenty of twists and turns.
ReplyDeleteThis is about the courage of a young boy to do everything in his power to try to get the life of his family back in order. He has hope that he can find his sister and never lets anything distract him from his quest. He rejects help from those who want to help him because his life experience proves to trust no one. The characters are haunted by their memories of the innocent girl long lost and is a compassionate look at a family in ruins. EXCELLENT!