SuitabookGirl, Missing
Sophie McKenzie
- Reading
- If suspense is welcome, read it in short sections and pause at cliff-hangers to discuss Lauren’s choices. Afterwards, talk about identity, trust and the difference between biological and caregiving family.
- Themes
- Identity and belonging: Lauren knows she was adopted and searches for her biological family after believing she may recognise herself in a missing-child image. The premise places identity and belonging at the centre of the mystery, while also raising the distinction between birth family and the people who raise someone.
- Trust and family secrets: Lauren questions what she has been told about her past and whether the parents she has known were involved in what happened. The book leaves its stance open to more than one reading.
- Friendship under pressure: Lauren’s best friend Jam helps her investigate her possible connection to the missing child and search for biological parents. The book’s stance on this remains unclear.
- Worth knowing
- Consider whether the reader would welcome sustained uncertainty: Lauren investigates a possible connection to a missing child, pursues biological parents and faces real danger. The ending and full intensity of these threats are unclear.