A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Joy McCullough

Available April 14, 2020

I have been looking for more titles with blended families for the Library and this book fits the bill perfectly. A Field Guide to Getting Lost is a gently told story about two children who become friends after learning their parents are dating and ready to make their relationship more official. A Field Guide to Getting Lost is one of those wonderful stories full of diverse and relatable characters that will appeal to a wide range of audiences. Not only do we have families who have dealt with the death of a parent and divorce, immigration and separation, Sutton is a neurodiverse robotics prodigy and Luis, a fantasy writer who lives with severe food allergies.  Each child has amazing gifts and strengths but also struggles with fitting in and overcoming their fears. Due to the many sensitive topics within this story, you may want to give it a read first before giving it to a younger reader who has dealt with divorce or parental death.

In A Field Guide to Getting Lost, Sutton and her father live in a tight-knit community in Seattle. After learning her mother won't be home from Antarctica in time for Sutton's tenth birthday, Sutton's anger and disappointment is overshadowed by her uncertain feelings about her father's new romantic relationship with a woman named Elizabeth. Her parents have been divorced for many years and while she always knew it was a possibility, the reality of a new relationship leaves Sutton feeling replaceable. When her father invites her along on a family date with Elizabeth and her son Luis, Sutton tries her best to be friendly but is uncertain how to answer all of Luis' questions.

Luis, the only child of Elizabeth, has few memories of his father who died when he was very young. His severe allergies have made he and his mother incredibly close and he wants to be supportive of his mother's new relationship but is unsure how to act around Sutton. Her short answers and lack of pop culture knowledge leave Luis feeling uncertain about the future.

When the two families attempt another day trip to learn more about each other, a mysterious tunnel in the woods leave Luis and Sutton separated from their parents and forced to work together to find their way back to civilization.

This is a wonderful story of friendship, overcoming fears, and understanding that families come in all shapes and sizes. As I am in a very rural area, the descriptions of Seattle, with it's farmer's markets and community gardens will be knew for my children. Large apartment buildings aren't as common here so it will be interesting to see the kid's reactions to reading about walking down the hall to a favorite neighbor or upstairs to a friend's apartment. There's a very cute scene where 10 year-old Luis gets to walk down the block to a store to buy markers by himself and this mark of independence will be a great discussion starter with younger readers about their first independent adventure.

If you would like a copy of this lovely story, and would like to help support the site, you can do so here:

More from Joy McCullough (it's YA):

More titles similar to this:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. Purchasing through the links helps to support the site as I am a member of the Amazon Associate Program.