The Silver Donkey

The Children of the King

All of the Above

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.

The Beautiful Country

The Haunted Piccolo

Witherwood Reform School

DAD WHAT IS THAT? DAD'S CAR

Entwining a tale of missing children with the story of a lonely little boy, Sonya Hartnett captures the tenderness and dread of childhood in a work of exceptional storytelling.


The year is 1977, and Adrian is nine. He lives with his gran and his uncle Rory. His best friend is Clinton Tull. Adrian loves to draw, and he wants a dog. He’s afraid of quicksand, shopping centers, and self-combustion. But as closely as he watches his suburban world, there is much he cannot understand. He does not, for instance, know why three neighborhood children might set out to buy ice cream one summer’s day and never be seen again. . . .

In this suburb that is no longer safe and innocent, in a broken family of self-absorbed souls, Sonya Hartnett sets the story of a lone little boy - unwanted, unloved, and intensely curious - a story as achingly beautiful as it is shattering. As her quiet tale ominously unfolds, we are reminded of how fragile are the threads that hold us secure - and how brave, how precious, is the heart of each child who soldiers on.

Discover Your Child's Next Read

The Silver Donkey

Sonya Hartnett, Don Powers, 2004

The Children of the King

Sonya Hartnett, 2012

All of the Above

Shelley Pearsall, 2006

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.

David Levithan, 2021

The Beautiful Country

Jane Kuo, 2022

The Haunted Piccolo

Gene Kemp, 2005

Witherwood Reform School

Obert Skye, Keith Thompson, 2015

DAD WHAT IS THAT? DAD'S CAR

Juae Lee, 2023