07/03/2017
Siblings Sara and Emiliano Zapata live in Juárez, Mexico, where crime, kidnapping, and drugs are regular concerns for them. Through her work as a reporter for a local newspaper, Sara writes profiles of the girls who have gone missing, including her best friend Linda, taken four months earlier. It’s her way of letting the world know that she won’t forget Linda or the others. When Sara receives an encrypted email threatening her life, as well as those of her brother and mother, she decides it’s time to find out who has been taking the girls. Meanwhile, Emiliano, who has been working to build a folk art business, is being slowly pulled into the city’s criminal underbelly because of his desire to win over Perla Rubi, the daughter of a wealthy cartel lawyer. Stork (The Memory of Light) crafts a narrative that is both riveting and eye-opening. Part thriller, part sociological study, the novel sheds light on poverty, corruption, and greed while bringing readers intimately close to the plight of those who illegally cross borders with the hope of a brighter future. Ages 12–up. Agent: Faye Bender, Book Group. (Sept.)
Praise for Disappeared:"Francisco Stork forces the reader to face the complicated realities of seeking truth in a place that has been ravaged by violence and is slowly piecing itself together. Stork reminds us that doing the right thing is not always easy. Everything worth a damn requires sacrifice — especially justice and love. And sometimes, heartache is all that is left as proof that we've made the right choice." — Isabel Quintero, award-winning author of Gabi, A Girl in Pieces* "A timely and touching novel that will surely engross fans of true crime stories. This title would be a welcome addition to young adult collections." — School Library Journal, starred review* "A tense thriller elevated by Stork's nuanced writing and empathy for every character, including the villains — superb." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Stork beautifully explores the strong ties to one's home along with... the lure of power; and the strength necessary to dream, hope, and make positive change in such crushingly dangerous and difficult circumstances." — The Horn Book Magazine, starred review* "Stork uses parallel storylines to flesh out the two protagonists, and then slowly brings them together to a harrowing climax. Not only does this result in a riveting story, it also highlights the harsh complexity of young Mexicans' lives. Readers will find this thrilling as well as eye-opening." — Booklist, starred review"Right and wrong are not black and white in this world that tests the moral compass of its characters. Recommend this to readers who enjoy an exciting mystery presented in poignant, sensitive writing." — Voice of Youth AdvocatesPraise for The Memory of Light:* "Stork further marks himself as a major voice in teen literature by delivering one of his richest and most emotionally charged novels yet." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review* "Stork writes sensitively about Vicky's journey from near death to shaky recovery... A subject that needs the discussion Stork's potent novel can readily provide." — Publishers Weekly, starred review* "Accurate, heartbreaking, and hopeful... A beautiful read." — School Library Journal, starred review* "Undeniable emotional strength and an encouraging, compassionate message. Stork writes his characters with authenticity and respect... Highly rewarding." — Booklist, starred reviewPraise for Marcelo in the Real World:"[A] brisk, brilliant, unsentimental novel." — Robert Lipsyte, New York Times Book Review* "Stork introduces ethical dilemmas, the possibility of love, and other 'real world' conflicts, all the while preserving the integrity of his characterizations and intensifying the novel's psychological and emotional stakes. Not to be missed." — Publishers Weekly, starred review* "It is the rare novel that reaffirms a belief in goodness; rarer still is one that does so this emphatically." — The Horn Book Magazine, starred reviewPraise for The Last Summer of the Death Warriors:* "Stork's latest marks him as one of the most promising young adult authors of the new decade." — The Horn Book, starred review"Complicated yet ultimately endearing characters are a Francisco Stork standard. His latest novel doesn't disappoint." — Chicago Sun-Times
★ 08/01/2017
Gr 8 Up—Sara, a reporter at her Mexican hometown, writes a column in the local newspaper detailing numerous cases of abducted young girls in Cuidad Juárez, including her best friend Linda. When the young woman receives a coded email message hinting at her friend's whereabouts and captors, she investigates further and discovers how deeply the corruption and criminality runs in her city. Her brother, Emiliano, lives a normal life focusing on soccer, his crush Perla Rubi, and a budding artisanal crafts business. He is determined to rescue his mother and sister from the poverty and dangers around them, leading him to accept a lucrative but illicit business deal. Stork's use of alternating perspectives provides insight into the siblings' motivations, and establishes a strong sense of setting as the characters move through a variety of environments. Sara's thread is fast-paced and thrusts the plot forward, while Emiliano's moral and emotional struggles provide complexity. Once the siblings flee to the U.S. to save Sara from the criminals she exposes, her story line recedes and Emiliano becomes the focus. This novel touches on themes like the persecution of journalists, political corruption, and cyber investigations. VERDICT A timely and touching novel that will surely engross fans of true crime stories. This title would be a welcome addition to young adult collections.—Jessica Agudelo, New York Public Library
Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas dramatize the alternating voices of siblings from Juarez, Mexico. Ortega reads the part of questioning, curious Sara, a newspaper journalist. Sara writes devotedly about the plight of Las Desaparecidas, the disappeared girls, after her best friend, Linda, vanishes without a trace. Ortega makes clear Sara’s commitment to her news stories, which gains urgency when her family’s safety is threatened. Barillas reflects parallel tensions in the life of Sara’s brother, Emiliano. Barillas expresses Emiliano’s sincerity and loyalty as he builds a small business to support his family and falls in love with a wealthy schoolmate. When he finds himself having to negotiate the burgeoning drug trade in Juarez, Barillas projects his increasing dismay and fear. The story’s tension culminates in the siblings’ life-threatening escape to freedom. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas dramatize the alternating voices of siblings from Juarez, Mexico. Ortega reads the part of questioning, curious Sara, a newspaper journalist. Sara writes devotedly about the plight of Las Desaparecidas, the disappeared girls, after her best friend, Linda, vanishes without a trace. Ortega makes clear Sara’s commitment to her news stories, which gains urgency when her family’s safety is threatened. Barillas reflects parallel tensions in the life of Sara’s brother, Emiliano. Barillas expresses Emiliano’s sincerity and loyalty as he builds a small business to support his family and falls in love with a wealthy schoolmate. When he finds himself having to negotiate the burgeoning drug trade in Juarez, Barillas projects his increasing dismay and fear. The story’s tension culminates in the siblings’ life-threatening escape to freedom. S.W. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
★ 2017-07-02
Sara Zapata and her brother, Emiliano, do their best to survive with their integrity intact while their beloved Juárez is overrun and endangered by a web of criminals that even involve the police and local government officials.Sara is a journalist who writes about her best friend, Linda, the latest girl kidnapped by the cartels. The heartfelt story sends ripples through the community, and the paper receives grateful letters from the families of other kidnapped girls—and death threats warning her to drop her investigation. Meanwhile, Emiliano is prospering after his foray into petty thefts and subsequent capture ushered him under the wing of Brother Patricio, the leader of his explorer club, the Jiparis, and his soccer coach. Emiliano's a star soccer player and has started a side business selling some Jiparis' artisan crafts to shop owners. Despite this, he's still too poor to date his crush, Perla Rubi, so when he's tempted into the same web of criminals that are coming after Sara and have taken Linda, the pull of wealth and a future with Perla Rubi is stronger than his need to do the right thing. Stork deftly writes criminals who aren't monsters but men who do monstrous things, and while his understanding of Emiliano's coming-of-age is fully engaging, he really impresses with his evocation of Sara's need to navigate the advances of men she knows and doesn't know and the powerful women equally dangerous to her. A tense thriller elevated by Stork's nuanced writing and empathy for every character, including the villains—superb. (Thriller. 12-adult)
