The Year Without Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0553273736 ISBN 13: 9780553273731

Publisher: Laurel Leaf, 1988

Bad things aren't supposed to happen to good people.  But somewhere between home and the softball field, 16-year-old Jody Chapman's younger brother disappeared, and now the family is falling apart.  Her parents hardly speak to each other, her younger sister is angry and bitter, and Jody's friends, always so important to her, are slowly slipping away.  It seems that all anyone can do is wait.  Wait--for Michael to walk in the door.  Wait--to stop missing him.  Wait--to stop waiting.  When a private detective can't uncover a single clue about Michael's disappearance, Jody's urgent need to find him drives her to make a last desperate attempt to hold her family together.

About the Author:

Susan Beth Pfeffer is the author of many acclaimed young adult novels, including About David, Getting Even, Family of Strangers, The Ring of Truth, and Twice Taken.
From the Hardcover edition.

From AudioFile:

When 16-year-old Jody's brother Michael disappears without a trace on his way to visit his best friend, each family member reacts differently as the days stretch to weeks and months with no sign of him. Bresnahan's clear, young voice is perfectly suited to the character of Jody, and her subtle vocal differentiations for other characters work well also. It's a painful and emotional performance; the listener can hear the family's agony and frustration in the quavering voices on the verge of tears. The anguish of the family, outbursts of anger and loss of control are convincingly performed, drawing the listener into the highly charged, intense atmosphere. S.S.R. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine