The Empty Place

Gr 4-7–Henry often felt eclipsed by her father, a YouTuber famous for his daring (and sometimes illegal) adventures. When he goes missing in the woods on her 11th birthday, Henry’s feelings are complicated. They become even more so when on the one-year anniversary of his disappearance, he emerges from the woods, rambling. Trying to understand what happened, Henry, now 12, goes into the woods and finds herself in another world: This Place, where lost things end up until they can find their way back home. As if This Place weren’t strange enough, the inhabitants say it’s getting stranger: white beasts have emerged at night, and the moon is missing. Henry must work with the people she meets there to try to fix things, and in doing so, she uncovers her own flaws alongside uncomfortable truths about her father. This novel isn’t so much a story about loss as it is about what it means to be lost. Henry has no voice at home, and her metaphorical sense of loss leads her to experience it in a real way. As Henry learns more about her father, she understands that she can’t stay silent about his choices, and staying silent about her own hurts both her and her new friends. The conclusion may leave readers wishing for more closure, but the rest of Henry’s journey is deeply satisfying.