The Leaving Season

Seventeen-year-old Middie Daniels is devastated when her long-time boyfriend, Nate, goes missing, and is presumed dead, after an attack on a Honduran village where he has been doing aid work. She can’t wrap her mind around the tragedy and finds herself going through the motions as she attends his memorial. Soon, Middie is spending time with Nate’s equally devastated best friend, Lee, even though the two have often been at odds (he semi-jokingly calls her Yoko for the way she has come between him and Nate). Lee brings out a more playful, risk-taking side in Middie, and debut author Jordan capably shows how Middie discovers new dimensions of herself, as well as how life moves on and brings new opportunities in the process. As the two head toward romance, surprises await them—though they may not feel like surprises for many readers, since the plot follows a straightforward, predictable trajectory. This aside, readers looking for happy endings won’t be disappointed as Middie stumbles her way back toward love and happiness. Ages 13–up. Agent: Charlie Olsen, Inkwell Management. (Mar.)