Loser's Bracket

When it comes to family, Annie is in the losers bracket. Don’t get her wrong, her foster parents are great, even if Pop is a little too concerned about Annie getting an athletic scholarship. But Nancy, her birth mom, and her sister, Sheila, are . . . less than ideal. And no matter how hard Annie tries to stay away from them, she always gets sucked back in to their lives and their messes. She tells herself she’s doing it for Sheila’s son, Frankie, but she knows her issues with her birth family are more deeply rooted. Then a family argument at one of Annie’s swim meets escalates and Frankie goes missing. Annie can’t help but think that Frankie’s disappearance is her fault. With help from her new boyfriend, Tim, and her social service worker, Annie searches desperately for her missing nephew, determined to find him and finally get him in a safe home. Annie’s story is quintessential Crutcher, by turns gripping, heartbreaking, hopeful, and unflinchingly honest, and will appeal to readers of Matt de la Peña and Andrew Smith.