A Sister Lost. A Body Found. The Truth Buried. ✩✩✩✩✩

The book cover of One Came Home, with its beautiful graphics, Newbury honor sticker and compelling subtitle, drew me right in. Although darker in tone than the mystery I reviewed in the previous post, this multiple-award winning book is just as terrific. Amy Timberlake is an amateur birder, and when she heard about the largest recording of passenger pigeon nesting in 1870 Wisconsin, she decided to weave a historical fiction mystery around the event. Readers will love Georgie, the intrepid main character who sets out on a quest to discover what happened to her missing sister, Agatha. The suspense builds as Georgie and Billy, the sister's boyfriend, search for clues among sinister characters and remote locations.

To learn more about the book, the author, or the now-extinct passenger pigeon, go to Amy Timberlake's comprehensive website. This book is a must-recommend to any mature fifth grade reader and up.