Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

From NYT bestselling author Blue Balliett, the story of a girl who falls into Chicago's shelter system, and from there must solve the mystery of her father's strange disappearance.

Where is Early's father? He's not the kind of father who would disappear. But he's gone . . . and he's left a whole lot of trouble behind.

As danger closes in, Early, her mom, and her brother have to flee their apartment. With nowhere else to go, they are forced to move into a city shelter. Once there, Early starts asking questions and looking for answers. Because her father hasn't disappeared without a trace. There are patterns and rhythms to what's happened, and Early might be the only one who can use them to track him down and make her way out of a very tough place.

With her signature, singular love of language and sense of mystery, Blue Balliett weaves a story that takes readers from the cold, snowy Chicago streets to the darkest corner of the public library, on an unforgettable hunt for deep truths and a reunited family.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Eleven-year-old Early loves her family: her father, Dashiell (called Dash), who works at a library and enjoys wordplay of all kinds; her mother, Summer (called Sum); and her little brother, Jubilation (called Jubie). Together they call their family "DashSumEarlyJubie," delighting in how their names "click" together like magnets, the family members fitting together perfectly in a happy unit. But after doing some off-hours work cataloging books at home, Dash mysteriously disappears, criminals threaten the family and tear apart their apartment, and Early and her mother and brother end up out of money and trying to survive in the city's shelter system. It's up to Early to solve the mystery of what happened to her father and reunite the family. Balliett's novel is perfect for audio: Dash's talks with his family are full of alliteration and rhymes, and he often quotes the poems of Langston Hughes, which later give Early clues to solving the mystery. Narrator Bahni Turpin's superb reading brings out all the musicality and rhythm of the text, and she creates authentic, distinctive voices for a multitude of characters of varying ages and accents. Ages 8-12. A Scholastic hardcover. A Doubleday hardcover. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-9-Eleven-year-old Early Pearl, her little brother, Jubilation, and her mom are stunned when father Dash disappears one day on his way home from work as a page at the Chicago Public Library. When their apartment is broken into, most of their belongings are stolen and the family is threatened. They find themselves in an unexpected situation-living in a shelter. The loving circle of four is reduced to a nervous, uncertain, unmoored, and frightened trio struggling to hold on in an alien environment. As Early plays detective to try to figure out what might have happened to her beloved dad; she discovers that he held an extra job that involved taking inventory of a mysterious collection of books and thinks this position could play a central role in his disappearance. Early's mom starts to unravel, Jubie acts his age, and Early is far wiser than most tweens. While there are some flaws here-Early is too mature for her age, her dad is very naive, etc.-the story and characters are compelling. Bahni Turnpin narrates Balliett's story (Scholastic, 2013) in a warm, expressive voice, and her pacing and intonation are perfection. Her recitation of the Langston Hughes poetry that is incorporated throughout the novel is excellent.-B. Allison Gray, Goleta Library, CA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* In a one-room apartment on Chicago's South Side lives the Pearl family: Dash, Summer, 11-year-old Early, and little Jubie. Do they have a lot? Well, yes, they have Dash's love of words, their devotion to each other, and their dream: to have a home. Trying to help that dream along, Dash, a page at the Chicago Public Library, makes extra money inventorying a private collection of old books. One ice-cold day, Dash disappears, and the family must move to a shelter after an odd robbery sees their possessions stolen and their apartment destroyed. The story has some problems, especially when it comes to the mystery. The perpetrators are cartoonish, and Early's decision to be home schooled just when she needs to be free to find clues is awfully convenient. On another front, the national attention for a homeless program Early's devised might have fit better in a sequel. But what's wonderful about this book, overshadowing the plot flaws, is the way Balliett so thoroughly gets inside the mind of a child accustomed to love and protection and who now sees her life slipping away. Sadness and stoicism mingle freely in ways that will pierce all readers. Early is a clever heroine, and her smarts are enhanced by the poetry of Langston Hughes, which ripples beautifully through the story and infuses it with hope. One to ponder, this has a beat all its own. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: A new book by Blue Balliett, author of Chasing Vermeer (2004), is always an awaited event, and this title will be no exception.--Cooper, Ilene Copyright 2010 Booklist

Horn Book Review

When her library worker father doesn't come home from work one day, Early and her mother and baby brother are left to the Chicago shelter system--and to solve the mystery of dad's disappearance. It's an adequate mystery, but too-frequent verbal flourishes and platitudes ("Early learned from her dad that a dictionary is a powerful and underestimated kind of book") are distracting. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Eleven-year-old Early Pearl holds fast to her family's dream of a home of their own even after her father disappears, their apartment is ransacked, and she and her brother and mother are forced to move to a shelter. Taking her title from a Langston Hughes poem, the author of Chasing Vermeer (2004) weaves a moving story of homelessness, family, and the love of words and books. This mystery opens promisingly with a wintertime bike accident, a man's disappearance and a series of numerical coincidences. A warm family circle of four is broken; there's a violent burglary; the three remaining flee to Helping Hand. Early and her 4-year-old brother, Jubilation, play at being spies, but the fifth grader does real detective work, researching in the Chicago Public Library, where her father worked, and enlisting the help of some sympathetic adults. Gradually she, and readers, come to realize that her dad has been caught up in an international crime operation and that all of them are in danger. Early's family reads; her father is such an admirer of Langston Hughes that the poet's The First Book of Rhythms is a family treasure and plays a vital role in the solution of this intricate tale. Chapters are identified by word definitions (possible clues) and line patterns reminiscent of those in Hughes' book. Enthralling and satisfying. (Mystery. 9-13) ]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.