"Lost and Found" by Colleen Coble and Robin Caroll

About this book:

  “An old photo brings a shocking revelation and it's up to Emily and her best friend Olivia to solve the case!
   Fourteen-year-old Emily O'Reilly and her best friend Olivia Webster have a knack for solving mysteries. Emily has been busily training her new puppy Sherlock to be a Search and Rescue dog so that the two can lead search-and-rescue missions someday. So when Emily stumbles across an old photo of Olivia's adoption day--a fact that has never been revealed to Olivia--the two quickly decide to uncover the mysterious details surrounding Olivia's birth parents.
   But the two bite off more than they can chew as they dig into learning more about Olivia's adoption without notifying her parents. And to make matters worse, Emily's mother Marika, a convicted felon recently released on parole, will stop at nothing to contact her daughter--a fact that Emily is not happy about.
   When her beloved stepmother Naomi disappears, Emily takes it upon herself to connect the dots and conduct her own snow-bound search-and-rescue mission with Sherlock. Will Emily ever find the secret behind Naomi's disappearance? And will Olivia ever learn the truth about her adopted parents?”


Series: Book #2 of the “Rock Harbor Search and Rescue” series. Review of Book #1, Here! Connected to the series “Rock Harbor” which is aimed for adults.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, remembered, quoted, & talked over; Prayers; Talks about God & forgiving; ‘H’s are not capitalized when referring to God; Mentions of God & forgiving; Mentions of prayers, praying, & Blessings over food; Mentions of churches, church going, church events, services, & a pastor; A couple mentions of Bibles & Bible reading;

             *Note: A few mentions of people commenting on religious mumbo jumbo & calling a Christian lady “Ms. High and Mighty”; A mention of a table being “like a shrine or something”.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, an ‘oh my gosh’, a ‘rats’, a ‘sheesh’, two ‘dumb’s, two ‘shut up’s, and eight ‘stupid’s; Emily sneaks out (for a good cause but was originally told to stay home, she does get in trouble); Many mentions of Emily’s birth mother who was in prison for attempted murder, how she scares Emily, her threats, & nightmares (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a missing/kidnapped person; Mentions of children being kidnapped/sold & an adoption ring; Mentions of injuries, pain, & fevers; Mentions of an explosion, fire, & arson; Mentions of criminals, criminal activities, & threats; Mentions of a necklace that was stolen (Book #1), stealing, & thieves; Mentions of being labeled as a snitch, social suicide, & bullies; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of a dog nearly drowning (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a beloved pet being poisoned (but will be fine); A few mentions of a nightmare about domestic abuse; A couple mentions of (the possibility of) a killing & witnessing a murder; A couple mentions of cheaters; A couple mentions of jealousy; A couple mentions of wondering if a wild animal got a puppy; A couple mentions of urine; A mention of throwing up; A mention of someone aiming a gun;

             *Note: Many mentions of Emily’s friend’s adoption (who did not know she was adopted) and comments about her “real” parents, why they gave up her, & finding out about them (without asking her adoptive parents due to Emily convincing her friend that they had 14 years to tell her and haven’t done so; Thankfully towards the end, Emily realizes that it takes a lot of self-sacrifice from the birth mother); Mentions of musicals, movies, TV channels, & brand names;

Sexual Content- Two ‘hot’s and two ‘sexy’s; A few mentions of married couples kissing; A few mentions of crushes; A few mentions of a cute boy; A few mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends & dating; A couple mentions of waiting for marriage; A couple mentions of guys checking women/young women out;

             *Note: Mentions of unwed mothers (including one who got pregnant around age 16); A couple mentions of miscarriages; A couple mentions of a girl filling out & boys flocking around her.

-Emily O’Reilly, age 14
                                P.O.V. of Emily
                                                        241 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

{ Might be best for younger readers who were adopted to read with a parent. }

While I wasn’t so sure about this book at first, I did like the ending. It’s really neat to read about the Search and Research dogs and their handlers, which makes this series stand out in my eyes. Because of some content, it probably would be best for those around Emily’s age.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

"Rock Harbor Search and Rescue" by Colleen Coble & Robin Caroll

{{This is an updated review. Originally posted June 25^th, 2013, it was updated on April 5^th, 2020 to the Official Rating System.}}

About this book:

  “Emily O'Reilly is obsessed with all things Search and Rescue. She volunteers with the team and goes on rescue missions with her stepmom. She is even selling homemade jewelry to save up for her own Search and Rescue puppy. But when an expensive necklace is stolen from a renowned jewelry artist at Rock Harbor's fall festival and Emily is accused of the crime, it looks like she'll never get her puppy and be able to join the Rock Harbor Search and Rescue team.

  Emily isn't willing to give up on her Search and Rescue dreams that easily, and she sets out to find the real culprit and to restore her reputation. With a few suspects in mind, Emily is determined to uncover the truth, but she isn't prepared for the secrets she and the Search and Rescue dogs sniff out in the process. This exciting mystery is filled with twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats and have them pining after a Search and Rescue puppy of their own!”


Series: Book #1 of the “Rock Harbor Search and Rescue” series. Connected to the series “Rock Harbor” which is aimed for adults.


Spiritual Content- Scriptures are mentioned, quoted, & talked about; Talks about God & His protection; ‘H’s are not capitalized when referring to God; Brandon is vague on what he believes, but it seems like he believes in the Windigo as much as Emily believes in God; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers & blessings over food; Mentions of churches, pastors, & preaching; A few mentions of thanking God; A couple mentions of sins;

             *Note: Many mentions of an Ojibwa legend, the Windigo (Emily tries not to believe that it is real, but still gets freaked out); Mentions of a necklace that was “blessed” by a medicine man; Mentions of good vs evil; A couple mentions of supernatural things in a forest.

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘crummy’, a ‘dumb’, a ‘gosh’, a ‘oh my gummybears’, a ‘rats’, a ‘sheesh’, a ‘shut up’, and seven ‘stupid’s; A bit of sarcasm; Emily’s mom scares her ever since she tried to make Timmy sick on purpose (& mentions of it); A mean girl & her comments; Pain, Blood, & Freaking out (up to semi-detailed); All about mentions of thieves, stealing, & a stolen necklace; Mentions of criminals & attempted murder; Mentions of men who stole money; Mentions of prison; Mentions of almost drowning & remembering it (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of Emily’s mom who left their family; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of rumors & gossip; Mentions of jealousy; Mentions of nightmares & monsters; Mentions of divorces & rough patches of marriages; Mentions of wondering/thinking if a dog was caught by predators; A few mentions of cancer; A couple mentions of breaking curfew; A couple mentions of throwing up; A mention of loan sharks;

             *Note: Mentions of the Windigo’s story & trying to kill it (up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of movies; A few mentions of vampires, werewolves, & zombies.

Sexual Content- A hug & hand touch (barely-above-not-detailed); Many mentions of crushes, noticing, & cute boys; A few mentions of girlfriends/boyfriends; A few mentions of boy-craziness & a date; A couple mentions of couples kissing;

             *Note: Emily is embarrassed by her obvious curves & a few mentions that she hates that her chest is larger than all the other girls in her class; A few mentions of a bathing suit model; A couple mentions of plastic surgery; A mention of jealousy over a woman’s figure; A mention of someone butting into a conversation.

-Emily O’Reilly, age 13
                                P.O.V. of Emily
                                           244 pages

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Pre Teens-

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

A fun middle-grade mystery. I really enjoyed all the Search and Rescue parts and as a dog lover, those were my favorite parts. I haven’t read the Rock Harbor series, but I was able to follow along well. The Windigo story seemed silly to me, but I was happy with the ending.

See y’all on Friday with a new review!

 

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.