The Leaving

By Tara Altebrando

Eleven years ago, six five-year-olds went missing without a trace. After all this time, the people left behind have moved on, or tried to.

Until today. Now five of those kids are back. They're sixteen, and they are ... fine. Scarlett comes home and finds a mother she barely recognises, and doesn't really know who she's supposed to be, either. But she remembers Lucas. Lucas remembers Scarlett, too, but they can't recall where they've been or what happened to them. Neither of them remember the sixth victim, Max. He doesn't come back and everyone wants answers.

Addictive and unforgettable, The Leaving seethes with rich characters, tense storytelling and high stakes.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jun 8, 2016
• ISBN: 9781408877791

Tara Altebrando

Tara Altebrando is the author of several middle grade and teen novels, including The Leaving and Roomies, an ALA 2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults pick, co-written with Sara Zarr. She lives in New York City with her family. www.taraaltebrando.com @TaraAltebrando

Reviews for The Leaving

[olegalca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Great premise (6 kids disappear - 11 years later, 5 return). It was slow in the middle but the ending made it all worthwhile.

[deborahjade · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A good and yet confusing book. The question of "why were they taken?" "why where they returned?" and "where is the 6th one?" is what the book is all about answering. There aren't all happy endings, although fortunately we do find the answers to those three questions.

[filoma-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great thriller. I was absorbed in to the story that I just wanted to know what happened next. I found the characters likeable and I really liked that alternate chapters shared the story from each of the different main characters. I did not pick the ending and I found that the story was wrapped up quite nicely.

[Courtney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very intrigued when I saw the cover of this book. I knew I had to read it as soon as I could. I heard there was a major plot twist but the plot twist for me wasn’t overly spectacular but it wasn’t predictable either. I loved the characters and I would definitely read this again!

[septima-3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

wasted potential.

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction (psychological/suspense). Scarlett's concrete poetry is a little annoying (an attempt to differentiate her character which doesn't quite work for me), but it is an engrossing story that I think teens will enjoy - plus it is a quick read, so an easy one to recommend.
Not the best book I've read this year, but decent.

[readingbeader · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I gave my library copy to one of my students to read because she thought it looked great and I knew I had a NetGalley copy on my kindle (thanks NetGalley). She loved, loved, loved this one. Me--not so much. Entitled teen, plot moving to fast for some things, (Hey, I just met you... romance, maybe?) and too slow for others. (Give me information please!) Perhaps I had too much Mom in me while I read this. But my students do like it. H is a great hand seller of this one.

[vickimarie2002 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book quite a lot. There seemed to be a lot of extra people and information that didn't need to be there but it was very interesting and unique. The three different narratives worked well and Scarlett's was fun with her unique formatting. It passed the time pretty well.

[shellypya · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Six kindergarteners were taken. Eleven years later, five come back--with no idea of where they've been. No one remembers the sixth victim, Max. Avery, Max's sister, needs to find her brother--dead or alive--and isn't buying this whole memory-loss story.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Loved the idea behind 6 kids going missing and then 5 returning eleven years late so that is what made me purchase the book. Sadly I found the book just dragged while trying to create a conclusion. There were also too many unexplained events such as how or why did each abductee seem to have a specialty? Also, the first place they thought the kids had been... who arranged all of that setup? Too many loose ends for me to really love it and too many confusing relationships. Having finished the book, I still don't know if Lucas and Scarlett were ever actually together.

[susan.macura · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Coincidentally, this is the second book I have just read dealing with an experimental medication given to people to make them forget an awful event in their lives. In this book six kindergarten students go to their first day of school, but six are kidnapped. Eleven years later five return, but they remember almost nothing about those lost years. This novel discussed their attempts to discover the truth, and the truth makes for a compelling tale. However, the book dragged in many parts, so I stopped and started reading it several times, until the last hundred pages where the action finally picked up.