Worth a Thousand Words, Brigit Young’s debut novel for young readers (ages 8 through 12) is the story of Tillie Green. Known to her classmates as “Lost and Found” because of her incessant picture taking and her knack for locating lost items, and still suffering since a car accident which left her with chronic pain, she doesn’t realize that she is hiding behind her camera and not participating in her own life.

When a classmate she barely knows, Jake Hausmann, asks her for help in tracking down his missing father, Tillie gets to know him, her classmates, her favorite teacher, her family, and herself much better. It turns out that Tillie’s not the only one who hides—Jake, although popular and fun, puts on a class clown persona that disguises his true feelings, and often his kind nature. And Jake’s not the only one missing his father: although Tillie’s dad hasn’t moved out, they’ve been alienated and unable to truly communicate since her accident, which traumatized both of them.

I appreciated this book’s nuanced take on the adults in the story; they’re not heroes, they’re not villains, but flawed humans, making mistakes, but generally doing the best they can. And I also appreciated Tillie and Jake’s forays into the adult world, where solving the mystery (locating Jake’s father) doesn’t solve their problems, but does give them some new insights, and a new friendship, as well.

Tillie’s an attractive protagonist here: bright, thoughtful, and talented, and the reader roots for her as she comes out of her isolation to engage and reconcile with her community, makes some mistakes, and learns from them. If you have a middle grade student in your life, this may be a good library addition.

NOVEL: Worth a Thousand Words

AUTHOR: Brigit Young

YEAR OF PUBLICATION: 2018

IMAGE: Book cover, Roaring Book Press