England, 1976.  A long hot summer. A neighbor disappears. Two young girls, with time on their hands, decide to investigate the disappearance. What could go wrong?

When Mrs. Creasy disappeared, ten year old Grace and Tilly, decide they will try and find out what had happened to her.  This was of course in addition to finding God, for the vicar had told Grace that if God exists in a community no one will be lost. So finding God and finding Mrs. Creasy are somehow inextricably entwined in the minds of Grace and Tilly.  With their mission defined, the girls begin to interview the neighbors and being to find that there are many secrets surrounding Mrs. Creasy’s disappearance and that God is very difficult to find.

Cannon has a gift for evoking that time in childhood where innocence is being overcome by knowledge. Spunky Grace and thoughtful Tilly are quite endearing and their escapades draw the reader into the story. Quickly they begin to see that there are secrets that people are keeping, but they can’t quite understand the significance of the what they know.  There is the picture of Mrs. Creasy from long ago in the home of one neighbor and the fire that killed the nother of one of their neighbors ten years ago. Soon the reader too is sifting through the information that the girls are unearthing and is caught up in their existential investigation. Clever and funny, intelligent and thought provoking, Cannon has evoked childhood in a way that seems rare and profound.

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2 (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian and Sharon

Book Study Worthy? Yes

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