Steeped in mystery and adventure, this brisk and beautifully crafted middle-grade debut set in modern-day India explores the complexities of the sibling bond.

When her older brother, KarthikKay-Kay, the golden child of the familyheads to camp for two weeks, Lenas parents begin showering her with all the attention she craves. For a time, shes the golden child and secretly wishes her brother wouldnt come home. But when the scheduled train arrives and Karthik isnt on it, Lena is stricken with guilt and fear for her beloved Kay-Kay. Her brother has vanished without a trace, and the police view him as a runaway. Incredulous, Lena undertakes a search of her ownreading mysterious poems left in his backpack, interrogating his fellows from the train, retracing his route, and encountering shadowy strangers along the way. Convinced Kay-Kay is still alive even when the rest of her family has given up, Lena steadily unearths her brothers secrets as her determination to bring him home leads to a heart-stopping discovery. Perhaps Kay-Kay isnt a golden child after all? Set in a vividly evoked modern-day India, this character-driven middle-grade mystery tackles rich themesfrom the sibling bond to self-worthin a taut and suspenseful adventure.