A Field Guide to Getting Lost
By Joy McCullough
Sutton is almost ten years old and is very scientifically minded. She spends her days programming robots to navigate a maze she has created. She has inherited her scientific skills from her mom who is currently living in Antarctica studying penguins. Sutton’s parents are divorced, so she lives with her dad, but she is really hoping her mom can be back in time for her birthday.
Luis is interested in creative writing, fantasy and superheroes. He’s also extremely allergic to peanuts and bee stings, amongst other things. His dad passed away when he was little, so it’s just Luis and his mom in their cute little house in a Seattle suburb.
Sutton and Luis don’t have much in common, but they are going to have to learn to get along because their parents are dating. When Sutton’s dad and Luis’s mom decide to take them on a “family date”, both kids are dismayed to learn that they will be going on a hike.
The trail at Discovery Park is new to them and soon both kids discover a “tunnel” that leads through some bushes. Sutton and Luis enter the tunnel, asking their parents to meet them on the other side. But the tunnel takes some unexpected twists and turns and before long, these two unlikely companions realize that they are lost.
Without their parents, both kids know that they will have to rely on themselves. Luis is terrified of possible bee encounters and Sutton isn’t too keen on crossing some of the park’s bridges. Can these two figure out how to work together to find their way back to the parking lot?
A Field Guide to Getting Lost is a lovely story about learning to adapt to the changes in our lives. It will especially appeal to children who have lost a parent or whose parents are separated or divorced.