Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos (English) Hardcover Book

Description: Out of Reach by Carrie Arcos Accompanied by her brothers friend, Tyler, 16-year-old Rachel ventures through San Diego and nearby areas seeking her brother, 18-year-old Micah, a methamphetamine addict who ran away from home. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description How do you find someone who doesnt want to be found? A girl searches for her missing addict brother while confronting her own secrets in this darkly lyrical novel. Rachel has always idolized her older brother Micah. He struggles with addiction, but she tells herself that hes in control. And she almost believes it. Until the night that Micah doesnt come home.Rachels terrified--and she cant help but feel responsible. She should have listened when Micah tried to confide in her. And she only feels more guilt when she receives an anonymous note telling her that Micah is nearby and in danger.With nothing more to go on than hope and a slim lead, Rachel and Micahs best friend, Tyler, begin the search. Along the way, Rachel will be forced to confront her own dark secrets, her growing attraction to Tyler...and the possibility that Micah may never come home. Author Biography Carrie Arcos is the author of There Will Come a Time and Out of Reach, which was a National Book Award Finalist. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California. Visit her at CarrieArcos.com. Review * "Arcos paints a complex, honest, devastating portrait of what it means to watch someone you love turn into a stranger. The result is an empathetic, highly readable tale that captures the messy dynamics of sibling relationships, the pain and powerlessness of addiction from a loved ones perspective, and, in an ending that brilliantly mingles loss and hope, the necessity of letting go."-- "The Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books, starred review""A powerful debut."-- "School Library Journal""Ellen Hopkins fans will find another look at methamphetamine addiction in this quick, realistic debut. "-- "Kirkus""Teens affected by drug use may see their own experiences reflected in Rachels story. Recommend this to readers of Ellen Hopkins similarly themed novels in verse."-- "Booklist" Review Quote "Teens affected by drug use may see their own experiences reflected in Rachels story. Recommend this to readers of Ellen Hopkins similarly themed novels in verse." Excerpt from Book Chapter One The first time my mom told me liars didnt go to heaven was when she tried to get me to confess to hitting my eight-year-old brother. I was seven. She had knelt down in front of the brown leather couch where the two of us sat at opposite ends. Micah hugged his left arm--evidence of the deed still a bright red mark an inch or so above his elbow. He whimpered for effect, while I remained stubbornly silent. After waiting for some time, my mom stood up and said very softly, "You know, liars dont go to heaven." My mom used this phrase throughout my childhood, expecting it would be a deterrent to bad behavior. She didnt know that the thought of pearly white gates, white mansions, and an eternal soundtrack of harps disturbed me. I mean, who even listens to harp music? And then there was the singing. Im sure angels voices are beautiful and everything, but how long would I be expected to sing? What about the people who were tone deaf? Did that change when they passed on? What kind of food would we eat? What if we didnt get to eat? I was terrified of being sent to a place where I thought Id be bored out of my mind after ten minutes. Besides, lying came naturally. "Who ate the last cookie?" Id point to my brother. "Where did my money go?" Cut to me shrugging. "Are her parents going to be there?" My head nodded on cue, though I knew her parents were away for the weekend. I learned to lie by watching Micah. Hed keep his amber-brown eyes steady and look Mom straight in her eyes. He didnt smile or talk too much to give himself away. He remained calm, quiet even. The trick, he told me, was that a part of him actually believed the lies. He took me under his wing, and we began covering for each other. I didnt tell Mom or Dad where he was or what he was doing, and he didnt tell them whom I secretly dated or when I came home late. We had an unspoken pact. We lied to our parents with ease. We lied to our teachers. We even lied to each other. The truth? Everyone lies. Every single person. Even my mom. When Micah didnt come home one night, she looked at me the following morning and told me he went to visit my uncle in the Bay Area for the summer. She said the change of scene would do him good, and then she raised her left hand to her temple. The subtle movement was her tell. I knew her signs, having studied her my whole life, as if we played some high-stakes poker game together, even if the winnings meant only that I got to stay up a half an hour later. I thought Micah had bailed for the night and crashed at some friends house like the last time. I didnt allow my thoughts to take me to the darker places. But when I walked into his room and saw his guitar stand lying on its side next to his unmade bed, I knew. His Cali Girl case was gone. He had taken his Gibson Les Paul. I stood in the middle of his room very aware of the silence surrounding me and understood that heaven must be a big empty space. * * * Sometimes I couldnt sleep. Id hear these sounds through the wall between Micahs and my bedrooms. Light feet on the floor. Pacing. The squeaking of his old bed. More pacing. Another roll of springs grating on metal. The quiet strum of his guitar. The whispered conversations to God knows who. His door opening at hours when it shouldve been closed. I eventually started sleeping with a small fan on next to my bed to block out all the sounds. It helped, mostly. My parents first asked me about Micah and drugs a little over a year ago. They wanted to know when it started. I lied. I told them I didnt know. I told them I knew hed experimented here and there, but I didnt think it was anything serious. I pretended I was as shocked as they were. I didnt tell them that the first time Micah used meth was at a party hed played with his band over two years ago. While hed tuned his guitar, someone had given him a small white pill and told him it would take the edge off. Classic. He took it and didnt sleep for two days. I knew because I heard him through the thin wall. A couple of days later, after finally sleeping it off, Micah strolled nonchalantly into my room and started touching the books on my shelf, which usually meant he was in a talkative mood. "You gonna say anything?" Of course he knew that I knew. He didnt even try to insult me with a lie. "What?" I said. "It was only one time." "I know." He pulled out The Stranger , a depressing book Id had to read the year before and had enjoyed simply because I could check it off my list for the "college bound." "Its weird." Micah fanned through it, stalling, looking for words. "I felt . . . it was . . . the best Ive ever felt. This super rush. I didnt know I could ever feel that way. Like I could do anything, you know?" "No, I dont know." I didnt mean to stifle his moment, but I didnt want to encourage him either. He looked at me like I was the little sister who didnt know anything, put the book back on the shelf, and left the room. I walked over and returned the book to its proper place. If I had known that his mind had already been altered with that first try, that the seed of addiction had taken root, maybe I would have done more. Maybe. But I didnt. Micah claimed he used as an artistic experience, saying that he connected with the universe when he was high. He used to create. He used to perform. He said it gave him his magic mojo, like he became some kind of different entity, some superpower. But that was in the beginning. Eventually he needed it to function. No one noticed, or maybe they didnt want to notice, the change. He was the usual warm body in class. His grades werent great, but they never had been. But he soon turned from my older brother into a walking clich Details ISBN1442440538 Author Carrie Arcos Short Title OUT OF REACH Language English ISBN-10 1442440538 ISBN-13 9781442440531 Media Book Format Hardcover DEWEY FIC Year 2012 Publication Date 2012-10-16 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2012-10-16 NZ Release Date 2012-10-16 US Release Date 2012-10-16 UK Release Date 2012-10-16 Pages 256 Audience Age 14-99 Publisher Simon & Schuster Imprint Simon & Schuster Audience Teenage / Young adult We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:137980795;

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