In the summer before Cullen Witter's senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a bird, the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker, thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas, sparking a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. But as absurd as the town's carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared. While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. The two stories have more to do with each other than they first appear. This novel is about a lot more than what Cullen calls, "that damn bird." It's about the dream of second chances.

228 pgs. - ISBN: 9781442413337

AR Points - IL: UG - BL: 5.7 - AR Pts: 9

Discussion Guide: http://books.simonandschuster.com/Where-Things-Come-Back/John-Corey-Whaley/9781442413337/reading_group_guide

Keywords: Louisiana author

Honors: 2012 Printz Award winner, 2012 Morris Award winner