Waiting on Wednesday: Finding Lost by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Image: Penguin Random House

Finding Lost by Holly Goldberg Sloan. 208 p. Rocky Pond Books/ Penguin Young Readers, October 7, 2025. 9780593530252.

I attended a fall publisher preview with Penguin Young Readers this afternoon and my tbr list grew. There is a lot to look forward to coming from PYR this fall! However, Ever since I read Counting by 7s, I absolutely adore Holly Goldberg Sloan, so this news stood out for me.

Publisher synopsis: A stray dog leads to major change for Cordy and her grieving family in this heartwarming new novel by the beloved author of Counting by 7s.

Cordy Jenkins is searching for something that will change her life, and for the safety that vanished when her father died. She is convinced that if she just tries hard enough, she will find part of what her family lost, and that it will stop her mom from wanting to leave the small town she and her little brother have always called home. What Cordy finds is a muddy, hungry little dog with bad breath. And he’s the start of her family’s new beginning.

Holly Goldberg Sloan writes novels about family and friendship that open your heart and make you laugh out loud. You will fall in love with Cordy and her family as quickly as they fall in love with the stray pup named Lost. Full of unforgettable moments, this is a tender story of making peace with the inevitable truth that change is a constant, and that after profound loss there is still always the possibility of unexpected joy.

Teen Tuesday: Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal

                                     

Image: Penguin Random House

Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. 354 p. Rocky Pond Books/ Penguin Young Readers, October, 2024. 

Teen Tuesday features Light Enough to Float by Lauren Seal. Fourteen-year-old Evie is dying, though she is unaware, as are her parents, until they are not. She finds herself admitted to an in-patient treatment facility for her eating disorder, and she wasn't able to say goodbye to her sister, her best friend, or her beloved dog. 

This searing verse novel brutally depicts the hold that anorexics have, that prevents them from seeing themselves realistically. Evie hears voices that tell her she is fat, that she is a burden to her family, that she is unworthy. In treatment, she is weighed daily and is forced to eat. She wants to crawl out of her skin. But, she is also forced to attend group therapy sessions along with one-on-one sessions with a skilled therapist. 

This is a worthy addition to any middle and high school library and stands along side John Schu's Louder Than Hunger. Both are important novels for young people.