Rock Harbor Search and Rescue

February 1, 2014

Gr 6 Up-This second installment in a series of faith-based mysteries features 14-year-old Emily and her friend Olivia, who discovers that she is adopted. As the girls investigate a potential connection to Olivia's birth parents, someone sets fire to the school, and Emily's stepmother goes missing. The young teens try to solve all of these mysteries at once, but run afoul of their parents. While the plot is fast-paced and the overall mood suspenseful and engaging, the dialogue is clumsy and the narrative can feel pedantic. Set in a small town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Cobble charmingly captures an interwoven community with festivals, school spirit, and overlapping relationships. Fans returning to the series will enjoy the welcome trip with familiar faces, but new readers might be confused at the lack of backstory for the many characters. The personal growth of Emily and Olivia is told rather than shown through their actions, which causes the characters to feel static. Though not outstanding, this is a solid choice for libraries who own the first title, Search & Rescue (Thomas Nelson, 2013), Cobble's adult series set in the same town, or in communities where Christian fiction is in high demand.-Elizabeth Nicolai, Anchorage Public Library, AK

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 18, 2013
Eighth-grader Emily O’Reilly had “means, motive, and opportunity” to steal Mrs. Dancer’s sapphire necklace, says Sheriff Kaleva; maybe, but Emily didn’t take it. All she wants is to become a search-and-rescue operator like her stepmother, Naomi, and her idol, Bree. Since everyone except her best friend Olivia thinks Emily stole the necklace, she has to clear her name, and to do that, she must find the real culprit. So begins the first book in a series for middle-grade readers based on bestseller Coble’s Rock Harbor series for adults. Told in third person from Emily’s point of view with a great deal of realistic, though sometimes dull, dialogue, the story is a briskly paced whodunit steeped in middle-school girl drama. The setting is Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the authors do a fine job of juggling a large cast. Some readers might wish for more polished prose or a dose of levity, but most will relate to the seriousness with which Emily takes herself, her faith, and her empathy. Ages 9–12.