What an incredibly powerful middle grade book focusing on people and situations that are often forgotten. I wish I taught middle grade so I could teach this book, but I will be happy to recommend it and get it in my library system.

I was very interested in reading this. And it was interesting. Not fully what i expected, but i still enjoyed reading. Thought the focus would be more on her trying to find her mom. But that wasn't really the case, it started with that and then went to a different mystery. The mystery about the animals was good, but also a little messed up tho. How can someone be like that, no matter what happened in your life. It's just messed up. But the story was good, just expected more about the search for her mom. I also expected that at the end they would find her, but that was not the case. I love the characters, they are nice and fun, especially Elisi. Did not like M.J. tho. Curious if there will come a second book.

4,5 stars

This book delves deeply into sensitive and heavy themes, making it an intense but meaningful read for a middle-grade audience. Wren, a young Cherokee girl searching for her missing mother, must navigate the harsh realities of animal cruelty, child abuse, bullying, and the ongoing tragedy of her mother’s disappearance, part of the MMIWG2S (Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit) crisis. The narrative is powerful, confronting difficult truths head-on and giving young readers an unflinching glimpse of the world’s darker sides.

At first, the themes may seem too dark for middle-grade readers, but Reno's thoughtful approach aligns with her belief that "young readers have the same feelings as adults. The only difference is setting and circumstance." Children are observant and often witness complex realities in their own lives, making this story both relevant and authentic. Wren’s determination to find justice for her mother while uncovering a local mystery reflects the emotional depth that children can comprehend.

One of the book’s standout messages comes from Wren’s grandmother, who offers wisdom that resonates long after reading: “When we are hurting, the best thing we can do is help others. To give another joy is to ease our own pain.” Wren’s volunteer work at the animal shelter and her knack for reuniting lost pets with their owners become her anchor, a way to channel her grief into something meaningful.

Find Her is a story of resilience and hope amid heartache, and though it may be a heavy read for younger audiences, it is one that I would recommend—with the important caveat that readers should be aware of the challenging themes. It’s a moving and powerful book, offering lessons in empathy and healing through service to others.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I do not typically read middle grade books but when I saw the cover and synopsis I knew I had to read this one. Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls does not get talked about like it should. Ginger Reno did not shy away from difficult topics and did a fantastic job making them age appropriate.

Thank you Netgalley and Holiday House for the Advance Reader Copy of Find Her.

Wren Macintosh's mother went missing five years ago, one of the thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman in Girls throughout the Americas. And even though it seems both her dad, who is the chief of police in Fort Gibson, and her grandmother have mostly given up searching for her, Wren has not. She spends every waking moment online hunting down clues, so much time that her family is beginning to worry about her. Her grandmother suggests that she put all of her amateur sleuthing skills to good use and start a pet finding business. Mostly, to make her grandmother feel better, she agrees. It isn't long before Wren and her best friend Brentley discover that someone in their little town is torturing animals for fun and they are to determined to stop it, even if they have to face off with a real killer.

Over the past few years MMIWG has gained traction, most definitely not enough but the red handprint across the mouths of Native Americans has brought much needed acknowledgement to an issue many of us didn't even know existed. Thousands of Native American women and girls go missing every year, their stories rarely if ever told to the larger American audience; the reason for this has largely placed smack dab on the victim, outside police agencies did little to nothing to assist in the search for these women, media outlets did not cover these stories, and much like in the case of Wren's mother families wait years, decades in many cases to here any news of their loved ones fate. If they ever do. For the reason of simply bringing a voice to the voiceless, this book is a solid five stars.

That being said, regardless of the important message behind it, Find Her is just a damn good book about living after trauma. Wren has such a solid family with her grandmother and her father, and while they may not always see eye to eye, they are wonderfully supportive of each other. And they end up naturally extending that support to Brentley, whose family life is the exact opposite. Earlier this year I read a book that had a very similar theme with the MCs family and in that book it felt fake when they offered to support the MCs friends whose lives were anything but perfect, in that book it felt like the MC and her family were almost lording over everyone else they were perfect. I didn't get that feeling here at all. And maybe that's because their Mom/Wife/Daughter was missing they knew what it was like to *feel* broken.

The whole mystery thing was also oddly perfect. I know that sounds weird but given Wren's personality it would have been weird if Reno had decided that Wren's first foray back into the world of the living had been to like start a babysitting club or something. It just made sense that this girl would hunt down a killer.


Overall, it is definitely an excellent short read that while geared towards middle grade readers is one I wholeheartedly believe everyone should read.

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Holiday House for the eArc!

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are completely my own


Although set in the United States, Find Her is very much relevant in Canada.

The story not only focuses on the Missing and Murdered indigenous woman, and what those woman leave behind, but also shelter Animals and systematic racism

It's a good read and perfect to get children to understand why it's this is so important..

In Find Her, we follow Wren, a young Cherokee girl whose mother has been missing for 5 years. She lives with her native grandmother and her white father, who is also a police chief. She struggles with the loss of her mother and feelings that her father and the rest of the police aren't doing enough, and that there is very little she can do. With the encouragement of her grandmother, she starts a 'finding business', looking for lost animals. She stumbles across a series of animal abuse cases and decides to put her detective skills to work. Along with a new friend, she investigates this mystery. Find Her touches on topics of abuse, loss, grief, and the MMIWG movement. I think this was a great book that should be read by readers of all ages (but please check the trigger warnings)

FIND HER by Ginger Reno is an excellent book. Main character/narrator Wren and her grandmother Elisi are dynamic, well-developed characters. Wren's growth throughout the novel is well written, too; not all of her change is linear and it's not all perfect. She makes mistakes, but her logic fits with being twelve and being ostracized by her classmates because she is Indigenous and her mother is missing. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S+) epidemic is beautifully--and intensely--addressed in FIND HER. The author's choice to have the story told through a twelve-year-old girl brings home the heart-wrenching, devastating the MMIWG2S+ stories that are not being covered by mainstream media at all.

The change in Wren's family dynamic is also very moving. Wren, Elisi, and Wren's dad move from dealing with their grief and anger over the lack of answers in isolation to dealing with information together. Wren makes a phenomenal catalyst for this change. It made me wish I'd had this book when I was twelve.

In other reviews, I've seen questions and comments about whether FIND HER is "appropriate" as a middle grade novel. The young character in the movie "Fancy Dance" is 12 or 13 and dealing with the same situation. Maybe Wren's story will help another young person (Indigenous or otherwise) dealing with this crisis.

The only reason I am not giving this book five stars is that there's a surprising lack of information about the circumstances of Wren's mother's disappearance. If Wren's always checking websites and trying to find something to lead her to her mother, it seems like she would know where her mother was last scene, etc. The mention that she disappeared outside of Wren's police chief Dad's jurisdiction makes it confusing. I also hope the final version of the published novel includes back matter with additional information on how to learn more about MMIWG2S+.

Overall, I highly recommend.

Find her is a fast-paced middle grade novel. The story follows 12-year-old Wren. Her mother has been missing for five years. I loved Wren as a character.
Overall, a very great read! I really enjoyed it!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

4.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This story was very well done and well written. Wren’s story covered many, many tough topics but in a way that is more palatable for middle grade readers. This story may have a number of triggers - child abuse, animal abuse, bullying, and the abduction and possible murder of an Indigenous woman. While the topics were heavy, the story of Wren and her family and friend had hope, resilience, courage, and honor. There were a few curse words but nothing extreme, and even though these were heavy topics for middle grade, they were handled age-appropriately. I do wish there was a bit more info about what happened to Wren’s mom - we just know she disappeared but nothing of the circumstances, and I do wish there had been more resource materials at the end about what’s happening to Indigenous women, but hopefully, this will spark readers to look into it. Overall, well done!

Three of my graduate courses incorporate readings and conversations around MMIWG. We read a few texts together, but my middle school teachers often worry about the complexity and maturity of the texts for their students. I’m excited to offer this to my teachers who want to cover this material but worry about the ridiculous censorship in our schools today. Thank you, Holiday House, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Find Her for my review.

While MMIWG is present, this book reads more like a mystery/thriller. It’s a certain hit with middle school readers, but also provides just the right of intrigue for a study of Indigenous Peoples and MMIWG, a social issue that desperately needs more attention. I loved the friendship between the two main characters, the supportive adults, and the independence of the middle school characters. There was one storyline that left me unsatisfied—one character is physically abused by this father—but it’s mostly shrugged off. I wanted more here, and a kid facing this in their own life likely would, too. Besides that, all potentially worrisome content happens off the page. This was a quick, exciting, and purposeful read. For teachers wishing you could use something like Firekeeper’s Daughter or Marrow Thieves, consider this text for your 6-9th grade students.

4,5☆

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for an arc of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a really moving story. I loved how this handled a multitude of different important topics. That, together with the mystery solving, made this a really compelling and interesting story overall. I really liked the writing in this, and the mystery was very well done. I also liked that while this is a middle grade book, it doesn't shy away from the heavy details of the things happening in the storyline.

I really liked Wren's personality and how I got to learn more about Native Americans (specifically Cherokees) through her character as well as from the story overall as that is something I haven't read much before in fictional books. I also loved that this book brings a lot of awareness about the crisis of missing Indigenous women as that is something that should definitely be more talked about!

Overall, this is a really great Middle Grade novel that I would recommend for people of all ages to read! (Please check trigger warnings before reading)

I got an ARC of this book.

I have only two critiques of this book

First, the book was a bit slow at times. It felt a lot like the author was bringing us through each and every day of finding no clues for a while. It did pick up after a while, but I struggled a few times to keep going. Once it picked up, it was a WILD ride. So it really balanced out in the end, but I almost didn’t make it.

Second, this book is not one I would classify as middle grade. The main character was in middle school, but the graphic nature of some of the scenes makes me hesitant that this is middle grade. There are graphic depicitions of animal abuse. Graphic enough they turned my stomach. I was not expecting it to be detailed. At first it was a shot in the hind leg dog, but then it was as graphic as a true crime podcast. The talk of Wren’s missing mom was also handled at times incredibly graphic. There was talk of “remains” which considering the statisticsis fair. My issue was the next detail: they couldn’t use dental records to ID the remains. Wren even states that she doesn’t want to think about what that means. That detail was graphic in a way that felt like it aged the story at least up to young adult. Would I stop a middle grade kid from reading this? No. I would offer to talk with them about what the book was about and support them through reading it. If I saw a parent reaching for it, I would warn them about the topics covered and give them other books that can support them talking things through with their kids.

There were multiple times I felt gut punched while reading this. One of the lines came at the end of the book and it amounted to the kid confessing the abuse and ended with “and I want it to stop”. I was not ready for that. There were so many lines from Wren that just made me have to put the book down and take a few breaths before I could continue. I ended up warning my wife about the book. They are like me, or more accurately, I am like them. I have to read all the new Indigenous books that come out. I read all the kids and they read all the non-fiction. I didn’t want them to have to experience some of the pain this book would cause them. They already have fears when they are traveling in Oklahoma as an openly two-spirit person. They have not talked about anyone they know who is missing, but I would be shocked if they didn’t have a list. The book does not touch on the two-spirit parts of the crisis. The book focuses on MMIWG, but the way I have been taught is MMIWG2S. I didn’t expect more two-spirit coverage, the book was devastating enough without that added level of gut punch.

Trigger warnings: missing parent, child abuse, animal cruelty, animal death, violence, anti-Indigenous racism, bullying

The story was powerful and necessary. It was just incredibly graphic. I highly suggest reading this with your middle grader instead of letting them read it alone.

Twelve-year-old Wren is on a mission. Her mother, part of the Cherokee Nation, has been missing for five years, and no one outside of her family seems to care anymore. Her white father is a cop and he isn't very forthcoming about any leads. When animals around town start disappearing or turning up tortured and abused, she takes it upon herself to solve the case. She and her new best friend begin an investigation, but will anyone even take them seriously?

I loved Wren as a character. She is a strong and determined protagonist with very complicated feelings about the police and the way missing Indigenous girls and women are often ignored. Her grandmother helps to raise her, keeping her connected to her Cherokee roots. I loved their relationship - I think it was my favorite part of the book.

What keeps this from being a 5-star read is that it should have been YA. This is a very heavy book that deals with many heavy topics: her missing mother, child abuse, animal abuse, a possible serial killer/psychopath that two 12-year-olds are hunting...it's a lot. I'm not sure this is a book you could hand to the average 8 - 12-year-old, which is the middle-grade target audience. And I'm saying that as someone who reads a lot of hard-hitting middle-grade and YA.

That being said, this is an excellent story about grief, family, and friendship, and I think it would be a great transitional read for a kid who is starting to age out of middle-grade but isn't quite ready for YA yet.

I have conflicting thoughts about this book. On the one hand, I love that this book engages middle grade readers with the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit (MMIWG2S+) epidemic. Having Wren with a red hand over her mouth on the front cover makes a powerful statement. I loved Wren and her maternal grandmother, Elisi. Elisi stole the show! Her relationship with Wren was lovely. I liked how Wren found a friend in Brantley at a time when they both needed each other.

But I was also deeply uncomfortable (and not the helpful kind of discomfort) with the prominence and depiction of the police. Wren's white father is the Fort Gibson police chief, and except for one point when Wren was aggravated with her father's lack of forthcomingness around her mother's case, the narrator speaks about the police in mostly positive terms. The same goes for Child Protective Services. <spoiler>Take this quote from the uncorrected proof, for example: "Now that the chief of police, the principal, and CPS were involved—and Brantley was no longer afraid to speak up—Mr. Sims was much less likely to lose his temper." While this wraps up the child abuse storyline neatly, for a book that trusts kids to handle the sad realities of MMIWG2S+ epidemic, this feels too generous to CPS. If anything, CPS getting involved can make things worse for children involved. The narrator doesn't say that if Brantley's dad weren't white, he probably would have had his child taken away, even without the evidence CPS had on him.</spoiler>

Wren talks about possibly wanting to be a cop in the future, too, and that was unsettling to me. I recommend reading this article from the Yellowhead Institute (an Indigenous-led research and education center) for an overview on the inextricability between MMIWG2S+ and the failures of policing: https://yellowheadinstitute.org/2023/02/14/mmiwg2s-policing/

I don't think the bullying subplot with M.J. was necessary or added anything to the story. I wasn't satisfied with the resolution and didn't see it as "justice."

The book started off slow but picked up after around 40 percent (in my opinion). Then I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know who was hurting the animals!

I don't know if I'd recommend this book. But I'm curious to read whatever Ginger Reno writes next.

Thanks to the publisher for the advanced copy!

Thank you, Netgalley, Ginger Reno and Holiday House Peach Tree Pixel Ink for the ebook. This story had me crying and so invested. It is a heartbreaking story of how a young girl is trying to live after her mom goes missing. The unfortunate truth and statistics of indigenous woman going missing is just heartbreaking. Although there was more to the story line that resonated the most. The other part of the story was also heartbreaking and had a mystery twist as well. A great read.

I have complicated feelings about this book. In terms of positives, I feel like it is a helpful introduction to the MMIWG2S+ epidemic and genocide for children and young adults who might not have been introduced to it before. I also thought that the case of Brantley’s brother and father showed how child abuse can start a cycle of abuse. I also thought that Wren was a well-developed character, though I’m a little weary that she might inspire kids to take on a “crime fighting” mentality and get in trouble in a way that she, protected by a cop dad, is largely shielded from.

My big problems with this book are that her dad is a cop and that is unsettling. The link between the MMIWG2S+ epidemic and the existence of the police is inextricable. I feel like the book could have depicted this in a more complicated way for the younger audience that this is geared towards a future without the police. It was especially grating when she has an internal monologue about maybe wanting to be a cop in the future.

This book doesn’t even touch on the possibility of restorative justice between Wren and her bully, M. J. Though this bully is egregiously and flagrantly racist, shoving her into the school discipline process that only produces harm and often serves as an entry to becoming incarcerated, is not the only solution and we must provide other ways of addressing harm for children. The way that Child Protective Services is called is also really challenging because the family separation process, something that Indigenous people in particular have had forced on them as a means of cultural genocide amongst other things, is horrible and I wish they had presented other solutions.

The abolition of the police is integral to Indigenous sovereignty.

Rating: 4.75/5

Find Her was a book that caught my eye immediately and I devoured the book in one sitting. A great middle-grade book for those who are quite not ready for the more mature A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series.

I have a soft spot for middle-grade books, and this one has made its way deep into my heart. While there were times the pacing felt off in the early pages of the book, once the action/main plot started to take place I was HOOKED. I loved Wren who really felt like she was both wise beyond her years at times but also still a twelve-year-old child. Elisi, was by far my favorite character! I loved the knowledge the character shared about Cherokee history, language, and cultural identity. I loved how everything came together throughout the book.

With all of the whirlwind of the main plot of finding who is causing animal abuse within their town in Oklahoma, Wren is also dealing with the disappearance of her mother and really highlights the importance of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls (MMIWG) movement and the need for awareness. The way that it was woven into the story was beautiful and heartbreaking.

I will note that readers should be aware of scenes of animal abuse, bullying, child abuse, and of course missing women.

Overall, this was a short but beautiful story that I believe everyone should read when they get a chance. Thank you to NetGalley and Holiday House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed this middle grade mystery novel. This follows Wren, a young girl, still determine to find her missing mother. She's been missing for more than five years and is only one of the hundreds of Native Americans that are considered missing or murdered in Oklahoma.
This book is fiction but with real life past and current events. This story is very important as it not only shows you how this could affect a young girl but also their family and community.
It's a powerful middle grade book, which I will definitely be picking a copy up for myself and kids in my life. More people need to be aware of MMIWG - Missing and Murdered Indigenous Woman and Girls

The writing style was very digestible and story flowed well. The message was deep and beautiful. Would definitely recommend!