• Age: 10 to 14
• Grade: 5 to 9
• Reading age: 10 to 14

From award-winning author Chad Lucas comes an enthralling new story about a strange island where boys go missing—and the two boys intent on uncovering the truth about it

On Rhodenroode Island, a remote colony of the Homeland, there sits a Mission on the Hill, where boys are taken in and taught the ways of the faith.

Darian is the only trainee of his race there, and he doesn’t remember how he came to the Mission. All he remembers are brown hands and the belly of a ship. Life among the other boys and the cantankerous Brothers is not always easy, but Darian is determined to live up to the lofty calling the leaders of the Mission have laid out for him: that one day he will carry the Sacred Word to places it has yet to reach.

But when another trainee at the Mission disappears—the latest in a string of vanishings—Darian is determined to solve the mystery that begins to shake his faith in what he’s always been taught.

When he and his friend Micah sneak away from the Mission and head east to see what they can learn about the rebel sect supposedly responsible for the vanishings, they discover that the island holds far more secrets than they ever could have imagined—and somehow, they must save the other boys at the Mission from a danger that’s even greater than they realized.

Chad Lucas has been in love with words since he attempted his first novel on a typewriter in the sixth grade. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, communications advisor, freelance writer, part-time journalism instructor, and parenting columnist. His debut novel, Thanks a Lot, Universe, was called “tenderhearted and bold” in a starred review from Kirkus Reviews. A proud descendant of the historic African Nova Scotian community of Lucasville, he lives with his family near Halifax, Nova Scotia. He enjoys coaching basketball and is rarely far from a cup of tea.

Chad Lucas' profile page

"Lucas builds an engaging mystery with a dash of Afrofuturism, giving a thoughtful reflection on colonialism and its effects on society."

Booklist

"[A] compelling, action-filled narrative...A thoughtful depiction of youthful triumph over adult exploitation."

Kirkus Reviews