Hold Me Tight by Lorie Ann Grover

"I'm leaving."
Dad's words come as a complete shock to Essie. How can he just walk out on her and the family, especially when Mom is pregnant?
Essie keeps her dad's leaving a secret. Then Essie's classmate, Chris Crow, disappears, and everyone finds out he's been kidnapped. Is Chris okay? Is Dad ever coming back? Essie is left to wonder if people really have any control over what happens in their lives.
Finally, after a startling incident with a family friend, Essie finds the strength to hold on tight to all that she has left -- and in the process realizes that the bonds of love and family do hold a person together.
Inspired by true events, Hold Me Tight is a moving and powerful novel. An author's note provides further information about kidnapping and the Amber Plan programs that are in use today to help communities find abducted children.

Another story told in verse which will appeal to female adolescent readers who like realistic fiction. 10-year-old Essie lives with her mother, 7-year-old brother Dale, and up until recently her father. One night, he packs up his things and abandons his entire family. To add to the turmoil, Essie's mom is pregnant. At school, Essie must also deal with the recent kidnapping of her classmate, Chris Crow. Essie is beginning to wonder if anything will ever go right, when everything seems to be going so wrong. This is a very easy book to read and extremely relatable. My biggest criticism would be the length. Some parts dragged, but the story does wrap up quite nicely. A good book to recommend to apprehensive readers especially those who are not quite mature enough to handle Ellen Hopkins' books.  This book is found in the Evans IMC.