Review Detail

From page one, The Distance Between Lost and Found, consumed me and didn’t let go. It is more than a survival story. It's about a girl's struggle to find courage and confidence. She loses her way and gets lost in the wilderness, and with the help of two other campers learns how to survive. Real and unforgettable, Hallie and her companions take a journey of discovery that they will remember for the rest of their lives.

The Distance Between Lost and Found takes on several heavy subjects such as bullying. Kathryn Holmes does a fantastic job handling very real and traumatic experiences in a sensitive manner. She does a fantastic job developing the character of Hallie. As readers, we go on the journey of discovery with Hallie. We don’t truly know the whole story until Hallie is ready to reveal the truth- not only to her friends but herself as well. Watching Hallie evolve and change throughout the story is both overwhelming and inspiring. Must like real life.

What I liked best about The Distance between Lost and Found in how th setting also plays a major part in the novel. The cast of human characters is small, but the wilderness itself holds it own. Holmes vividly describes the Smoky Mountains and every natural element. The reader is easily immersed in sound, smell, taste, touch, and color.

Each character in the story; Hallie, Jonah, and play an integral role in the story and its development. Hallie isn’t the only one on a journey. They need each other, their strengths and weaknesses, in order to survive. The characters feel real and easy to connect to.

Although this book centers on incidents that occurred during a religious youth retreat, the book doesn’t preach any particular beliefs.
Hallie, Jonah, and Rachel do talk about God and whether they believed in Him. But this topic arises naturally when the characters are struggling to survive and start to share more about their backgrounds.

The Distance Between Lost and Found focuses on survival, friendship, faith and trust. Bullying continues to be a major issue of concern and the way Hallie handles the incident is realistic. But most importantly, Kathryn Holmes shows how bullying can impact a person and how everyone involved can survive.


Beautifully written and artfully crafted characters make The Distance Between Lost and Found a book that this reader just couldn’t put down.