Cullen Witter lives in a small town called Lily in the state of Arkansas, USA. It’s a dull place where nothing ever happens, except, that is, for this summer.

First off, Cullen’s cousin, Oslo, dies of a drug overdose, leaving his aunty a mess. Then a visitor to Lily claims to have sighted the extinct Lazarus Woodpecker, causing everyone in town to become obsessed with the elusive bird. And then Gabriel, Cullen’s much-loved brother disappears. This summer, it seems, is full of things going missing or coming back.

In another part of the world, a young missionary finds himself sent to Africa to do work with poverty-stricken families. It’s here that he starts to question the path that he’s on, and it’s here also that his life becomes entwined with Cullen’s in a way that one would never imagine.

This is an intelligent and interesting debut that, for some reason, reminded me of John Green, as both he and Whaley are clearly not afraid to write something different and quirky for a young adult readership. A great book for both boys and girls, aged 14 and up.

Katherine Dretzke is a bookseller at Readings Hawthorne.