When it comes to family, Annie is in the losers bracket. While her foster parents are great (mostly), her birth mom, Nancy, and her sister, Sheila, would not have been her first picks. And no matter how many times Annie tries to write them out of her life, she always gets sucked back into their drama. But when a family argument breaks out at one of Annie’s swim meets and her nephew goes missing, Annie can’t help but think this is her fault. With help from her boyfriend, her foster brother, and her social service worker, Annie searches desperately for her missing nephew, determined to find him and finally get him into a safe home. Chris Crutcher doesn’t shy away from tough subjects. His books are strikingly authentic depictions of the darker struggles some teenagers face. Losers Bracket is by turns gripping, heartbreaking, hopeful, and devastating. This unflinchingly honest story hits the sweet spot for fans of Andrew Smith and Marieke Nijkamp.