If You Find This

Nicholas Funes is a gifted musician and mathematician who views the world in frequencies and equations. When his father loses his job and their home is threatened, Nicholas is forced to interact with his estranged, newly released grandfather who is suffering from early-onset dementia. The grandfather claims to have buried valuable heirlooms, leading Nicholas and a small group of unlikely friends on a high-stakes scavenger hunt across town. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book handles incarceration, dementia, and the death of a sibling with a direct, secular, and realistic lens. The resolution is hopeful but grounded in reality: not every problem is solved by a 'magic' treasure, but the family finds a path forward. EMOTIONAL ARC: The story begins with a heavy sense of isolation and impending loss. It builds into a fast-paced mystery, but the emotional core deepens as Nicholas confronts his family's history. It ends on a note of hard-won resilience and connection. IDEAL READER: A thoughtful 10 to 12 year old who feels like an outsider, perhaps a 'gifted' child who struggles with social cues but feels deeply for their family's struggles. PARENT TRIGGER: A parent may choose this after seeing their child overhear a stressful conversation about money or after the child expresses fear about a grandparent's changing behavior or memory. PARENT PREP: Parents should be aware of the backstory involving the death of Nicholas's younger brother, which is the source of much of the family's underlying grief. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger readers will focus on the 'Goonies' style treasure hunt and the puzzles. Older readers will pick up on the nuanced frustration of the father and the tragic elements of the grandfather's lost time. DIFFERENTIATOR: Baker uses Nicholas's perspective as someone who sees the world through patterns and equations to frame the narrative, making his mathematical and musical abilities a functional tool for processing trauma rather than just a gimmick. """