THE ART OF HOLDING ON AND LETTING GO by Kristin Bartley Lenz.  Ashford, CT:  Elephant Rock Books, 2016.  308p.  ISBN 978-09968649-16 pbk. $12.95    Gr.9-12    YA FIC

Cara's at the top of her game - a champion rock climber competing in events around the world with her parents, who are also climbers.  While competing in Ecuador, her parents and Uncle Max are caught in an avalanche, resulting in Uncle Max's disappearance and assumed death.  Cara's parents are grief-stricken and send her to live with her grandparents in the suburbs near Detroit.  She doesn't want to stay, as she's also grieving, and would rather have the emotional support of her parents.  Good fortune brings her to the lunch table of Kaitlyn and Nick, rather unusual characters who end up being good friends for Cara.  Her grandfather signs her up for driving lessons and takes her to the local climbing gym to keep her moving forward with life.  There's also a romantic interest named Tom and a series of mysterious notes that keep Cara engaged in the present.  As she finds out more about her grandparents, Cara begins to understand her parents better, and gains patience while she sorts out this new chapter of her life.
Lynette Suckow, Superiorland Preview Center, Marquette, MI