When a family argument turns into an urgent hunt for a missing child, seventeen-year-old Annie Boots must do everything in her power to bring her nephew home safely. Chris Crutcher, the acclaimed and bestselling author of Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, shares a provocative story about family, loss, and loyalty that is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Laurie Halse Anderson. The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books called Losers Bracket “Genuine and affecting.”

When it comes to family, Annie is in the losers bracket. While her foster parents are great (mostly), her birth family would not have been her first pick. And no matter how many times Annie tries to write them out of her life, she always gets sucked back into their drama. Love is like that.

But when a family argument breaks out at Annie’s swim meet and her nephew goes missing, Annie might be the only one who can get him back. With help from her friends, her foster brother, and her social service worker, Annie puts the pieces of the puzzle together, determined to find her nephew and finally get him into a safe home.

Award-winning author Chris Crutcher’s books are strikingly authentic and unflinchingly honest. Losers Bracket is by turns gripping, heartbreaking, hopeful, and devastating, and hits the sweet spot for fans of Andrew Smith and Marieke Nijkamp.

One missing child. One family in chaos. And one tough-as-nails teen who won’t stop until she finds the truth.

Family Drama: Annie loves her foster parents, but the pull of her chaotic birth family—and the drama they bring—is a force she can’t escape.
A Desperate Search: When her five-year-old nephew Frankie vanishes from a crowded park, Annie is the only one who suspects it’s more than just a tantrum.
Complex Sister Relationships: Navigating her loyalty to her troubled sister, Sheila, might be the key to finding Frankie—or the thing that gets them both hurt.
A Gritty Coming of Age: A gripping, emotional story about a teen athlete forced to confront the meaning of family, loyalty, and who she is when everything falls apart.