OLD STORY, NEW TWIST: While there are a lot of novels about missing girls and young women, very few are set in the inner city and end like this one.

GIRLS IN SPORTS ON THE RISE: While there are many books about sports, very few feature a diverse group of athletes and families, and very few focus on girls. So this novel, with a female high school athlete, a focus on swimming, and a racially diverse cast of characters, fills a void in the fiction genre that millions of Americans will identify with.

UNDERREPRESENTED CHARACTERS: This is a book set in the city with a multiracial cast, which is more representative of cities in general. Philadelphia, the 5th most populous city in the US, is 41% white, 43% black or African American, 12% Hispanic or Latino, and 6% Asian.

DRUG ABUSE AFFECTS MILLIONS: About 20 million adults in the United States have a substance-use disorder that impacts family functioning and employment.