De Vries's novel goes back and forth between two sisters, Kaya and Beth. Both are grieving over the loss of the father from cancer. Beth takes solace in food, happily eating junk in the solitude of her room or in front of the tv. Kaya sneaks out at night, hitchhiking rides to parties on the beach. But Kaya's antics are more than just an expression of grief; she's also trying to cover up the pain of a much darker secret from her childhood.
One day at school, Kaya runs into a childhood friend, Diana, an encounter that threatens to bring past secrets to light. Unable to cope with her feelings, Kaya convinces another girl, Michelle, to skip school with her and take a bus to a seedy part of town. Before too long, Kaya is skipping school more than attending it, getting into more and more serious activities each time. Soon Kaya has run away altogether, turning tricks downtown in order to support her next heroin fix.
Kaya's mother is worried about her child, but doesn't know what to do about her. The adult in me wanted to yell at her. "Find her! Put her in treatment! Don't let her out of your sight!" Several times Kaya comes home and attempts to go back to school, but she continues to sneak off again.
Author Maggie De Vries bases Rabbit Ears in part on the story of her sister, Sarah, whose story is similar to Kaya's. Sarah eventually went missing and was never found. Kaya ultimately gets a more satisfactory ending filled with hope. However, De Vries's novel is not a cautionary tale with big moral lessons. It feels real and should grab teens who are looking for realistic books with serious themes. There are a few semi-explicit sexual situations in the book, making this best suited for older teens. De Vries keeps the novel to just over 200 pages, making it an accessible choice for reluctant readers.
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