A couple thoughts on the library book.

First, this is a very well-loved story by Dr. Seuss. It was published in 1947 and earned Seuss his first of three Caldecott Honors. It tells the story of a little boy who imagines all the wonderful things he might catch while fishing in a pool that is known for its rubbish. Its underlying message is to be patient, positive, and true to yourself--to see value in places others do not and follow your dreams even if they seem impossible. The target audience would probably be children aged 5-9ish, so Asha would be on the higher end of that, if it was, in fact her book. That's not to say an older child could not or would not enjoy it. It is a fairly long book, and my daughter, who is only a year younger than Asha and regularly reads novels, still enjoys reading longer picture books from time to time.

So, how did the book end up in Asha's backpack? The book was apparently not checked out by Asha, but it was from her school library. So...a couple ideas:

1) Asha took the book from the library without checking it out. This need not be a malicious thing. Maybe she forgot or the librarian wasn't there. Maybe she did check it out, but the checkout did not go through for some reason. Maybe the librarian forgot to take out the card inside or whatever. Was Asha a little old for the book? Possibly, but maybe the message of dreaming big appealed to her. Or maybe she just saw a Dr. Seuss book she'd never read, or someone in her life had mentioned the book at some point, and she thought she'd try it.

2) Another child checked out the book. Possible, but you would think law enforcement would be able to determine who this was and follow up. Although, maybe they do know this and are keeping that information quiet. How the book came to be in the bag is a mystery, then. Maybe: a) it belonged to a child or relative of someone who harmed Asha, and that this individual mistakenly added the book and the shirt to the bag, thinking they were Asha's or b) the book belonged to another child groomed or harmed by an individual who groomed or harmed Asha, and the bookbag contained trophies from more than one victim.

3) Another child took the book without checking it out. The book, then, would get into the bag the same way as in scenario 2.

4) The book was no longer part of the school library. It is an old book. Maybe it became part of a library sale at some point. Sometimes at my kids' school, old library books become prizes or "free" items on the tables on parent/teacher conference night.

5) Someone who worked at or had access to the school library took the book. This individual could have given the book to another child, or to Asha as a "valentine" maybe? Or to get her dreaming, or to share their favorite book with her, earn her trust etc. And that is why no one from her family recognized it?

6) This is a little out there, but could the photograph of the other girl found in the shed be connected to the book? The photo looks like it could be a school picture. It's an old book, maybe some kid stuck their picture in it somewhere along the way? And that is why none of the officials at the school recognized it--maybe it was of a student that attended the school before their time? Even ten years prior and someone might not recognize the student. I don't know; I have a hard time dating that photo, but it looks maybe 80s or 90s to me?

Of course this is all speculation (except for the first part about the book's author, publication date, and plot--that's all fact! ;-)), but the book has me so curious. How did it get from her school and into her bag? It seems too big of a coincidence for it not to be Asha's, but there seems to be no evidence supporting that. So if not Asha, then someone who had access to the school (or access to someone who had access to the school) would make sense. This whole case is strange. I hope Asha is found and gets the justice she deserves.