5 comments about The Hideout.

1. The book "THE HIDEOUT" was an intriguing book. The author Eve Bunting is an excellent author and explained the antagonist and protanist. The antagonists were Andy the main character and Leah the hero. The protagonist was Fred who kidnapped Andy. The one negative comment I have of the book was how poorly the author explained how Andy escaped from the van. Other than that the book was excellant and should be read by all kids.



2. This book takes place in hotel. The main character, Andy, is the one staying in the hotel in the tower suite room. andy wants to run away, because he thinks his mom doesn,t love him anymore, now that she has a new husband. He descides to run away, not knowing where he's going, he takes money out of his step dad's wallet and leaves. He doesn't leave a note or tell his mom where he's going. He goes to this hotel. A bellman drops a key to a hotel room. Andy picks up the key. He goes and tries to find the room that this key belongs to. But, has a T engraved on it. He doesn't know if it means room # 30, 30th floor, room # 20 or what it means. He goes on the elevator and tries to find this room. He finally finds it and it turns out to be a key for the tower suite. (the biggest room in the hotel) he descides to stay there. Later that night he almost gets caught. He takes off his shoes. Someone finds the shoes and, they almost take the shoes with them. They don't, they thought they were on of the cleaning ladies, kids shoes. Andy thinks he is going to stay in the hotel until his dad gets back from his business trip. His dad won't be back for 3 weeks. So, how will he survive for 3 weeks on his own, with not a lot of food or money? I liked this book, I thought it was interesting. I recommend this book if you like adventures or mysteries you'll like this one!



3. This book wasn't as good as I thought it would be... The kidnapping was so boring! It was like it wasn't even real! I thought it would be more exciting than it was. When I got it, it was in the Young Adult section... it was like reading a 4th grader book!...



4. The Hideout by Eve Bunting is something you need to read, Because it can be serous but there is a little humor there. This book's main characters are Andy,his mother,his new stepfather,and his friend Leah. This book is about how Andy gets so fedup with his stepfather that he makes up his mind to run away so he can be with his biological dad. A doorman to nearby hotel drops a key to a room and Andy takes it. His plan is to hide there until he can get enough money to go see his dad in England. A janitor begins to get suspicious and plans to investigate and Andy dosen't know.



5. Pre-teen Andy is disgusted with things at home; his mom has remarried Paul (whom he privately calls "Paws"). His real father is out of reach--not only because he lives in England, but because he is away from home for months at a time on archaeological digs. The boy's best friend is Leah, a girl who is an avid CB'er.

   Andy gets so fed up with his home life that he decides to run away--which is not hard when you happen to live in San Francisco. Hanging out by the lobby of a swanky hotel, without any specific plan in mind, Andy spots and appropriates the fancy key to a plush, rarely-used suite. Just what he needs--his own private retreat where he can wait in safety until he can contact his father, somehow, to request plane fare. But every kid's dream come true--except for Room Service which would blow his Invisible cover--turns into a nightmare.

   Who cares if his mom and step father are worried sick about his disappearance? Can he exist for three weeks on room service leftovers in the halls; can he sleep and hide without leaving any trace; can he slip through the lobby without being recognized in the same clothes? Andy never considers the risk of being kidnapped, until the ransom note he writes in bitterness falls into the wrong hands. Then he must face some hard truths about his own selfishness, his prejudiced view of Paul and his childlike faith in a father who was never really there for him. Elementary and junior high kids will enjoy this story of adolescent resourcefulness and survival on the fringe of adult society.

5 comments about Kaya's Escape!: A Survival Story (American Girls Collection).

1. This story brings many emotions, especially love, and not taking the ones you love for granted.
   
   When Kaya and her blind sister are kidnapped by enemy raiders, and taken to one of their camps, Kaya has no choice but to leave her visually disabled sister behind, and try to find her way back home so that they can return for her. But many things stand in Kaya's way, and part of her is wondering if she'll ever see Toe-ta and Eetsa (Her mother and father) again.
   
   This book definately makes up for the excitement the first book lacked. I enjoyed reading it, as I have all the other Kaya books. My only problem with the series is that they believe in spirits, and some things that happen in the books couldn't happen in real life. But if you look past that, this series is great!



2. This book is definitely more exciting then the first book, and two new characters are introduced, Two Hawks and Swan Circling. Two Hawks is a Salish boy who becomes Kaya's friend, despite his bossy attitude. Swan Circling is a brave woman who is a main character in the third book. This book is the book where Kaya realizes her lack of responsibility, after making a huge mistake that could keep her from seeing her family, and her beautiful horse, Steps High, ever again. My only problem with this book is the "spirit" that Kaya comes across near the end of the book. I don't believe in "spirits" or "ghosts", and I found that part to be very unrealistic. But other than that, I would say this is a good book about struggle, and finding your way home.
   
   I would recommend it to people who read the first Kaya book. If you haven't read the first book, then I suggest that you read it before this one, because it will make this one a little bit more enjoyable.



3. I like this book alot bcause it has good drawings and cool characters the book also gets better when you get to the next capter. What I don't like is when the characters get hurt or get sick. What iI think they should of addedd was how her mom and dad felt when she came home with out her sister.She also should of said why kaya felt bad for the little boy who was there too.



4. 
   
   Say you were back in the 1764 in an Indian Tribe and you got stolen by a raider. How would you get away? Well, this is a story about a girl named Kaya and her friend in an Indian Tribe called Nimiipuu. They got stolen by raiders.
   
   When I started reading this book, I thought it would be boring, but when I got to the part when Kaya and Speaking Rain got stolen I just wanted to keep reading.
   
   Kaya and Speaking Rain had to be a slave, at the raiders tribe there was a boy who was a slave too, his name is Two Hawks. Kaya had to escape without Speaking Rain because she is blind. Two Hawks is going to escape with Kaya. At first Kaya didn¡¦t like Two Hawks,and they fight because Two Hawks wanted to be the leader.
   
   This gives me a connection because I have trouble with my friend sometimes at school. Then when they were going up to the mountain and then trouble came, Two Hawks broke his ankle.
   
   I felt sad before I read the ending. I ask to my self, what will happen? Will they stay alive? If you like exploring, then you should read this book. This is a great book for second or third graders.
   
   
   ºVivienneº



5. Say you were back in the 1764 in an Indian Tribe and you got stolen by a raider. How would you get away? Well, this is a story about a girl named Kaya and her friend in an Indian Tribe called Nimiipuu. They got stolen by raiders.
   
   When I started reading this book, I thought it would be boring, but when I got to the part when Kaya and Speaking Rain got stolen I just wanted to keep reading.
   
   Kaya and Speaking Rain had to be a slave, at the raiders tribe there was a boy who was a slave too, his name is Two Hawks. Kaya had to escape without Speaking Rain because she is blind. Two Hawks is going to escape with Kaya. At first Kaya didn¡¦t like Two Hawks and fights because Two Hawks wanted to be a leader.
   
   This gives me a connection because I have trouble with my friend sometimes. Then when they were going up to the mountain and then trouble came, Two Hawks broke his ankle.
   
   I felt sad before I read the ending. I ask to my self, what will happen? Will they stay alive? If you like exploring, then you should read this book. This is a great book for second or third graders.
   
   
   ºVivienneº

5 comments about Over the Edge: The True Story of Four American Climbers' Kidnap and Escape in the Mountains of Central Asia.

1. In Greg Child's book, the four climbers from California go to Kyrgyzstan to climb a type of wall found only there and in Yosemite. They grew up in typical middle class American homes, never having experienced true suffering, hunger or war. While in Kyrgyzstan they are kidnapped and thus confronted with some harsh realities of life for many people in this world.
   
   They read the State Department's warning on travel to that paritcular region of Kyrgyzstan and one of the four climbers was scheduled to go to that country earlier in the year and had his trip canceled due to danger in the area. Despite these red flags, they go to Kyrgyzstan anyway, showing themselves to be the willfully ignorant, self-absorbed, spoiled brats we will come to know throughout the book.
   
   At least one Kyrgyz soldier loses his life (no doubt the sole bread winner in his family supporting their meager existence.) Poverty-stricken villagers show the climbers much hospitality. The four climbers receive a lucrative book deal for their ordeal. Do they share any of the royalties with the suffering Kyrgyz or any of the unfortunate families who had to pay a terrible price for their stupidity? Not a penny.
   
   It is nearly impossible to feel any sympathy for Beth's Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or the broken freindships within the group in the face of their total refusal to accept any responsibility for their kidnapping or any sympathy for the Kyrgyz people. They point their fingers at the Kyrgyz government, individual soldiers, their travel company and the U.S. State department but never, ever indicate that they should have take the responsibility for finding a safe vacation destination themselves.
   
   In light of people like these climbers, I understand why much of the world views Americans as stupid and self-centered. Some of us actually do have a clue as to what's going on around us but unfortunately these fools' stories sell more magazines.
   
   Greg Child's book is interesting to read but also infuriating. He never asks the questions that matter. Did the climbers think they had any culpability for their kidnapping? How has their view of the world and America's place in it changed? Are wealthy American climbers entitled to travel the world to dangerous, back-of-beyond spots and expect the locals to pay the price for getting them out safely? Also, they seemed to have lied about part of their ordeal and Childs goes to great lengths to defend them. I think that Childs doesn't care as much about the truth as he does selling books.



2. As a development worker who lived and worked in Kyrgyzstan during the kidnapping, I can tell you that many parts of this so-called "True Story" are very questionable. One part is true: Four ill-prepared and reckless climbers got kidnapped. The rest of the story is based on their version. Another version puts it this way: They got kidnapped, the kidnappers were not prepared to babysit four climbers and did not have enough food or water for everyone. They got no support from local villagers so they let the climbers go. End of Story.
   
   The climbers say they pushed a kidnapper to his death and then ran the equivalent of a marathon across mountainous terrain with no food or water, after having had no food or water for days.... not likely. In Kyrgyztsan at the time, most ex-pats had the same opinion of these four: "Stupid rich kids in over their heads who greatly exaggerated their story." That's it. Not all that special really.



3. This is one of the Few or maybe Two true storys i have really gotten into.
   This and Lost In A Mountain In Maine .
   
   This book was obviously well written with 4 different points of veiw because there were four climbers. The story's quite amazing and it was soo suspensful i could hardly blink.
   
   One minute they aren't being feed and they are stuck in this weird cave trying to get away , the next they are climbing a steep and most dangerous cliff , the next they are recaptured and put back into the clutches of the enemies , then the NEXT they are throwing the enemies off a cliff. Who could predict what happens?
   
   It's not one of those books that you already can tell what happens or you alreday know everything's going to turn out Happily Ever After.
   Along with the details and Maps givin in the story you really understand where they are and how hard it was for them.
   
   Worth reading! i recommend it to ages 13- and up up up (although i was probably 11 when i read it. Surprisingly i've always been in a high reading level.)



4. I really wanted to read this book because I am interested in the story. But Child's use of the present tense (inconsistently, at that), finally was so irritating that I stopped reading midway through the book. Child is definitely off my author list.



5. I really liked this book. It was an interesting account of the climbers experiences. I only gave it 4 stars because I thought it was overly dramatized at times. Overall, a worthwhile read.

1 comments about SummerDanse.

1. Like the other three books, this one grabs your attention from the first page, and never lets go until the last page. You have to read these books in order or you will be lost. The only thing to makes these books better would to have a re-print having them all in one book. Great story, wonderful characters, engrossing read.

2 comments about One by One (Originally Guilt by Association) (Dani Ross Mystery Series #1).

1. This book has all the qualities of an excellent Gilbert Morris book - a compelling heroine, a tricky mystery, and an encouragement to those of like faith. This book was originally published under the title Guilt by Association by Bethany House Publishers, and the story has changed even though the title has. Dani Ross is a tough young woman who can't seem to get a break in life. After coming home to help out her father with the family business, she stumbles across a mystery that so envelops her as she is kidnapped and taken far away. We also meet Ben, the hardened investigator that Dani argues with at every turn. An excellent book for those who enjoy Christian fiction and especially mysteries of the Mary Higgins Clark, Terry Blackstock-type.



2. Dani Ross is a strong-willed ministerial student who must give up her dream of becoming a missionary to help her father in his private investigation agency. After getting mixed up with the wrong client, she is kidnapped and finds herself trapped in a silo with twelve others - the victims of a meglomaniac. Gilbert Morris draws out the suspense cleverly in one of his best plotlines.

   I have read all of the original Dani Ross books, and I am glad to see that they are being re-released by Crossway. The new editions have been skillfully updated to fit in with their new 2000 time setting instead of the 1980's period in which they were first written. My only complaint is that I wish Mr. Morris had rewritten the descriptions of Dani's clothing as well, as they are still glaringly eighties and add an incongrous note.

5 comments about Have You Seen My Mother: True Story of Parental Kidnap.

1. Very well written. It shows how a life and family can be torn apart by a high control group. More of these types of books should be written, to show the world that this happens not just occassionally, but happens frequently. The world needs to know.
   I could not put it down.



2. I could not put this book down! Jehovah Witnesses and non-Jehovah Witnessed could benefit from Bryan's heart breaking experience. We all take life, and being a parent for that matter, for granted sometimes. This book truely opens one's eyes to how easily we are manipulated by our social environment and how it molds us to the core...touching every cell of our being.
   The lies and deception that Bryan experienced by being kidnapped from his own mother are devastating! The end results are heart-wrenching....



3. Bryan Lee McGlothin compelling memoir Have you seen my mother? is the heart-breaking story of one man's quest for love, truth and acceptance. The contrast between the behaviour of both of his parents is most telling. The father professes to be Christian but kidnaps young Bryan from the loving arms of his mother, slandering her in the eyes of the world but more important, in the heart and mind of her love-starved and vulnerable son. The mother, heartsick and desperate in her unsuccessful search for Bryan, flounders mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While the father "progresses" in his faith and in life, the mother spirals toward tragic circumstances.
   
   Bryan's father's narcissistic selfishness and cruelty are all too familiar to this writer, but the roots of such evil are complex, never easily explained.
   
   McGlothin does a commendable job setting forth his story in his quest for truth. What he discovers will break your heart. It might also educate and humble you.



4. Although the story of what Bryan went through is devastating, the book is a fantastic read. I found it very eye-opening and humbling, as many of us take our childhood and parents for granted. I could not put it down. I commend Bryan for the courage and inner strength he found to tell his story. I hope there are more books to come written by this talented author.



5. This is a very moving and thought provoking story. Bryan's delivery of his life story took a lot of effort and must have been emotionally draining on him as well. His story reveals what goes on behind closed doors, something I myself as a former 30 yr. veteran of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) was ignorant to because they keep everything secret. The sadest part of what this book reveals, is that the JW's elders are NOT qualified counselors and have no specialized training, yet they practice such and have contributed to the suffering of such innocent ones as Bryan and all in the name of their so called, Jehovah God who is actually the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society.
   
   I read the book in 7 straight hours. You can't put it down.

1 comments about The Encyclopedia of Kidnappings (Facts on File Crime Library).

1. This book has a tremendous amount of information in it. It is organized as an encyclopedia (the name is not misleading here), so you can thumb quickly to a kidnapper or victim by name, or the name of a major incident, such as the Iran hostage crisis. If you already possess a great deal of knowledge in past kidnappings and ransoms then this is a good resource. If you are looking to learn, this book will make it somewhat challenging. A timeline structure would be more useful, as this book will take you hither and yonder from past to present, one continent to another, from a kidnapping to a ransom, to a serial murderer that first kidnaps his victims. Because there is so much information in this book, I am giving it four out of five stars even though it's challenging to use.

4 comments about Traps: A Novel of the FBI.

1. It has been three years since his daughter has been kidnapped and the FBI still has not the slightest idea what happened to Leah Ziven. Her father Conrad builds a bomb and plants it under the Cook County jail, which houses over 15,000 prisoners. Only he has the combination to disarm the bomb and he won't give it out until they find his daughter.

   FBI agent Jack Kincade, a man who robs banks as a sideline is partnered with Ben Alton, an amputee victim with something to prove. The hastily formed team finds the girl's body and the ransom at an abandoned shack. Leah's father gives them the data they need to remove the bomb but that doesn't end the case because the killer is still out there. Ben and Jack (not Jerry, silly) are on his case, trying to break him, a very dangerous thing to do to a psychopath with nothing left to lose.

   TRAPS is a fascinating crime thriller due to the enigmatic anti-hero Jack Kincade. He's a drunk and a gambler who cut off all communication with his son. He robs banks to support his gambling habit yet in spite of all these failing, readers feel drawn to this bad boy because they sense there is a kernel of decency and goodness buried in his heart, waiting to bloom under the right conditions. Paul Lindsay will appeal to readers who like the novels of Patricia Cornwell and Robert W. Walker.

   Harriet Klausner




2. As the title implies, traps of various kinds pepper the plot, including "bank traps," which underachieving FBI agent Jack Kincade uses to rip off bank night deposit drops. The money doesn't go towards supporting an affluent lifestyle; this down-and-out divorcee is living in a dive motel, drinking cheap vodka, and driving a battered minivan. But poker money has to come from somewhere.

   Jack, who's found all the ways to dodge work a bureaucracy can offer, must investigate a massive bomb threat. A desperate man planted the bomb hoping to force the FBI to finally solve his daughter's murder. Jack partners with Ben Alton to follow some leads.

   The two couldn't be more different. Ben, a family man, is a go-getter who worked his way up from the projects. He sets his mind to something and doesn't give up. But he's not working at 100% because he recently lost the lower half of his leg to cancer, and though he's back a month early to help with the investigation, the boss assigns him to desk duty for his own safety.

   Of all the available agents, these two seem the least likely to succeed, but Jack's sharp powers of deduction and Ben's unstoppable energy work together well, and with some luck, the old crime is solved. But questions still remain, and the pair dig deeper to find another more-horrifying layer of murderous revenge. They must stay one step ahead of the villain and his traps; Jack's got to stay ahead of the FBI's internal police.

   This audiobook had me hooked from start to finish. The pace never slows, nor does it move too fast that you can't understand what's happening. I'm no expert on the FBI, but the author certainly made me feel I was inside the organization, with its politics and personalities. Some events stretched the limits of disbelief, but I don't think they went too far.
   
   As for the performance by the reader, it was mostly OK, but I have a few compaints. The voice of Jack was very gruff. At first I didn't think I'd want to sit through a whole book with that voice. I got used to it, but I never really liked it. He also mispronounced "interment" as "internment." My biggest gripe however is how his voice dropped off at the end of sentences. Since I listen while driving, hearing those words was quite a problem.

   And sure, the "odd couple" pairing of Ben and Jack has been done to death, but this author pulled it off. They fire off some funny lines and it never became tiresome. The writing style is clear, never overwrought. This book isn't the same old thing. It's actually darn good.




3. This is definitely one of Mr Lindsay's best FBI novels to date. Jack Kincaid, our tragic hero, is someone I felt sorry for, yet admired at the same time, flaws and all. Loved his detecting skills. The story was riveting and came to a thrilling climax. I'd pretty much figured out the ending, so was kind of reluctant to finish because I didn't want to be right. Overall, a very enjoyable FBI procedural, with a likable tragic hero. Looking forward to what comes next from Mr Lindsay.



4. As readers of Paul Lindsay novels know, the former FBI agent often portrays the modern day FBI in a less than flattering manner. What John Grisham did for layers in his novels, Paul Lindsey has done for the FBI. However, usually Paul Lindsey novels have at their core an agent hero fighting a flawed system where stats and appearances weigh more heavily than actual police work. In this thoroughly depressing novel, which also lacks any shred of humor found in his other works, the hero is fatally flawed on so many levels; the conclusion becomes anti-climatic and expected.

   Jack Kincade is an alcoholic, a degenerate gambler according to his ex-wife's attorney, a non-existent father to his son, Cole, and a burned out FBI agent. Emotionally dead to himself and others, he spices up his life by robbing banks using a technique perfected years ago involving night deposits. Assigned to investigate those same cases, which are very low dollar in terms of risk and reward, he has managed to dead end them all to this point. However, a lie can only be sustained so long.

   Thanks to the unexpected re-opening of a three-year-old kidnapping case after the frustrated father plants a bomb under the local jail, Jack Kincade's world slowly begins to its final collapse. Partnered with Agent Ben Alton who is currently in remission form cancer after doctors amputated part of one leg, they begin to work the case. But in so doing, while successful on one level, Alton makes a fatal error in judgment with massive repercussions for everyone. With all the speed and emotion of geologic plates, this novel grinds toward a steadily darker life for all the characters involved in this novel.

   This certainly is not the best that Paul Lindsey has to offer. Virtually all the characters involved in this 260-page novel, are robotic in thought, emotion, and deed. That fact coupled with the incredible amount of loathing and self hatred expressed by many of these characters is appalling. The redeeming motivations found in his works are sadly lacking in this effort. Hopefully, this book is not a sign that like his fictional characters; Paul Lindsey is burned out as an author.

No comments about Saving Grace (Orca Soundings).

5 comments about Vanished.

1. This book broke my heart! Tragic people whose lifes intertwine. I could not put this book down. It haunts me still.



2. I was a bit surprised to see that there were so many glowing reviews of this book. I felt as though I must have read a different novel, as I found very little to like about it.
   
   I found the plot tiring and tired-- a beat-down simple man swept away by a crazy damaged woman, and I found most of the plot elements (the abduction of the child, her emotional abuse) to be rather clumsy attempts at emotional manipulation rather than moving or hard-hitting. Dotty and Aubrey are some of the oldest characters in the world, and I found nothing particularly new in her treatment of them.
   
   I was pleased to discover that it was her first novel-- the writing itself is skilled and it gives me hope that her work has improved over time. Still, I'd skip this one.



3. I am a huge fan of Mary McGarry Morris and "Vanished" is an outstanding work of fiction. The plot was original and the characters strongly developed. Dotty is a woman you will absolutely detest from the moment she steals a baby, but she is so compelling, you absolutely cannot put the book down. Dotty hooks up with Aubie, a man many years her senior, whose brains, IQ and morals combined would not match his shoe size. When Dotty wants something, lack of money is not a problem, she simply steals it. The three set out on a cross country adventure with Dotty and Aubie leaving their mark in every town and village they hit. Poor little Canny, a name they have chosen for "their stolen daughter," is nothing more than a thorn in Dotty's side, but at least Aubie shows her a small ounce of compassion.
   
   The ending is unpredictable but not surprising considering their life of crime and free-wheeling, carefree ways. Life is like a game to them but unfortunately, in this game, no one really wins. The epilogue casts a shadow on Dotty and the reader sees how bizarre, desperate and dysfunctional the woman truly is.



4. New York Times Book Review 3 July 1988
   
   Harry Crews' Favorable review of Mary McGarry Morris's Vanished.
   
   "With this first novel by Mary McGarry Morris, the publisher has thoughtfully provided a note that tells us this is a story of misguided love. But it is not a story of love, misguided or otherwise. Rather it is your worst dream come true, the childhood nightmare of being abandoned and lost amid the senseless, random violence of the world. It is a nightmare of relentless savagery, brutality and suffering untempered by mercy or compassion."
   
   I read this book at a time when I was reading mostly Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford and Harry Crews. If you like that type of fiction with it's passion for darkness and unreliable story tellers, you might LOVE this book. I did! So much that I wandered through several other books by MMM wondering- is this foth and suds created by the author of VANISHED?
   This book is unforgettable!



5. I loved this book, what a page turner. I wanted to kill Dotty by the time it ended.