5 comments about Taking Terri Mueller (Avon Flare Book).

1. Taking Terri Mueller has been the best mystery book I have ever read. I enjoyed it greatly, especially because I could not imagine if that happened to me, I don't know if I would have reacted the same way she did. The only person in her life that she loved and trusted ( her father) had kidnapped her and lied to her about her mother still being alive. It has a great twist to it and I find that is what makes this book appealing to teenager readers like myself. There are not many mystery book that I think teenagers enjoy, but I think they would this one.



2. Taking teri nuller was a really good book.At first it was boring but then it got intresting int middle and the end.
   This book was about a girl and her dad. They always moved around.Her dad told her that her mother was dead and she died in a car accident.When actually he took her from her mom because she was going to move to Italy and he thought that he would never see her again. When she first found out she was mad at him and wouldn't talk to him for a while.Then she went to live with her mom for Christmas and she wasn't going to go back with him but she decided to because she loved him and missed him.



3. This book was a terrific read with many suspenseful moments within. It's about a young girl (Terri) who has always lived with her father and thinks her mother is not alive. However, they are always moving from one place to another. This makes Terri very suspicious about who her father really is. She believes that her father kidnapped her from her mother and is just not telling her where she is. Norma Fox Mazer writes the story well enough so that readers will actually be able to put themselves in Terri's place, especially with all of the decisions she has to make along the way. This book is definitely a book I would recommend to young adults. This is because the author really puts into perspective what it would be like to move all of the time and believe your father might have done something in the past that has affected you, is affecting you, and will affect you. This is overall an exciting and intriguing read that is great for a wide variety of people.



4. Throughout most of her life, Terri Mueller has lived alone with her father Phil, constantly moving, constantly readjusting to a new life in some other state. She never thought much of her father's restlessness, just counted herself lucky to have such a doting dad.
   
   But by the time Terri becomes a teenager, she begins to find their vagabond life a little odd. Why can't they stay put like everyone else? And why don't they have an extended family, like her friend Shaundra? Terri does have an aunt, her father's sister Vivian; but Vivian only comes to visit once a year, and in the meantime, Terri can't write or call her...
   
   One day, going to fetch Vivian's cigarettes from her purse, Terri spots a photograph of her aunt with two boys. Who are they? Why haven't Vivian or Phil ever mentioned them?
   
   All her life, Terri's been told her mother Kathryn was killed in a car accident when she was only four years old. So why are both her father and aunt so evasive about her mother? Why aren't there any photographs?
   
   Despite knowing that the truth could be more harmful than anything she's ever known, Terri begins to realize that a life of lies is just as horrible. Slowly, but insistently, she begins to demand the truth...who is she?
   
   Although this book was written over 25 years old, it is in no way dated. Sadly, Terri's story could have happened to anyone, and still often does...



5. I had remembered this book from when I was younger and when I saw a copy for sale second-hand, I was curious to see how it held up over time. I only had a vague memory of the plot, just a sense that it had disturbed me when I read it.
   
   Taking Terri Mueller is a book that deals with the very adult issue of custodial kidnapping. Terri finds that her life is strange compared to other children-- constantly moving, no real family. As she gets older, she is less inclined to accept the differences, and starts pushing her father to find out the real story of what had happened to her all those years ago...
   
   Even as an adult, I found it a disturbing book. Mazer does a good job of capturing Terri's mixed loyalties and the difficult intricacies of her situation. My only real concern is the book's refusal to judge the actions of Terri's father. It almost seemed as though Mazer was encouraging us to tacitly accept that he had a fair point of view and that his rightness had not been completely eroded by his actions. I find that very difficult to accept. I realize, however, that her audience is young people who might find themselves in a similar situation and that her purpose is to reach them without judgement.
   
   Recommended.

1 comments about Trail of Secrets (Book Club Edition).

1. When a baby is snatched in the night, the lives of three women are forever changed.
   
   The kidnapping of her daughter twenty-three years ago still haunts Ellie Nightingale, and her obsession with having another child is driving a wedge between her and her husband.
   
   Kate Sutton has spent those same twenty-three years hiding the most soul-wrenching decision of her life from the rest of the world while learning to cope with her disability.
   
   And Skyler Sutton is a champion equestrian for whom no hurdle is ever too high until she is challenged by her impossible love for a tough-talking New York City cop.
   
   This fascinating novel is "Trail of Secrets" by Eileen Goudge. It will capture your heart in the first chapter and keep you reading until the conclusion.

1 comments about The Sunday Pigeon Murders.

1. Craig Rice's The Sunday Pigeon Murders is the first novel which features Bingo Riggs and Handsome Kusak (there's also The Thursday Turkey Murders and The April Robin Murders, the latter finished by Ed McBain after Rice's death in 1957). It's an odd book, sort of a cross between the screwball mysteries of Constance and Gwyneth Little and the hardboiled mysteries of Fredric Brown or even Elmore Leonard.
   
   Bingo and Handsome encounter one of New York City's beloved eccentrics, the Sunday Pigeon (so named because of his tradition of feeding the pigeons in Bolivar Square) on the seventh anniversary of his disappearance. Knowing that in just a few days Pigeon is to be declared dead and that an insurance policy in the amount of $500,000 will be paid out to his business partner the two cook up a kidnapping and extortion scheme. The first problem arises early on when Bingo and Handsome realize they really like Mr. Pigeon. The difficulties increase as the bodies pile up, starting with Mr. Pigeon's business partner.
   
   Rice writes well, her plots twist and turn (an most importantly, make sense) and she populates her stories with well-drawn, conflicted characters. This is a light mystery, full of humor and coincidences, and the author has a terrific way with slang.

5 comments about Island of the Aunts.

1. There is lots of good stuff in this book. However, it glorifies unacceptable behavior. One of the 3 kidnapped children, Fabio, probably did need to be extracted from an abusive situation. But the book makes it seem ok that Minette is kidnapped. Her parents may be flaky, but still they must have been horrified when she went missing.
   
   The worst part of the book is when Fabio beats up Lambert because Lambert refuses to do slave labor. I can understand why Fabio did that. But it was not ok for Ibbotson to imply that he did the right thing.
   
   The book is really about the Stockholm syndrome, in which hostages become loyal to their captors and start to agree with the captor's crazy ideas. Not a funny topic.



2. Aunt Etta, Aunt Coral and Aunt Myrtle live together on a secret island. There they care for animals both common and strange, and they love their lives. They are worried, though, that they are growing older and they won't always be around to take care of things on the island. They need to bring in some new and trustworthy people who will be able to take over if they die. The problem is in finding the right people. The aunts decide that they need children who will be willing to work hard and who will do things the right way, but it is difficult to find such children whose parents will let them go live far away on an island. The only solution is kidnapping.
   
   After some searching around London and meeting many horrible children, they end up with Minette, Fabio, and Lambert. The first two children quickly grow accustomed to life on the island, and they love it there. Lambert is another story, though. He starts off whiny and selfish, and ends up putting life on the island in jeopardy.
   
   I liked the idea of a place like this existing where people care for strange wildlife. I also liked that Minette and Fabio, who were both so miserable at the beginning of this story, were able to find such happiness with the aunts.
   
   This book sometimes dragged with descriptions of what was going on. It was sometimes hard for me to stay focused. I also would have liked to have had a better idea of what the children were thinking in this story. I didn't feel like I really got into their heads much.



3. I first read "Island of the Aunts" when I was in elementary school, the perfect age to read this book. My first read made me grin. My second read made me laugh. My third read made me think, and then my fourth brought laughter back.
   
   There's a lot of humor in this book, but there's a lot more too. It deals with family issues, the environment, but on the whole keeps a light, fun tone to it all. Even kidnapped children can grow up to be important people, taking care of everyone and realizing that perhaps their captors have a point. But, of course, they've got to do some incredibly silly things along the way.
   
   Aspects of this book, upon reflection, are less than amazing. As an older reader and looking back, some concepts are a bit strange - kidnapping, for starters. But for younger children, there's not much here aside from a fun adventure, some hilarious moments, and the most ridiculous things a young reader could find. So on the whole it's a fun read.
   
   It may not be the greatest children's book in the world (far from it). But it's very readable, immensely enjoyable, and an all over humorous ride that will amuse readers of any age.



4. This author has some great books out! I always read my daughter's books and this one is very enjoyable. We have almost all of her whimsical books and love them. My daughter keeps looking for ones we don't have!



5. My normally quiet, self-contained ten-year-old niece called me one night to tell me that I absolutely had to read this book to my students because it was the best thing she had ever read in her entire life. Curious (because she is a very particular reader), I got it from the library the next day - and couldn't put it down. I've since read several of Ibbotson's other novels, but none of them match this one for depth, character development, message, or just plain fun. It's one of the most original young people's stories that I've ever read. (I grant the Roald Dahl comparison, but the tone is quite different - witty and pungent, but without the underlying nastiness.)
   
   I've now read the book to fourth or fifth graders for four years, and it's a hit every time. They hang onto every word, groan when we stop each day, and howl at the "pink people." (Wonder when I'll get in trouble for reading about nudists in the classroom?) In fact, I recently found out that some of last year's students told the current group at the beginning of the year that they were lucky to have me because I would read this FABULOUS book about kidnapping aunts...

No comments about Freedom at Risk: The Kidnapping of Free Blacks in America, 1780-1865.

1 comments about Avalanche/The Kidnapping of Roseta Uvaldo (Western Doubles).

1. Zane Grey wrote these stories back in the Twenties. They hold your interest and have a good plot, and are favorably comparable to modern westerns. Good vocabulary, exciting twists and turns, and authentic scenery locations. I enjoyed the descriptions of his main characters. I recommend these little stories for the relaxing time at a park or beach, or when you're spending time at the dude ranch.

1 comments about Cass: Ticket/danger (Cassandra Mystery, No 1).

1. This is a very interesting mystery book about a young teenager named Cassie B. Jones. She always wanted to become a detective. One day she gets a letter from her cousin Alexandra. It has a ticket to England. When she arrives in London airport she finds out that Alexandra is missing. This was her chance to become a detective. She tried to help inspector Crandall. It seems to Cassie that Aunt Beatrice and Alexandra's cousin Gwen are part of the mystery. Find out how Cassie solved the mystery.

No comments about KIDNAPPED! (Choose Your Own Adventure, No 116).

4 comments about CRIME OF SILENCE-C.

1. This is the third book of Carlon's that I have read(all over 30 years old) and she can write!! The character development and plot are outstanding. However, and I don't want to spoil it for those who have yet to read it, I found the ending a bit unbelievable and convoluted. The motive and plan seemed unrealistic, involving a house of cards that could have fallen if only one little event hadn't played out as planned, part- icularily the reaction of the intended victim to to events he was presented with. Having said that, I wouldn't miss her next book--if there is one.



2. I found Crime of Silence at my local library in the new books section - altho' written by Australian author Patricia Carlon in 1965 - it was only published in America in 1998. After the first few chapters I was hooked - while still getting used to some of the language differences. This is a great physochological thriller! I thought I had it figured out but I wasn't even close! Patricia Carlon has a masterful way of being subtlely suspenseful. I hope to find more of her novels in the US soon. I highly recommend this book to any mystery lover.



3. After reading a number of highly laudatory commentaries on new "discovery" Patricia Carlon -- who's been writing mysteries in her native Australia for 30 years! -- I was greatly disappointed in the transparently manipulative "Crimes of Silence," her first book to be published statewide. The writing is so stylized as to give it an amateurish cast, the "ominous" mood is uniformly bland, the plot twists and devices are awkward and unbelievable, the clues to the ending too easily read, and the denouement utterly forgettable. I hope Ms. Carlon has improved over the years since this book was written in 1965, but I don't think I'll be waiting breathlessly to find out.



4. This is the second book I have read by Patricia Carlon. I loved the storyline and the way she had you believe one thing when it turned out to be something totally different. I plan on reading each one of her books. I hope to see more from her.

No comments about International Parental Child Abduction: Published in Association With Reunite.