Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Synopsis
Kaci loves reading scary stories and she longs for adventure. But when she surprises thieves in her house and is taken as a hostage, she is terrified. Fortunately, after some hair-raising episodes with the criminals, and with the help of a neighbor who is also held hostage, she is rescued. Now, under the right circumstances, she is even willing to go back to scary stories -- as long as they're not too exciting. This is a lively story of a girl who discovers that she has more courage than she thought she had, and who decides that living an ordinary, everyday life is better than doing things that make you the center of dangerous attention.
Children's Literature
When Kaci's mother says she wants to move because she no longer feels safe in their neighborhood, the family moves to Lofty Cedars. There is much excitement over the move to this big, new house in which Kaci and her siblings will each have their own rooms. When Kaci returns home early one day, however, she discovers the front door is open. Thinking her mother is home; she enters and soon discovers the house is being burglarized. The burglars take Kaci and her nosy next door neighbor, Mrs. Banducci, as hostages. The beginning, where the author sets up the situation, moves rather slowly. When the reader finally gets into the action of the story, it moves faster and the reader is anxious to learn the fate of the hostages. The resolution is satisfying and plausible. Mrs. Banducci is spunky, and dispels a number of stereotypes about the elderly. The death threats and the dastardly criminals will shake the suburban reader from the comfort and complacency of believing that "it can't happen in my neighborhood." 2000, Atheneum, Ages 9 to 12, $16.00. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo