Synopsis
Martin is frightened when he is kidnapped by a man who turns out to be his mother's boyfriend, but when the plan to get money from Martin's father goes awry and things get ...
VOYA
It is obvious that this is a novel of suspense from the very first sentence: "I knew something was wrong as soon as I stepped into the hall." And, indeed, something is very wrong. Martin is kidnapped and taken to a boat on the nearby canal. Later he is instructed to make a phone call to his father asking for ransom money-but this is far from a straightforward kidnapping. It soon becomes clear that Martin's kidnapper is his mother's boyfriend, and the two of them believe that Martin's father has won thousands in the lottery. Help comes in the unlikely form of his kidnapper's daughter, Hannah, who dislikes Martin's mother and is appalled that her father would sink to such a low as to kidnap his girlfriend's son for money. Hannah and Martin tell the story in turns. Hannah helps Martin escape from the boat and together they hide and make their plans to contact Martin's father. They learn to work together and to trust one another, even as they are learning that they cannot trust their parents. Harrison moves the story along briskly, and readers can see Hannah and Martin growing from their ordeal. Martin's mother is a truly despicable character, self-centered and domineering, but her actions make sense in the context of what Martin reveals to us about her bit by bit, from the very beginning of the story. The kidnapper, whom Martin refers to as "The Man," is a more shadowy character, but that, too, fits the story, as he is completely under the thumb of Martin's mother. This is a thoughtful yet entertaining novel that will appeal to middle school readers and fans of Joan Lowery Nixon, Lois Duncan, and Caroline Cooney. VOYA Codes: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9).