This YA thriller kept me up reading one night till 3 AM. Haddix kept me flipping pages for hours totally unable to go to bed and forget the story. I couldn't decide for a long time if I was more horrified that Bethany's parents would basically dump her at an unknown relative's home with no explanation or if the why of the whole story was more terrifying. For that reason, I waited a few days to write a review. While this story may be a bit intense for younger teens, Haddix completely nailed the reaction of the nearly 13 year old protagonist. She alternates from being a scared little girl to being totally determined to find out what has changed her life as she knows it. In a matter of days, she discovers that what she knew about her parents or for that matter about herself may not be quite as black and white as the horrifying truth is reveled.
I really liked this book. It is very suspenseful. The characters are written very well.
It's a great book to read, whether you're a kid or a teenager. Kids/Teenagers of all ages will love it!
5 Stars! *****
5 Stars! *****
teen book
I absolutly loved this book. It was very thrilling.
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
For almost thirteen-year-old Bethany, life has suddenly and unexplicably taken a strange turn. For a girl who has never spent a night away from her parents, she's suddenly hustled into the car by her sad-looking father, subjected to listening to her sobbing mother, and unceremoniously dropped off in the middle of the night in a town she's never heard of, at the home of a woman claiming to be her Aunt Myrlie. Her parents are a lot older than her friend's parents, and Bethany is sure that her parent's siblings are all dead. So who is this woman claiming to be her Aunt, and why has she never heard of her before? Why won't her mother stop crying? Why does her dad seem so eager to get away from the house in Sanderfield? And who the heck is Elizabeth, the name she overheard her father and Myrlie discussing?
All these questions and more are only the tip of the iceberg in Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest novel, a wonderful young adult thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected--the conclusion one I never saw coming.
Overall, a great suspenseful read for teens and adults alike!
For almost thirteen-year-old Bethany, life has suddenly and unexplicably taken a strange turn. For a girl who has never spent a night away from her parents, she's suddenly hustled into the car by her sad-looking father, subjected to listening to her sobbing mother, and unceremoniously dropped off in the middle of the night in a town she's never heard of, at the home of a woman claiming to be her Aunt Myrlie. Her parents are a lot older than her friend's parents, and Bethany is sure that her parent's siblings are all dead. So who is this woman claiming to be her Aunt, and why has she never heard of her before? Why won't her mother stop crying? Why does her dad seem so eager to get away from the house in Sanderfield? And who the heck is Elizabeth, the name she overheard her father and Myrlie discussing?
All these questions and more are only the tip of the iceberg in Margaret Peterson Haddix's newest novel, a wonderful young adult thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. The twists and turns are unpredictable and unexpected--the conclusion one I never saw coming.
Overall, a great suspenseful read for teens and adults alike!
this book was great
