Abduction
Peg Kehret
Bibliography
Kehret, P. (2004) Abduction. New York: Dutton Children’s Books
ISBN: 0-525-47294-0Summary
Six year old Matt is abducted without suspect or known motive his rescue seems unlikely. His thirteen year old sister is relentless in her search. When Bonnie spots a boy that resembles her brother at the baseball stadium she feels compelled to play detective.
My Impression
I liked the way the point-of-view shifted between characters so you could see different perspectives of the the situation and how it affected various people. The author leads you to think the kidnapper's plan will be foiled several times but rescue is lost as pleas for help are not taken seriously or ignored all together. There a couple of less believable moments but over all the story held my interest and made me anxious to read to on.
Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-7–Matt, a kindergartener, meets his 13-year-old half sister every day after school for the ride home. When he fails to show up, Bonnie immediately notifies his teacher and principal, and a full-scale search ensues. Even though Matt has been taught "stranger danger," he is lured into the kidnapper's car with his own dog, stolen from his house. The kidnapper is the boy's father, whom he has never met, and who tells Matt that his mother and sister are dead. So even though the boy knows his phone number, he doesn't try to call. The story portrays a kidnapper's determination and the ease with which a child can be swayed by a stranger despite years of teaching…The story is resolved happily but with a twist showing the remorse of the people who could have helped along the way but didn't for various reasons. This novel has enough suspense to keep children interested, and it will also appeal to reluctant readers.–Diana Pierce
Booklist
Gr. 4-7. When 13-year-old Bonnie's younger brother and dog disappear, she and her mother experience all the fear, police attention, and media notoriety that often results from such tragedies. Meanwhile, six-year-old Matt is held captive by Denny, his bad-tempered father whom he has never met. Denny cruelly tells Matt that his mother and sister are dead, so the boy abandons hope. The coincidence of Bonnie's spotting Matt at a Mariners game leads to an exciting, movie-style climax. - Kathleen Odean
Suggested Activities
Show students the action plan, Quick Reference Guide for Families from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: http://www.missingkids.com/missingkids/servlet/PageServlet?LanguageCountry=en_US&PageId=244 Compare the actions of Matt’s mom with this list. Did they do it correctly? What might have been done better?
