Module 7: Abduction

Module 7 Abduction by Peg Kehret

 

Summary: One day when six year old Matt gets a hall pass to use the restroom at school, his real dad, whom he has never met tells him he has Matt's injured dog, and tricks him into going with him.  Later, Matt's dad tells him that his mom and sister have died in a car wreck, so Matt resigns himself to living with a father who gambles, and who really isn't very nice.  In the meantime Matt's sister Bonnie is doing everything she can to find Matt.  She happens upon him accidentally at a baseball game, but finds herself in danger too when she fails to free Matt, and gets captured instead. 
 
APA Reference: Kehret, P. (2006). Abduction. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

Impressions:  Peg Kehret is known for her suspense stories, and this one doesn't disappoint. Having experienced what it is like first hand to have a missing child for almost a week, this book is actually fairly realistic, including how the Amber Alert is used, and how someone would react if their brother were taken.  I did however think that  Matt and Bonnie's mom stayed out of the picture too much.  If I were her I would have been spending a lot more time and energy looking for my son.  The book provides a good avenue to talk about safety with kids; and the dangers of being tricked into going with someone unknown.  Because of the somewhat scary and realistic topic, I would not recommend it to children who are scared easily. It would however be a good book for anyone who enjoys a suspenseful and somewhat scary read.  

Professional Review:
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. This quick read, which accurately reflects that most missing children are either abducted by relatives or run away, effectively builds suspense as the police make progress and Matt grows increasingly afraid of his gun-toting father. The fact that the characters are largely one-dimensional, especially the villainous Denny, mutes the emotional angst readers might have felt, leaving them free to enjoy the plot-driven thriller with a happy ending.

Odean, K. (2004, November). [Review of the book Abduction, by P. Kehret]. The booklist, 101, 485. Retrieved from http://www.booklistonline.com/


Library Uses: Present this book in a program about family safety where local community safety officers are in attendance.  This might include policemen, firemen, and even EMT's, who could teach the people in attendance how to be safe.  Because the cover looks spooky, this book would also make a great addition to a Halloween display which could include scary and suspenseful books.