Gr 5-8
When Meg Falconer is kidnapped, she uses a trick from her father's detective novels to alert her family of her whereabouts. Older brother Aiden quickly links a news story about a string of clogged toilets at rural gas stations to Meg's disappearance. However, his fugitive parents, and the FBI agent assigned to protect them, dismiss Aiden's appeals to follow the trail. Frustrated, the boy borrows his best friend's identity and sets out to find his sister. Meanwhile, Meg constantly attempts to escape from her captors. Meg and Aiden are presented as bright, resourceful teens who take their destinies into their own hands in Gordon Korman's novel (Scholastic, 2006). Each sibling tells his or her side of the story. Christie Moreau reads Meg's part with a determined voice, emphasizing verbs such as "blasted" to underscore the action-driven nature of the story. Andrew Rannells effectively expresses Aiden's frustration and resolve with a firm, brisk tone. Both readers modulate their tone and pitch to introduce different characters into the narrative. None of the narration is over-dramatized, permitting the book's powerful narrative to speak for itself. A strong choice for public libraries where Korman's works are popular.-Mary Landrum, Lexington Public Library, KY
