What Could Go Wrong?

April 1, 1989
When cousins Gracie, Charlie and Ed die are invited to fly to San Francisco to visit their Aunt Molly, Gracie's mother decides they may go, musing ``What could go wrong?'' If only she had known about the man in the Ha waiian shirt carrying a newspaper with a mysterious code written on it. Or about the bomb threat that forces the plane to make an unscheduled landing in Portland. Or about the strange disappearance of Mrs. Basker, a kind, old lady who befriends the children on the airplane. Since it is her first plane trip, Gracie wonders if her imagination is teasing her; then she realizes that she and her cousins are inadvertently involved in an excit ing, frightening adventure. Lively prose and strong characterizations make an ordinary event--a first plane ride--into an extraordinary backdrop for a mystery. Roberts's clever plot enhances the suspenseful and unex pectedly humorous story. Ages 8-12.