Someone Was Watching

July 1, 1993
Gr 5-8- -Fans of the Hardy Boys are sure to find Patneaude's first novel even better. Chris and his best friend, Pat, have a couple of weeks of summer vacation in which to defy disbelieving parents and fly from Wisconsin to Florida on a special mission: to rescue Chris's three-year-old sister, presumed drowned, from kidnappers. While there is some evidence that Molly is dead and that the clues Chris gleans from a video are only wishful thinking, Patneaude quickly has readers as hopeful as Chris that she is alive. Middle schoolers will love it-and hopefully not get the idea to withdraw their savings accounts and head for who knows what part of the world. (Questioning 13-year-olds doesn't seem to be part of the travel agent's or hotel clerk's agendas). Light (considering the potentially tragic subject matter), lightly sexist, and capably written, the novel doesn't hit readers with guilt like, say, Marion Bauer's On My Honor (Clarion, 1986), but touches on personal tragedy, fear, counseling, hope, and spirit in a contemporary buddy/action story.- John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX