|  | Massacre Island | |  | | Massacre Island | | Twelve-year-old Nicolas de La Salle and his family sailed to La Louisiane (French Louisiana) with Governor Iberville to start a French settlement on the Gulf coast. Nicolas's father was with the explorer, Robert Cavelier de La Salle, when he reached ... | | | $17.95 | |  |
|
| |
| | | Middle Grade (Ages 8-12) | Home » » » Behind the Curtain: An Echo Falls Mystery (Echo Falls Mysteries) | | | | | | | Description: | | In echo falls you never know what's coming next -- and everyone has a secret. Things are amiss at 99 Maple Lane: Ingrid's dad's job is in jeopardy, but he won't explain why. Ingrid's brother, Ty, is getting buff -- really buff -- but when Ty starts getting moody, Ingrid wonders if there's more to his physical fitness than lifting weights. Meanwhile, Ingrid's beloved soccer coach is replaced by an icy newcomer named Julia LeCaine, who seems a little too savvy to be in it for the postgame pizza. True to her hero, Sherlock Holmes, Ingrid begins fishing around to find out who's really pulling the strings in Echo Falls. But one morning, while en route to the dreaded MathFest, Ingrid is kidnapped and locked in the trunk of a car. Even if she escapes, will anyone believe her story? In this sequel to Down the Rabbit Hole a clever young girl learns that mysterious forces are at work in her town -- and exposing them could put her life in jeopardy. | | | Product Details: | | | Author:
| Peter Abrahams | | Hardcover:
| 352 pages | | Publisher:
| HarperCollins | | Publication Date:
| April 25, 2006 | | Language:
| English | | ISBN:
| 0060737042 | | Product Width:
| 1.43 centimeters | | Product Height:
| 2.12 centimeters | | Product Weight:
| 0.01 pounds | | Package Length:
| 8.3 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.7 inches | | Package Height:
| 1.5 inches | | Package Weight:
| 1.15 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 13 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 13 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
 The Case Book of Ingrid Levin-HillAug 18, 2006
By Kevin Killian
Once again Peter Abrahams returns to the world of Echo Falls, where young Ingrid Levin-Hill is just trying to get by, navigating the slippery slopes of being a kid in the 21st century. While basically she's got a warm and protective family, there's always some friction going on, just like real life. In this book Ty's problem with anabolic steroids becomes more and more the center of Ingrid's worries. She notices things about him her mom and dad are just to preoccupied to see, or too blind, for they're proud of him and his success in organized sport in school.
Meanwhile her dad, who as we all remember works for a corporation owned by the richest man in town, feels threatened by the incursion of a new, chic, blonde dynamo who's become thisclose to the boss. Ferrand's not only wealthy, but evil, and Ingrid wouldn't put it past him to dump her dad in favor of this new executive woman, Julia LeCaine, who as it happens is also the new coach of her soccer team and sort of ruthless. At 99 Maple Lane everyone's got a secret (except Mom, and I bet that will be in the next book in the series) and the gorgeous scenery of Echo Falls is often ironically counterpointed to the nasty behavior of its human residents.
Grampy (Aylmer Hill) is still alive, though he's sinking, and his farm is under siege from developers led by the same Ferrand Group that his son-in-law works for. It would be a great coup for Dad in the company if he was the one who secured the land away from Grampy. Ingrid doesn't want to see that happen.
In the middle of all this, she is falling in love, not a huge passionate love but a solid friendship with Joey Strade, the solid son of the town's Police Chief. Ingrid doesn't really know how she feels about that! Peter Abrahams weaves all these threads into a fantastic thriller for kids of all ages. Ingrid's love of Conan Doyle and the Sherlock Holmes stories guides her through a world of trouble. "As Ho;mes told Watson," she reminds herself, "Never trust to general impressions, my boy, but concentrate yourself upon details." I rate this book higher than DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE and, unlike the other reviewers here who claim they knew the answer to the mystery right away, I was honestly baffled and shocked by the multiple endings. What will be next for Ingrid? "An Awfully Big Adventure"? Without a doubt.
7 of 7 found the following review helpful:
to the reviewer belowJul 27, 2006
By J.C.
"librarian wannabe"
some 13 year olds read Sherlock Holmes. Not all kids have been affected by the dumbing down of America.
6 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Echo Falls's Sherlock HolmesMay 16, 2006
By Bennet Pomerantz
"Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD"
Echo Falls is small town Peyton Place where everyone has a secret. Behind every door is a mystery. You need a young teen detective to get beneath the town's skin
Behind the Curtain (eight hours, six CDs. unabridged) is a masterful piece of young adult storytelling that also does not talk down to adults.This sequal to "Down the Rabbit Hole" works on so many mystery levels, especially on audio.
Ingrid is a young Nancy Drew/Veronica Mars clone who idolizes The great detective Sherlock Holmes. The book's lit reference to Sherlock, Nancy Drew and the Wizard of OZ will catch the adult ears, where it may skiped over by the young adults who listen to this piece. The myatery seems so good. This piece is character driven and moves like a Le Carre Smiley novel-piecing the puzzle slowly as any good mystery piece would
Peter Abrahams text blended with the narrative vocals of Colleen Delaney works so well. Her vocal shade is amazing. The pacing of this audio production is steady, rather than rushed..as most young adult audios are. as a Listener(as I did), You want this audio to go on and continue this story ...you become spellbound with the characters and the town.
Personal note- Peter, when is your next book? I'm Hooked!
Bennet Pomerantz, AUDIOWORLD
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
A fun detective book for childrenMay 31, 2006
By KidsReads
Ingrid Levin-Hill is back. And if you thought she had troubles in DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE, just you wait! Ingrid is the very precocious, very active 13-year-old amateur detective who lives in Echo Falls. Her role model is Sherlock Holmes, and she applies his cunning logic to her cases (although the results are not always the same).
The first problem Ingrid uncovers is when she accidentally sees her father surfing the Internet for jobs. He never said anything about looking for a new job! Has something bad happened at work? And then, while helping her brother Ty do his weightlifting, she notices his muscles building up and he seems to be getting stronger. At the same time, she discovers a little brown bottle that looks like it came from Mexico. The only word she can read is something like "steroids." Steroids! Oh, no. Ty can't be taking steroids --- they're illegal! She can't report him because then her own brother would be going to jail. Is Ty really on steroids? Where is he getting them? And how can Ingrid break up an international steroid ring --- if there really is one?
Next, there's her grandfather. Someone is trying to evict him from his family farm, which has now turned into precious property within the city limits. Who is behind this, and how can Ingrid save the farm?
Meanwhile, a new assistant soccer coach appears at practice. She's cool and calculating, blonde and beautiful, and by the very strangest of circumstances just happens to be the new woman who has been hired to work in Ingrid's dad's office! Coincidence? Sherlock and Ingrid think otherwise.
And, oh yes, there's the little matter of someone kidnapping Ingrid. Who would do such a thing, and for heaven's sake, why? What's worse is that almost no one believes she was really kidnapped. Somehow, by hook and by crook, Ingrid gets this all sorted out.
Can you imagine what's going to happen when Ingrid is 14?
--- Reviewed by Robert M. Oksner (oksnerinc@attglobal.net)
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Classic Mystery with a Smart ProtagonistJul 07, 2006
By Jennifer Robinson
"Editor of Jen Robinson's Book Page - jkrbooks.typepad.com"
Behind the Curtain : An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams is the second book in the Echo Falls series, after last year's Down the Rabbit Hole. These are Abrahams's first children's/young adult books, after writing many adult mysteries. I really enjoyed Down the Rabbit Hole, because it was a classic sort of mystery, with clues and red herrings and all of that, with a smart, realistic 13-year-old girl as the protagonist.
Behind the Curtain picks up not long after the solution of the previous mystery, and continues many of the family-related threads left open in the first book. Ingrid finds herself investigating steroid use at the local high school, while worrying about her brother's health, the stability of her father's job, and the pressure on her grandfather to sell his farm. Ingrid's Dad is particularly cranky in this installment, as he reacts poorly to competition at work. But Grampy remains his quirky and lovable self.
Here's my problem with this book, however. I saw the solution to all of the open questions very very early into the book. It was just too easy. Now, I know that I'm not the target age range for this book, and that I've read a lot more mysteries than most 13-year-olds have. But I still have trouble believing that kids wouldn't see the end coming a long way off.
That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. It's well-written. Abrahams has an excellent sense for the way kids think and interact. I like the town that Ingrid lives in, and I like the way family dynamics play an important part in the story. I also like Ingrid (she's on the Cool Girls list), and after two books, I feel like I know her pretty well. She trusts her own instincts, and she doesn't let anyone push her around. I'll certainly look for the next book in the series. I just hope that Abrahams learns to trust his readers a bit more, and ratchets up the mystery a bit.
[...]
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
| | |
|
