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Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old





  
Also by Max Elliot Anderson:

Big Rig Rustlers
Legend of the White Wolf
Mountain Cabin Mystery
The Newspaper Caper
North Woods Poachers
Terror at Wolf Lake





 

Secret of Abbott’s Cave
by Max Elliot Anderson
ages 9-12 128 pages Baker Trittin Concepts January 2005 Paperback    

There is probably not a single pre-teen boy who is not fascinated with the police and the work they do. So, in that sense Randy Wilcox and his friends are not different from many other eleven- and twelve-year-olds. What sets them apart, though, is that they not only have acted on their interest by forming the Hilton Park Road Detective Club but had saved their money to buy an expensive police scanner.

The boys live in a town in Virginia, with a number of caves in close proximity. Max Elliot Anderson’s action packed thrill-a-minute page turner unfolds when the boys hear about a bank robbery on their scanner. The robbers have escaped with all the money and the police are unable to find them. It so happens that the young detectives had earlier planned a sojourn at one of the boys’ uncle’s place near Abbotts Cave. So, not surprisingly, Randy Wilcox and his friends encounter the thieves in the cave. What is surprising, and more importantly, convincing, though, is the nifty way in which the boys outmaneuver the thieves and return the money to safety. The scenes at the cave are told in fine detail, with the emphasis being on keeping the action moving. It is likely, however, that these scenes are a little too intense for the average young reader.

Anderson’s adventure series for young readers, this book is one of several, resonates exceedingly well with its intended audience primarily because the author keeps the action moving. Sparse, albeit snappy dialog, is frequently punctuated by action scenes that are well laid out. However, there is also an interesting subtext in Anderson’s books. The subtext has to do with everyday dilemmas faced by pre-teens. Anderson adroitly weaves these dilemmas with the narrative and the ending is usually a believable resolution of the dilemma. For Randy and his friends, the dilemma has to do with keeping the reward money or giving it to the intrepid police officers and fire fighters who keep the town safe. After much soul searching, the boys do the right thing in this eminently readable adventure tale.
 
Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

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  Ram Subramanian/2005 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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