The Big Dip

November 1, 2009
Gr 6-10-Joe, a 15-year-old track star, and his friend Skip witness a murder on a roller coaster at the Pacific National Exhibition grounds in Vancouver. The old man who was shot breathes his cryptic last words to Joe about getting a "Margaret rose" to the police. Now, someone is threatening Joe and has kidnapped his little sister. Things keep spiraling out of control until Joe meets up with Amy at the PNE, and she proves that two heads are better than one. The suspense is intense, but some situations seem too contrived. Overall, though, this compact story is sure to appeal to reluctant readers, and the ending is a surprise."Lori A. Guenthner, Baltimore County Public Library, Randallstown, MD"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2010
Grades 4-7 This entry in the Orca Currents series opens with an irresistible gambit: while riding an amusement park roller coaster with his pal Skip, 15-year-old Joe hears a bang. When they disembark, they see the man in the car in front of them bleeding from a gunshot wound. Before dying, he grabs Joe and mumbles, A plant . . . the Margaret Rose. . . . Get it to the police. So begins a thrill ride of a different kind as the abduction of Joes little sister forces him to find out what the Margaret Rose is and how he can steal it to trade for his sisters release. Packed with enough plot for a book three times the length, Jacksons mystery has an impressive amount of twists, especially near the end, as the surprising true identities of the nefarious figures (known only to Joe as Baseball Cap and Trenchcoat) are revealed. Character motivation and plot logic are periodically shaky, but Jackson basically delivers the goods: a propulsive mystery that will hook the most reluctant of readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2010
This standard-issue mystery for reluctant readers involves a track star who gets involved with a murder and something or someone called the "Margaret Rose." Though the tale takes some interesting twists, there are a lot of bland red herrings on the way to the story's less-than-earth-shattering conclusion.

(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)