Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Theodore Boone: The Abduction
Fiction Series
For ages 8 to 12
Penguin, 2011 ISBN: 978-0525425571
Theodore Boone and his parents are sleeping peacefully when the phone rings at four thirty-three in the morning. The police ask the Boones to come the home of April Fennimore, who is Theo’s best friend. Apparently April has been abducted, and the police are hoping that Theo might be able to tell them something about April that might shed some light on the situation. Theo is pretty sure that April wouldn’t run away from home without telling him about her plans, but she is a secretive person at times so he cannot be sure. One thing he does know is that April has been deeply unhappy, and with good reason. Her father is always going off, sometimes for weeks on end, to play in his dead beat band, and her mother is abusing prescription drugs. In fact, April’s mother has been absent from home for several days, off on one of her benders, and April was at home alone at the time of her disappearance.
The police find out that one of April’s relatives, Jack Leeper, recently broke out of prison in California, and he is now in town somewhere. Since he was locked up for kidnapping, they are convinced that he is responsible for April’s abduction.
After a few days Jack Leeper is apprehended, but he refuses to tell the police where April is. For a while Theo, and practically everyone else in town, is afraid that April is dead. A body is found in the river and many people speculate that the body is April’s. Thankfully, the police are able to determine that the body does not belong to a thirteen year old girl, but they cannot seem to figure out what happened to April.
Theo is a whiz when it comes to solving problems and he is in love with the law. Encouraged by his uncle Ike, Theo starts to poke around, and what he finds out is not what he expects at all.
Young readers who like a good mystery are going to enjoy this splendid Theodore Boone tale. Once again the boy who dreams of becoming a lawyer applies himself to a problem in a very unique way. This time though, the problem is personal and the stakes are very high. Finding April before it is too late is vital, and Theo knows that time is of the essence.
This is the second Theodore Boone adventure, and readers will be glad to know that more titles in the series are to follow.
