The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore by Joan Lowery Nixon

       

Title:  The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore   Author:  Joan Lowery Nixon
ISBN:  6152050310  Pages:  305
Publisher:  Harcourt, Inc, Orlando, 2004

Readers Annotation:
When Christina Lattimore is kidnapped, all she can think about is escaping to be with her family and friends again. Once Chrisiina is free, and she realizes that her family and friends believe she orchestrated her own kidnapping, Christina focuses her energy on finding her kidnappers and proving her innocence. 

Author Information:
Joan Lowery Nixon obtained a Journalism degree from the University of Southern California. She has written more than one hundred forty books for young readers, specializing in mysteries for young adults.  Some of her publications include the Orphan Train series, winner of two Golden Spur awards, and The Making of a Writer, her memoir, . Nixon is the only four-time winner of The Mystery Writers of America Edgar Allan Poe Award and a two-time winner of the California Young Reader Medal.

Nixon was born in 1927 in Los Angeles. She recently passed away at the age of 76, in Houston, Texas. She is survived by her four children and several grandchildren.

http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-nixon-joan-lowery.asp

Plot Summary:

Christina Lattimore goes to high school at the Madame DeJon School for Girls. She comes from a very wealthy family, the money having been earned by her grandmother, the business mogul Cristabel. Christina's father is a pastor, choosing a different path than his mother. Yet, Christina's family is still supported by her grandmother. This puts Cristabel in charge of major decisions, such as if Christina should go on her class trip overseas.

Christina meets her best friend at a local diner, and they discuss how they can convince Cristabel to allow her to go on the class trip. However, while at the diner, the menacing cashier approaches Christina and begins communicating incomprehensibly. Christina would have normally shrugged off the strange incident, but when she arrives home she finds the front door unlocked. Christina's increasing concerns are reinforced when later that evening she is kidnapped and held for ransom. Although the ransom is paid, and she is freed only a few days later, no one believes her frightening experience. She is accused of orchestrating the whole thing to get money for her trip. Christina is determined to find her kidnappers, and prove her innocence to her family and friends.

Critical Evaluation: 

This fast paced and suspenseful psychological thriller is exciting all the way to the last page. Readers can feel the suspense from the very beginning of  the book, almost as if something is lurking behind the corner. The prose is written with hints of mystery, similar to scary background music in a horror film. The first person narrative gives readers a glimpse into the thought process and struggles of the main protagonist. While there is the element of a genuine mystery that's being solved, there is also the element of the main character progressively figuring out the solution to the puzzle within herself.  Additionally,  readers are able to follow Christina's growth through her harrowing ordeal,  feeling a sense of pride when witnessing who she decides to become at the conclusion of the book.

Genre:  Mystery - Puzzling

Curriculum Ties:  Economics - Trust funds

Booktalking Ideas: 
     1.  After Christina is kidnapped and found, no one believes her story. Has something significant ever happened to you where you then find trouble convincing people that it actually happened?
     2.  Christina's life is essentially run by her uber-wealthy grandmother, whom she hates. If you had the choice, would you choose money or freedom?

Reading Level/Interest Age: 13+

Challenge Issue:  none

Why I chose this item:  I felt it was important to include a puzzling mystery, a popular genre suggested by the YA librarian's guide textbook. Additionally, Joan Lowery Nixon was an award winning author.