Recommended by: Ms. Messina Date: 11-5-2012
Title: Down The Rabbit Hole
Author: Peter Abrahams
Who would like this book, and why:
Down The Rabbit Hole is a mystery. While the protagonist, Ingrid, is an eighth grade girl, mystery lovers of all ages will enjoy it. Stephen King called it “astonishing,” and “my all-time favorite.” Ingrid herself is a big fan of mysteries; at least, she’s a big fan of Sherlock Holmes. She’s always trying to observe like Holmes, so she often notices things that others miss. That sometimes gets her into trouble.
I like the way the title references another story; for those who don’t recognize it, “down the rabbit hole” is a reference to Alice in Wonderland. Ingrid is not just a middle school detective and lover of Sherlock Holmes, she also loves performing and has a part in a local production of Alice and Wonderland .
My favorite character is not Ingrid, though; it’s her grandfather. He’s not really a major character, but the author has done a great job of developing him into a complex person that we can appreciate, or be shocked by, or be curious about. Ingrid is more like her “Grampy” than she is like either of her parents or her brother. Getting to know Grampy, we can see his traits in Ingrid, too. Some of those traits help her, and some don’t.
Sports lovers will find plenty of practices, coaches, and games going on. Ingrid is a soccer player; her brother Ty is a freshman football player at the local high school. Ingrid’s dad was a football star when he was in high school, and her parents are members of the booster club. Ingrid spends football games making money for the boosters by grilling and selling hamburgers and drinks.
Finally, there is a bit of middle school social drama and plenty of suspense and action. Like most mysteries, there are red herrings which throw Ingrid off track, so that she doesn’t see the solution until it is almost too late. Her tendency to break rules and keep secrets gets her into trouble and turns out to be too dangerous for comfort. I really enjoyed this book, and I think many of you will, too. Best of all, it’s the first in a series, so there is plenty more to come for Ingrid, and for Grampy, too. I rushed to check out the next two books and read them over the weekend.