At the Sound of the Beep - Softcover

Sachs, Marilyn

3.25

32 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140346813 ISBN 13: 9780140346817

Publisher: Puffin, 1991

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Distraught at the thought of their parents' divorcing, a brother and sister run away from home and take up residence in Golden Gate Park, where they encounter many homeless people and hear there is a murderer loose among them.

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About the Author:

Marilyn Sachs lives in San Francisco, California.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-7-- Twins Mathew and Mathilda run away to their uncle's home in San Francisco after their parents tell them that they are divorcing and that the children will be separated. When they find that he is not home, they have no place to go but Golden Gate Park. There they encounter several homeless people, and are confronted with the mysterious murders of three people in the park. Mathew solves the crimes just before Mathilda is about to be poisoned. The conflict at the beginning of the story is realistic, but the plot drags when so many homeless characters are introduced, possibly because as minor characters they are not well developed. Mathew also undergoes an amazing change, from a nerd who never expresses his own opinion to an aggressive, outspoken person. The problems of the homeless (shelter from the cold, finding food in the garbage cans) do not seem to apply to Mathew and Mathilda, as readers know that living in the park is only a temporary situation for them. It also looks like the parents will reconsider their plans to divorce, which does not seem realistic. Plot implausibilities abound in this story that is written with less sensitivity about the homeless than Hahn's December Stillness (Clarion, 1988). --Bonnie L. Raasch, C. B. Vernon Middle School, Marion, IA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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