Dew Drop Dead - Hardcover

Howe, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689314256 ISBN 13: 9780689314254

Publisher: Atheneum, 1990

Synopsis

Snooping around the mysteriously abandoned Dew Drop Inn, Sebastian Barth and his best friends, David Lepinsky and Corrie Wingate, are startled to come upon what they are certain is a dead body. Sebastian is the first to put into words what they all believe: A murder has been committed.

When they return with the police, however, the body is gone! "A homeless man sleeping off a drink," is the police chief's explanation. But Sebastian and his friends are not ready to believe that. They are sure the body they saw was dead, not unconscious.

As the three undertake their own further investigation, more and more questions arise: Who was the man? Was he alone? And most important of all, is there a connection between the man they saw and one or more of the homeless people Corrie's father, a minister, is trying to help? The answers to the questions do not come until the three have made a number of discoveries, some of them more horrifying than they had expected.

Dew Drop Dead is the fourth mystery in the Sebastian Barth series. Using rural Connecticut as a background, this tension-filled story is told with a unique blend of humor and seriousness, as it unravels a challenging puzzle and explores a difficult social problem.

About this title

About the Author

James Howe JAMES HOWE began his writing career with Bunnicula, which was published in 1979. This book and the next, Teddy Bear's Scrapbook, were coauthored with his late wife, Deborah. Bunnicula went on to receive numerous awards as a favorite among children in the United States and Canada. It was also made into a popular television special. In 1982 and 1983, two sequels to Bunnicula, Howliday Inn and The Celery Stalks at Midnight, appeared. Howe is also the author of The Hospital Book, A Night Without Stars, Morgan's Zoo, What Eric Knew, and Stage Fright.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-- In his fourth appearance, Sebastian Barth and his friends Corrie and David discover what appears to be a dead body in the long-abandoned Dew Drop Inn. But when they return with the police, the body has vanished. Police theory--that the "body" was a homeless man passed-out drunk--is refuted when the kids find the body again in the woods, undeniably dead and possibly murdered. On the homefront, the Barths are concerned that Sebastian's father is about to lose his job at a radio station, while Corrie's father, a minister, starts providing food and shelter for the homeless at the church. One of the men sheltered there--who calls himself Abraham--becomes a prime suspect in the murder. Howe instills in his characters more depth than those found in most other juvenile mysteries. Corrie gets involved helping the homeless, and her unreserved compassion is contrasted with the wary stance of her friends. The homeless, too, are not stereotypical, but are believable individuals. In addition to enough suspense to keep readers turning pages, the book includes a realistic approach to pending unemployment. When Sebastian's father finally does lose his job, there are no neat solutions, but the reality of unemployment proves to be not as bad as they had anticipated, for they can now make plans. For an older audience than Howe's "Bunnicula" stories (Atheneum), Sebastian Barth is an above-average mystery sleuth. --Anne Price, Ann Mersereau School, Bronx, NY
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Atheneum
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0689314256
• ISBN 13: 9780689314254
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160