Who Burned the Hartley House?

Smith, Carole

ISBN 10: 0807589934 ISBN 13: 9780807589939

Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co

Synopsis

Larry Kensington, a high school student, discovers evidence of a kidnapping in a deserted house and must convince the police of his story when the house burns to the ground

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4-8 Thirteen-year-old Larry enters an empty home to find a phone after his motorcycle becomes disabled. He finds himself in the midst of mystery after the strangely deserted house burns. The culprit is revealed to be a neighborhood handyman who was hiding his grandson, an escaped convict. Bland, underdeveloped characters and equally bland and boring pencil illustrations do nothing to make this plodding story more exciting. Subplots, such as Larry's learning disability which has caused his failing English grade, dilute the narrative still further. Although the age of the main characters paired with the low reading level place this firmly in the hi/lo category, no one will care who burned the Hartley house. Readers deserve better than this. Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, Conn.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Albert Whitman & Co
• ISBN 10: 0807589934
• ISBN 13: 9780807589939
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 126
• Illustrator: Dickson Glenn