Wolf Rider: A Tale of Terror

After receiving an apparent crank call from a man claiming to have committed murder, fifteen-year-old Andy finds his close relationship with his father crumbling as he struggles to make everyone believe him.

Grade 7 Up In this psychological thriller, Avi explores the dilemma of 15-year-old Andy, who is convinced that the crank call that he has received is the confession of a murderer. His father thinks that he's lying. The school counselor warns him against "crying wolf." Finding that the supposed victim is still very much alive only increases Andy's determination to unmask the would-be killerif he can find him. Andy's heightening confusion and fear, and his increasing alienation from the adults in his world, are conveyed convincingly in an understated style with lots of dialogue. Unfortunately the adult characters' behavior is not as believable. Andy's father and the counselor seem too ready to distrust his story, and the mysterious caller's motive and behavior are not explained. It seems as if Avi could not decide between plots, a conventional mystery with all the threads tied neatly at the end, or a psychological study raising as many questions as it answers. While the print is large and the vocabulary is not difficult, the tone and tension of the story make it more appropriate for older readers, as does the inconclusive ending. Ruth S. Vose, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

On an ordinary evening, just as he's about to leave for a party, 15-year-old Andy Zadinski receives a phone call from a stranger that changes his life. The caller, Zeke, confesses to the murder of a young woman named Nina Klemmer. Andy immediately calls the police, who shrug it off as a gag or a crank call. But Andy persists when he happens to meet Nina, who is just as Zeke described her. She takes his warnings as harassment, however, and everyone now thinks that Andy himself made up the call. His attempts to ferret out Zeke and protect Nina, while compromising his own safety, make for an exciting tale of the terror lurking beneath everyday surroundings and behind ordinary events.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.