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Don't Scream
Jess is curious about the new family next door. Especially Mark Malik, who's goodlooking and charming. Then Jess and her best friend, Lori, discover that there is a second new guy at school, and Jess thinks the school year is really looking up.
But soon things don't seem right. A neighbor's cat disappears, and the next night Jess's own cat is missing. Now Jess is more than curious -- she's frightened. What she can't know is that there is a connection between these two new guys. One has been given a new identity by the Federal Witness Protection Program. The other is someone seeking revenge. Whom can Jess trust? Who will be the next victim?
But soon things don't seem right. A neighbor's cat disappears, and the next night Jess's own cat is missing. Now Jess is more than curious -- she's frightened. What she can't know is that there is a connection between these two new guys. One has been given a new identity by the Federal Witness Protection Program. The other is someone seeking revenge. Whom can Jess trust? Who will be the next victim?
165 pages, Library Binding
First published January 1, 1996
13 people are currently reading
318 people want to read
About the author
Joan Lowery Nixon
188 books485 followersAuthor of more than one hundred books, Joan Lowery Nixon is the only writer to have won four Edgar Allan Poe Awards for Juvenile Mysteries (and been nominated several other times) from the Mystery Writers of America. Creating contemporary teenage characters who have both a personal problem and a mystery to solve, Nixon captured the attention of legions of teenage readers since the publication of her first YA novel more than twenty years ago. In addition to mystery/suspense novels, she wrote nonfiction and fiction for children and middle graders, as well as several short stories. Nixon was the first person to write novels for teens about the orphan trains of the nineteenth century. She followed those with historical novels about Ellis Island and, more recently for younger readers, Colonial Williamsburg. Joan Lowery Nixon died on June 28, 2003—a great loss for all of us.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
July 30, 2024
3.5 stars
September 7, 2023
I've been in a reading slump lately, so what better way to get out of it then reading books I loved in Junior High!
I must admit it's not amazing. But I enjoyed reading it for nostalgic sake and it was pretty short. I almost read it in one sitting. I could see preteens still liking this if they can get over the fact that the main character doesn't have a cell phone, the internet, or (gasp!) a fax machine! The suspense is there and while I would have liked more character development, I didn't dislike the main character.
Content: a little violence and an implied cruelty to animals (I could handle it, so it must be pretty mild)
2023 challenge: A book you read more than 10 years ago
I must admit it's not amazing. But I enjoyed reading it for nostalgic sake and it was pretty short. I almost read it in one sitting. I could see preteens still liking this if they can get over the fact that the main character doesn't have a cell phone, the internet, or (gasp!) a fax machine! The suspense is there and while I would have liked more character development, I didn't dislike the main character.
Content: a little violence and an implied cruelty to animals (I could handle it, so it must be pretty mild)
2023 challenge: A book you read more than 10 years ago
September 10, 2023
This one had an interesting premise - so I was hopeful when I picked it up. The book starts out with a transcript of a judge pissed off that a young sociopath is getting put in the witness protection program instead of being placed in jail. So, okay, at least the set up feels a little different.
Well... I'm not entirely sure what I expected. This book's biggest fault, again, was that it was incredibly boring. There is zero tension nearly the entire way through. There's not even that much of a mystery until a couple of cats go missing about half way through the book. At least it was short, and probably one of the fastest books I've gotten through.
Our usual JLN tropes are back -- this time we're kind of in a suburb of Houston. Jess is our typical plucky heroine, but she's not as dumb or irritating as so many of these girls our. She's really on the more tolerable side -- but she doesn't have that much to get into.
Oh, I have to add -- she has a bff named Lori, who does actually do something in the story. The last book, too, had a bff who was more present and helpful, and honestly, that's kind of nice. I'm so tired of these girls being alone except for their love interest.
Well -- there are two new guys at school, and while neither one really presents themselves as a real love interest, they're both described as 'hunks'. One of them is the beforementioned sociopath. The other one is trailing our sociopath because he killed a cousin, and he wants to take said sociopath down.
Which one is which? Well -- that's incredibly obvious from the first time the character shows up. It really deflates the entire story, and unlike other times when Nixon has made it super obvious who the bad guy was, there is zero tension as you kind of just wait for the reveal you know is going to happen. It's disappointing really - because I do think there's an interesting premise here.
There are also a bunch of b-plots that don't really go anywhere -- such as the fact that the sociopath is in the witness program because of the mob, the fact that Jess spends a lot of her time at a children's hospital, and the fact that the next door neighbor is a sad man because he lost his wife and children in car accident (such a dark detail that's kind of skimmed over).
I will say, one of the more amusing aspects of the novel is being propelled into the mid-90s. One of Jess's geeky friends uses the computer and the internet to help them solve some of the mystery. I feel like Nixon is resisting a little to this technological change - as Jess is persistent that she doesn't need to use a computer (or a fax!) - and the journalism teacher insists that there are better ways to find things out than use a computer. (Lol)
Rating: 3 stars. This book is one of the more harmless ones -- there's really nothing bad in it, but is a lot of wasted potential.
Well... I'm not entirely sure what I expected. This book's biggest fault, again, was that it was incredibly boring. There is zero tension nearly the entire way through. There's not even that much of a mystery until a couple of cats go missing about half way through the book. At least it was short, and probably one of the fastest books I've gotten through.
Our usual JLN tropes are back -- this time we're kind of in a suburb of Houston. Jess is our typical plucky heroine, but she's not as dumb or irritating as so many of these girls our. She's really on the more tolerable side -- but she doesn't have that much to get into.
Oh, I have to add -- she has a bff named Lori, who does actually do something in the story. The last book, too, had a bff who was more present and helpful, and honestly, that's kind of nice. I'm so tired of these girls being alone except for their love interest.
Well -- there are two new guys at school, and while neither one really presents themselves as a real love interest, they're both described as 'hunks'. One of them is the beforementioned sociopath. The other one is trailing our sociopath because he killed a cousin, and he wants to take said sociopath down.
Which one is which? Well -- that's incredibly obvious from the first time the character shows up. It really deflates the entire story, and unlike other times when Nixon has made it super obvious who the bad guy was, there is zero tension as you kind of just wait for the reveal you know is going to happen. It's disappointing really - because I do think there's an interesting premise here.
There are also a bunch of b-plots that don't really go anywhere -- such as the fact that the sociopath is in the witness program because of the mob, the fact that Jess spends a lot of her time at a children's hospital, and the fact that the next door neighbor is a sad man because he lost his wife and children in car accident (such a dark detail that's kind of skimmed over).
I will say, one of the more amusing aspects of the novel is being propelled into the mid-90s. One of Jess's geeky friends uses the computer and the internet to help them solve some of the mystery. I feel like Nixon is resisting a little to this technological change - as Jess is persistent that she doesn't need to use a computer (or a fax!) - and the journalism teacher insists that there are better ways to find things out than use a computer. (Lol)
Rating: 3 stars. This book is one of the more harmless ones -- there's really nothing bad in it, but is a lot of wasted potential.
April 1, 2023
Rounded up to four stars from 3 and a half stars.
It wasn't bad there are just a few elements in the story that left me a little unsettled to say that I really liked it or it was amazing.
The back of the book and the first six pages give us a small taste of the mystery that we have to figure out with a little bit of exposition.
A mob boss has been convicted on a slew of felony charges because of the testimony of a seventeen-year old who was working for the crime ring. His name is Wayne Arthur Randall and he is about to be placed in the Witness Protection Program by the FBI on the behest of two agents since that is what they do. There are more members out there who could make Wayne disappear...
There is a difference as the judge of the case has seen Wayne's juvenile records since he isn't eighteen yet. He may have put a crime boss away but he has been in trouble since a young age and he even has a diagnosis as a sociopath. He has a history of abusing animals and he even killed another boy though it was soon found as self-defense and dropped from murder to manslaughter.
The feds win out and the judge signs the forms to give Wayne a new name in a new state.
Jessica Donnally watches a new family move into the house next door of her small Texas town near Galveston. A man and a woman with their dark-haired, handsome teenage son who introduces himself as Mark Malik. His parents seem too busy with moving in to be completely friendly but Mark is nice and charming.
Jess calls her friend Lori Roberts to tell her about the hunk next door and after some confusion is cleared up, Jess learns there is also another new, handsome young man going to the school. Lori says he is blond and it sounds like both girls might have some new boyfriends to choose from.
Well Jess is sure of Mark being handsome but she has other things to worry about with school, a part-time job working at a burger joint to try and save up for community college at most and thinking about children at the children's ward of the hospital. Her social problems class took a tour there and Jess can't stop thinking about the little ones there and how much she wants to help.
She's thinking about starting a committee at school so students can volunteer to spend time with the children who need some social attention. Jess is such a kind and open person that she soon shares the idea with Mark, Lori being the only other person she told, and he seems really eager to help out. Jess hasn't mentioned this to her parents yet so she tells Mark to not say anything yet until she has everything worked out with everyone.
That first day for Mark at school is filled with transcripts from his last school being lost and filling out more paperwork which makes him kind of angry. Jess doesn't like seeing that side of him. We also find that Lori, Jess and Mark all have Social Problems class with the other new boy at school, Scott Alexander. Scott barely talks and is all brooding and mysterious that Lori is head over heels for him but Jess in not sure because Scott seems to have these really intense eyes.
Lori brings Scott over to Jess' house since she has decided to show her new crush the town of Oakberry and they soon meet up with Mark to go walking along the bay. On the way, Scott absently snaps a sprig of pink oleander off the corner fence of a house on the block and it scares a yellow, Persian cat.
The cat belongs to Old Mr. Chamberlin and earlier in the day, Mark did almost the same thing and scared the cat named Peaches. The man did not take it well then and still doesn't now telling all four kids to stop tormenting his cat even though Jess tries to be friendly the way her parents always are to the older man. She tells Scott and Mark that he lost both his wife and daughters in a car accident fifteen years ago and he just seemed to turn mean with the only thing left to love was his cat.
Later, Peaches goes missing. Mark and Scott seem to have sort of tension between them that Jess can't figure out, Scott seems afraid of cats, Mark takes Jess' idea and almost takes credit for it with her teacher, Scott seems to be following Jess around instead of Lori, Mark admits he doesn't really like kids or pets and then Jess' own cat Pepper goes missing.
Everything has been going out of control ever since Mark and Scott arrived and we know that is because one of them is really Wayne Arthur Randall...but which one? To Jess, she already has her trust in one and doubt in the other but she is going to find out the truth using everything she has learned in her Journalism class about both Mark and Scott.
With help from her friend Eric, whiz with computers and the World Wide Web, Jess has no idea just what she is truly dealing with. One boy is a sociopathic monster and the other is out for revenge against him but what terrible thing happened to tie Jess up in this awful mess? And can she find a way out of it before more tragedy has a chance to strike?
We get some great misdirection back and forth in a tennis match of tension as to which young man is the bad guy in the story. The one out for revenge is not really evil...that would be the one who does awful things to animals which is why I couldn't go a full five stars. It's not the only thing that happens but that would be telling too much...
There is a fake-out and then the true reveal before a climax that ends with explaining who the other young man is. The ending of the book itself is very bittersweet and filled with an ugly realization that the world can be pretty cruel even when people believe they are doing the right thing.
I like Jess as a main character because she has a kind heart and is persistent as well as strong enough to believe in herself. She also doesn't need any help from a guy rushing in to save her but that still sort of happens the one time Jess lets her emotions get in the way. She's a teenage girl and there is that rush of hormones...believe me we all go through it letting a handsome face get the better of us...
Nixon is pretty good at keeping you on your toes in suspense to find out what is going on and the hints may be subtle to some or more blatant to others but I was surprised that thus ending was a little more of a downer than the others I have read so far. It's not even slightly sweet...it's as bitter as it gets.
Don't Scream is a pretty good mystery and I recommend it but be prepared for some situations that might make you a little uncomfortable if you have any kind of soft spot for animals or any human decency at all.
Believe me I mean...would I lie to you?
It wasn't bad there are just a few elements in the story that left me a little unsettled to say that I really liked it or it was amazing.
The back of the book and the first six pages give us a small taste of the mystery that we have to figure out with a little bit of exposition.
A mob boss has been convicted on a slew of felony charges because of the testimony of a seventeen-year old who was working for the crime ring. His name is Wayne Arthur Randall and he is about to be placed in the Witness Protection Program by the FBI on the behest of two agents since that is what they do. There are more members out there who could make Wayne disappear...
There is a difference as the judge of the case has seen Wayne's juvenile records since he isn't eighteen yet. He may have put a crime boss away but he has been in trouble since a young age and he even has a diagnosis as a sociopath. He has a history of abusing animals and he even killed another boy though it was soon found as self-defense and dropped from murder to manslaughter.
The feds win out and the judge signs the forms to give Wayne a new name in a new state.
Jessica Donnally watches a new family move into the house next door of her small Texas town near Galveston. A man and a woman with their dark-haired, handsome teenage son who introduces himself as Mark Malik. His parents seem too busy with moving in to be completely friendly but Mark is nice and charming.
Jess calls her friend Lori Roberts to tell her about the hunk next door and after some confusion is cleared up, Jess learns there is also another new, handsome young man going to the school. Lori says he is blond and it sounds like both girls might have some new boyfriends to choose from.
Well Jess is sure of Mark being handsome but she has other things to worry about with school, a part-time job working at a burger joint to try and save up for community college at most and thinking about children at the children's ward of the hospital. Her social problems class took a tour there and Jess can't stop thinking about the little ones there and how much she wants to help.
She's thinking about starting a committee at school so students can volunteer to spend time with the children who need some social attention. Jess is such a kind and open person that she soon shares the idea with Mark, Lori being the only other person she told, and he seems really eager to help out. Jess hasn't mentioned this to her parents yet so she tells Mark to not say anything yet until she has everything worked out with everyone.
That first day for Mark at school is filled with transcripts from his last school being lost and filling out more paperwork which makes him kind of angry. Jess doesn't like seeing that side of him. We also find that Lori, Jess and Mark all have Social Problems class with the other new boy at school, Scott Alexander. Scott barely talks and is all brooding and mysterious that Lori is head over heels for him but Jess in not sure because Scott seems to have these really intense eyes.
Lori brings Scott over to Jess' house since she has decided to show her new crush the town of Oakberry and they soon meet up with Mark to go walking along the bay. On the way, Scott absently snaps a sprig of pink oleander off the corner fence of a house on the block and it scares a yellow, Persian cat.
The cat belongs to Old Mr. Chamberlin and earlier in the day, Mark did almost the same thing and scared the cat named Peaches. The man did not take it well then and still doesn't now telling all four kids to stop tormenting his cat even though Jess tries to be friendly the way her parents always are to the older man. She tells Scott and Mark that he lost both his wife and daughters in a car accident fifteen years ago and he just seemed to turn mean with the only thing left to love was his cat.
Later, Peaches goes missing. Mark and Scott seem to have sort of tension between them that Jess can't figure out, Scott seems afraid of cats, Mark takes Jess' idea and almost takes credit for it with her teacher, Scott seems to be following Jess around instead of Lori, Mark admits he doesn't really like kids or pets and then Jess' own cat Pepper goes missing.
Everything has been going out of control ever since Mark and Scott arrived and we know that is because one of them is really Wayne Arthur Randall...but which one? To Jess, she already has her trust in one and doubt in the other but she is going to find out the truth using everything she has learned in her Journalism class about both Mark and Scott.
With help from her friend Eric, whiz with computers and the World Wide Web, Jess has no idea just what she is truly dealing with. One boy is a sociopathic monster and the other is out for revenge against him but what terrible thing happened to tie Jess up in this awful mess? And can she find a way out of it before more tragedy has a chance to strike?
We get some great misdirection back and forth in a tennis match of tension as to which young man is the bad guy in the story. The one out for revenge is not really evil...that would be the one who does awful things to animals which is why I couldn't go a full five stars. It's not the only thing that happens but that would be telling too much...
There is a fake-out and then the true reveal before a climax that ends with explaining who the other young man is. The ending of the book itself is very bittersweet and filled with an ugly realization that the world can be pretty cruel even when people believe they are doing the right thing.
I like Jess as a main character because she has a kind heart and is persistent as well as strong enough to believe in herself. She also doesn't need any help from a guy rushing in to save her but that still sort of happens the one time Jess lets her emotions get in the way. She's a teenage girl and there is that rush of hormones...believe me we all go through it letting a handsome face get the better of us...
Nixon is pretty good at keeping you on your toes in suspense to find out what is going on and the hints may be subtle to some or more blatant to others but I was surprised that thus ending was a little more of a downer than the others I have read so far. It's not even slightly sweet...it's as bitter as it gets.
Don't Scream is a pretty good mystery and I recommend it but be prepared for some situations that might make you a little uncomfortable if you have any kind of soft spot for animals or any human decency at all.
Believe me I mean...would I lie to you?
April 29, 2013
I have no idea how she does it but Joan lowery Nixon has successfully written ANOTHER short thrilling YA mystery! So far, all of her books that I've read have been unique, interesting and very entertaining. I love her as an author and can't believe she's come up with all of these different plots! Don't Scream was about a high schooler named Jess in the state of Texas. Two new boys move into town, Mark and Scott, and everything about them isn't as it seems. There's a connection between them, and they act strange. Jess is suspicious of Scott and Mark is her next door neighbor. At the very beginning of the book it shows a letter with a court recording of someone named Wayne Randell. With the jury's consent he was given a new identity! Jess doesn't ever catch on to them but the reader does. Which one of them is Wayne? Who's the sociopath and who's seeking revenge? Why are cats disappearing and who's behind it? It's all in this short 165 page book.
September 24, 2007
So when I was younger I used to looove Joan Lowery Nixon. I found this book at a used book store, and got really excited about rediscovering my love. Even though it's for a younger audience, a good book is a good book, a good writer is a good writer, etc. I was pretty disappointed, though. You knew who the bad guy was the whole time. It wasn't suspenseful when the bad guy finally revealed his true self to the main character and tried to kill people. The main character is such a goody-goody it made me want to scream a little bit. The book was just kind of lame. I'm pretty shocked. Does this mean Joan Lowery Nixon is not awesome, and I was just young and silly to think she was? Or is this just one of her bad books, and all of the others are great? I'll need to read some more to find out...
April 30, 2013
This short thriller/mystery was very enjoyable. I thought the pacing for the book was done very well, leaving the major climax to the extreme end of the book. However, the climax was far from the only exciting part. Author Joan Lowery Nixon keep the book exciting and interesting the whole way though, with pretty much no area where i felt that something too extraneous was added. She lets the reader know some key information right off the bat, while withholding this information from the main character the entire book. This allows for quite some frustration (in a good way) as you read, as the main character brushes off things she notices that mean so much more to you as a reader. The book had me on edge all day, and i loved every minute of it.
April 11, 2023
This is actually quite terrible. There are way too many b-stories that are absolutely pointless. The whole children's hospital storyline is so confusing - is this a hospital or an orphanage? Why are the kids neglected? But it doesn't matter anyway, because it has nothing to do with anything. Nothing actually sinister happens until the last two chapters, and there's very little to even suggest either boy is trouble. And the main character isn't very likable.
February 20, 2023
"Don't Scream" was written as a contemporary YA mystery in 1996 and for the most part, it holds up as a mystery, if you don't look at it as contemporary (although I hate considering 1996 "historical"). I know I read the book when it was new, but I didn't remember the story.
The mystery involves a 17 yr old girl named Jess and the two new boys that move to her town, one of them right next door. Both boys have mysterious pasts neither wants to share and a prologue at lets the reader know that one of the boys is likely a sociopath who has been put into the Witness Protection Program after his testimony against a crime family. But which boy is it? And who is murdering small animals and lurking outside Jess's house?
It's a short book, especially when compared to today's contemporary YA mystery/thrillers, and we don't get much of a chance to really connect with Jess, although I did think the tension was good. I love that this takes place during a time when not all homes had a computer and were hooked up to the World Wide Web (as described by the book's lone computer guru). There is a nice merging of new tech with (then) standard investigative procedures to help solve the mystery.
Would I read it again? Maybe. But I'm glad I picked it up off my shelf and dusted it off.
The mystery involves a 17 yr old girl named Jess and the two new boys that move to her town, one of them right next door. Both boys have mysterious pasts neither wants to share and a prologue at lets the reader know that one of the boys is likely a sociopath who has been put into the Witness Protection Program after his testimony against a crime family. But which boy is it? And who is murdering small animals and lurking outside Jess's house?
It's a short book, especially when compared to today's contemporary YA mystery/thrillers, and we don't get much of a chance to really connect with Jess, although I did think the tension was good. I love that this takes place during a time when not all homes had a computer and were hooked up to the World Wide Web (as described by the book's lone computer guru). There is a nice merging of new tech with (then) standard investigative procedures to help solve the mystery.
Would I read it again? Maybe. But I'm glad I picked it up off my shelf and dusted it off.
May 24, 2024
I LOVE a good Joan Lowery Nixon and this one was no exception. I liked the main character and her friendships. I enjoyed the story. There was a good level of "is this the red herring or is THIS the red herring?" Highly recommend.
January 7, 2019
These were some of my favorite books growing up! I will say they were more exciting when I was younger, but I still really enjoyed the read.
November 19, 2023
I liked how it started out with the police transcript but the entire story was pretty boring.
October 28, 2010
Don’t Scream by Joan Lowery Nixon is another enriched mystery book. The novel itself has had many reviews and ratings. It’s no wonder especially when she is a four-time Edgar Award Winner from the Mystery Writers of America that honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, television, film, and theatre published each year. She also was a winner of the California Young Reader Medal. Don’t Scream is a thrilling masterpiece filled with suspense that is filled with drama. She turns guilty secrets into an unraveling page-turner to satisfy the hunger of a mystery book seeker! This novel is about a girl named Jess who is any other girl minding her own business, living her life to the fullest, and enjoying everything as it is until new faces start to appear while cats disappear. Her mind is tricked into trusting the wrong people which will lead her into a direction she never saw coming. So will she choose wisely to keep the good guy alive?
I recommend Don’t Scream to any young adult females. They would be more interested because the main character is also a girl, and they could somehow relate to it. I feel like a guy would not be intrigued by the book because it falls under a life of a girl. It has 165 pages but the context is easy to read and comprehend. I recommend it to any young adult female who is ready for a shivering mystery thriller!
I recommend Don’t Scream to any young adult females. They would be more interested because the main character is also a girl, and they could somehow relate to it. I feel like a guy would not be intrigued by the book because it falls under a life of a girl. It has 165 pages but the context is easy to read and comprehend. I recommend it to any young adult female who is ready for a shivering mystery thriller!
July 4, 2017
As a teenager, I read pretty much everything Joan Lowery Nixon ever wrote. She was one of my favorite young adult authors. She wrote fun mysteries that were short, light reads but that had enough twists and turns that I couldn’t always figure out who the bad guy was.
Don’t Scream was published in 1996, so it will probably seem a little dated to today’s teens, but I think they would still find it an enjoyable read. The character development is thin, but it typically is in this genre. At less than two hundred pages, there really isn’t time to do much character development.
This genre of book always reminds me of the awesomely cheesy 80’s movies that I love; The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, for example. Like those movies, the book is a little fluffy but a good, quickly told story. Overall, a pretty nice way to pass the time.
Don’t Scream was published in 1996, so it will probably seem a little dated to today’s teens, but I think they would still find it an enjoyable read. The character development is thin, but it typically is in this genre. At less than two hundred pages, there really isn’t time to do much character development.
This genre of book always reminds me of the awesomely cheesy 80’s movies that I love; The Breakfast Club and Sixteen Candles, for example. Like those movies, the book is a little fluffy but a good, quickly told story. Overall, a pretty nice way to pass the time.
April 25, 2011
I must say, I thought it would be a lot worse; but it still wasn't that great. Especially since the guy I liked turned out to be the bad one... It was a very suspenseful book, but at some times it went exceedingly slow so I would have to put it down from pure boredom.
I really did think Scott would be the bad guy, and Mark would be trying to protect Jessie. Boy was I wrong! He was so evil! I wished it could've been a bit longer. There's not much I liked about this book; I could go on and on about how much errors contained in it, and how much I thought that Mark was the good one. It saddened me when he killed those cats, and Mr. Chamberlin.
I don't recommend this to people unless they like wasting their time. In all I gave the book 3 of 5 stars because it didn't fully meet my expectations.
I really did think Scott would be the bad guy, and Mark would be trying to protect Jessie. Boy was I wrong! He was so evil! I wished it could've been a bit longer. There's not much I liked about this book; I could go on and on about how much errors contained in it, and how much I thought that Mark was the good one. It saddened me when he killed those cats, and Mr. Chamberlin.
I don't recommend this to people unless they like wasting their time. In all I gave the book 3 of 5 stars because it didn't fully meet my expectations.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2009
I thought this book was mediocre. Jess, the main character, was kind of weird to me, and very stressful. She had so much stress in the book, from her job, honors classes, boys, volunteering at the children’s hospital, and other things, that it made me stressed out. The last thing I want to feel when I’m reading is stressed out. I didn’t really care what happened next because it really wasn’t entertaining.
For me, I knew the book wasn’t going to be good after I read through the first big climax/problem. This problem of course was the crazy old neighbor’s cat has gone missing. I hate cats.
This book just really didn’t do anything for me. I think it was more for a teenage girl than guy. The mystery part was ok, but I could mostly predict what was going to happen.
For me, I knew the book wasn’t going to be good after I read through the first big climax/problem. This problem of course was the crazy old neighbor’s cat has gone missing. I hate cats.
This book just really didn’t do anything for me. I think it was more for a teenage girl than guy. The mystery part was ok, but I could mostly predict what was going to happen.
May 22, 2015
In the begging there was a neighbor that was very weird and mean, he was so nice to his cat but not his family and or friends. jess is the main charter in the story and he is on to a mystery that will be solved. jess has a friend and they solve the mystery of his annoying friend. Mr. Chamberlin is the neiboors name and he is the victim in the crime. jess has some friends and they will help him to do what ever they can do.
November 18, 2008
all of joan lowery nixons books are amazign! they keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing what will happen next! thi sis one of my favorites because while i was reading, it was like i was in the book and got so freaked out
February 8, 2011
This book...AMAZING! im glad it was written exactly how it was because it was kept me guessing. i liked the fact that i didnt know who the bad guy was and every time i think i knew, some small detail in the story would change my mind
April 22, 2011
It's a thrilling book!!
Mark was totally wacked. If I were Jessica, I would have suspected Mark not Scott.. anyway I guess it depends on how you see it.
This book was awesomeeee!!!!
I'd recommend it to everyone
Mark was totally wacked. If I were Jessica, I would have suspected Mark not Scott.. anyway I guess it depends on how you see it.
This book was awesomeeee!!!!
I'd recommend it to everyone
June 3, 2011
Love this author, she's a great young adult mystery novelist. I recall her being very popular in high school. Although she gets a bit predictable in her books and they're all somewhat similar, they're still worth a read.
August 9, 2022
I can't figure out whether or not I liked this book. While I thought the plot was a unique idea, I don't think it had great execution. Jess was also such a humdrum main character that I was never invested in her story.
February 7, 2015
This was one of the free books given to my by the library. I picked it up to read and consumed it in almost one setting. The story was good and free of objectionable elements. It is fast paced and compelling. It would be great for a student looking to read a mystery or something quick.
March 28, 2008
good mystery book!
March 28, 2008
alot like real girls lives in the begining
Want to read
June 6, 2008I have to read this for summer reading. It looks kind of cheesy, but it never hurts to read a book you don't like, right? So once my order from amazon comes in, I'll read it.
November 16, 2012
I usually enjoy Joan Lowery Nixon but Don't Scream was not my cup of tea.
February 25, 2017
Like the other books I've read by Joan Lowery Nixon, the suspense is great, you can't put them down!
May 23, 2011
I thought that this was a great book filled with mystery, action, and a little adventure. It was very suspensful all the time and I would reccomend this to anyone.
October 26, 2019
#51
Borrowed from library.
FS: "New York: Stavros Grasso, top boss of one of New York City's largest crime organizations, wars convicted today on three counts of felony."
LS: N/A
Borrowed from library.
FS: "New York: Stavros Grasso, top boss of one of New York City's largest crime organizations, wars convicted today on three counts of felony."
LS: N/A
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews