Missing

by James Duffy

A ten-year-old with a history of running away is kidnapped by a lonely confused man to become his own little girl.

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 1988

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

James Duffy is the author of a number of scholarly books on shipwrecks, slavery, African history, and a novel for young readers, The Revolt of the Teddy Bears. He has received fellowships from the Bollingen Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. He lives in Arlington, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[KaDee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it just fine, but can I say: WEIRD!!! I mean, as good as this book was, it kinda freaked me out.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Prescott has run away from home twice since she, her sister, Sandy, and their mother moved to Wingate. The first time was right after their move, and she was found at a nearby summer camp. The next summer, she bought a bus ticket and went to visit her grandmother in Albany. After that, Kate promised never to run away again. The fact that she always keeps her promises prompts Sandy to believe that something sinister happened the day Kate fails to return from school. Police Chief Tobert doesn't share Sandy's concern. When she reports Kate's disappearance, he sends her to see Agatha Bates, a retired police officer. Agatha finds Kate's skipping steps and the tires tracks and begins to put the pieces together. Agatha realizes that Kate got into a car without a struggle and was driven away. Then, she and Sandy find similar tire tracks leading to the two deserted trailers behind the Prescott's home. One trailer overlooks the Prescott's property and contains several peppermint candy wrappers. Such a wrapper was found where the abduction car turned around. Agatha finds out that a middle-aged man in a black Buick purchased the peppermints at a Wingate store, was seen parked in front of the school, and picked up a local boy hitchhiking to the next town. The boy says the man talked about Kate Prescott. A bumper sticker on the car helps the police locate Harry Bemis who kidnapped Kate because of her strong resemblance to his dead daughter.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Kendall D · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished Missing by James Duffy. I thought it was a really good book. It had a little bit of everything in it. A girl named Kate is walking home from school one day and a man stops her. He tells her to get into his car. So she does, and she finds out that it was a trap. Soon, she is stuck in a locked room in a house with a man that she barely even knows. Her sister, Sandy is waiting for her to come home. When she doesn't, Sandy decides to head to the police office. A day or two has passed and she still hadn't come home yet. Her family is concerned, so they start to search for clues of her disappearance. The man that kidnapped her had a daughter that looked and acted very much like Kate. She is scared, and so is everyone else that knows Kate. The genre of this book is mystery. I think I can relate to Kate because one time I got lost and there were abunch of strangers around me. I would give this book 4 stars. I really like this book, and I hope that everyone who reads it does too.

[Nikki G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far I really like this book. My favorite character in this book so far is probably Sandy. Sandy is Kate's 12 year old sister(Kate is the one who was kidnapped). Sandy goes out of her way just to find her sister even if she only ran away, like she might sometimes do. But she knows something she wouldn't runaway anymore after she promised not to anymore. She contacts the police, helps a former policewomen find out who has Kate, and many more things. She is a great addition to the book.

[Rachel Dalat · Rating 5 out of 5]

it is such a interesting book. But it is quite a scary book.