Disneyland Hostage

Tom and Liz Austen #6

by Eric Wilson

On a trip to California with her aunt, Liz Austen becomes involved with Latin American terrorists.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Mystery, Childrens, Canada, Mystery Thriller

130 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Eric Wilson is a Canadian children's author and now living in Victoria, British Columbia.

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an odd book, not gonna lie. I got it because I was interested in reading a mystery set in Disneyland, but this wasn’t for me. It’s listed as a children’s mystery but some of the themes are pretty mature such as fire arms, terrorism, and execution. So it reads like a middle grade level book, but with added violence. I also didn’t like the main character and didn’t really get a sense of how old she was. One scene she’s saying she can’t wait to tell her friends she met the real Goofy (just a cast member in a costume), then the next her aunt is telling her to go explore Disneyland by herself. Is she 7 or is she a teenager?? Another big issue I had is that more than half of the characters just randomly because friends with the main character and her aunt, then stuck around the whole story. An example of this is the man they meet on the airplane to L.A. and then proceed to spend their entire vacation with, even when he’s sketchy af. The interactions between characters just didn’t feel natural and I found myself laughing at some of the silly phrases in this book, ex: “There’s no way I can win an argument with her, so I just sat back and listened to my sweat splash from my forehead.” lol wut. The only positive thing I can say about this book is I enjoyed the Disneyland setting as I’m really into the history of the park. It was cool hearing about the rides/attractions that were still there in the 80’s. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book to people of any age.

[Danielle Lemon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved this book when I was a kid - can't say it really held up. Also - how is this a kid's book? Also also - how has Disney not sued Wilson to oblivion for
this?

[Lee Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an odd journey this was. There was some weird undertones throughout, but the weirdest to me was the jarring jumps from suspense to reminiscing about the magic of Disney. It felt really incongruous.

[Kevin Hogg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the Tom and Liz Austen series. This one has some good points, but it's not as much of a mystery as the other stories. For a theme park mystery, I preferred Code Red at the Supermall because it has more actual investigation. Disneyland Hostage has some suspense, but the perpetrator is known and present throughout the entire hostage situation. However, there are some unexpected twists that can keep the reader engaged.

My other thought is that it took a long time to get to the action. A substantial portion of the book was a slow buildup to the hostage situation. It's interesting to get a description of Universal Studios and Disneyland, but it doesn't advance the plot very quickly.

I definitely recommend the series. Eric Wilson is a great author (and a really nice guy). I wouldn't recommend starting with this book, as it doesn't hold up as well as the others.

[Sandra Girard-Demontigny · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't the worst I've read so far but wasn't far from being the best either . The further I went in the story, the more I wondered whether the hostage would take place. The story was still predictable, even thought I was surprised by the element. I liked the character of Jessie and just like her I hated Cody for obvious reasons.

Ce livre n'est pas le pire que j'ai lu jusqu'ici, mais c'est loin d'être le meilleur. Plus j'avançais dans l'histoire plus je me demandais si la prise d'otage aurait lieu. L'histoire était quand même prévisible, mais j'ai été étonné quand même par l'un des élément. J'ai bien aimé le personnage de Jessie et comme elle je détestais Cody pour des raisons évidentes.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another read that took less than a day. Meant for kids it's still not a bad read.

[Jim Dickinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover, title and synopsis led me to hope for a truly bizarre bit of kitschy pulp. Unfortunately, this YA title from the early 80s is just bad writing and is easily forgettable. Oh how I was hoping for a shootout on Pirates of the Caribbean or something.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Delightfully stupid

[Redfox5 · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not the exciting mystery set in Disney that I was expecting. I've never been to Disneyland so I was hoping for lots of detail but I was left disappointed and considering all the locations the author could have used, I feel he missed an opportunity. I'm not the audience for this book. It's written for kids and it shows. It's got a wiff of Famous Five about it. It's also outdated. Still using tickets for the ride and Goofy talks? Now I can't find anything to back up that Goofy ever talked. I know their was an experiment with Mickey talking once but as a rule characters in costumes don't talk. Now as a Disney geek this is bugging me. I did like the main characters. Liz is sweet enough but I don't buy her and her aunt just befriending these people and then hanging out with them straightaway. Do people actually do that? I'm not sure how old Liz is ment to be but her aunt is fine with her being on her own with strangers? Overall I'm glad this was a quick read and I won't be rushing out to read any more Liz Austen mysteries.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a treat to lap up "Disneyland Hostage", 1982 and find myself liking it better than any other Eric Wilson novel to date! I always did prefer a female protagonist and find 'Tom Austen' foolhardy. Thus opening these pages to 'Liz Austen' as heroine, is a refreshing surprise to be sure. By coincidence the story not set in our home country is a place I've been. It was fun to recognize some of the descriptions, like the immense Mark Twain ship and haunted mansion.

More than that, the places and activities Liz partook in were exceedingly more interesting than the bleak streets her brother has forcibly made into mysteries. I didn’t see any shows but the audience participation segments were an enthralling glimpse of playacting. Who would expect to make a close friend like ‘Serena’, backstage of a Dracula set?

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neutral. I neither loved this book nor disliked it. It had some good parts that I enjoyed but it also had some things that felt stilted, like the heroine's speech and manner, and some things that were a bit bizarre, like the way a terrorist would act. Maybe since this is a kids' book it was dumbed down?

This is book #4 in a series that I just discovered- about a girl named Liz Austin and her brother Tom who are from Winnipeg, Canada. This book features only Liz as she visits Disneyland, California with her aunt and meets the ambassador from a Spanish country named La Lucena and his daughter, Sylvia. Things heat up when the Ambassador's secretary's young son seems to be missing.

I have two more books in this series and I will definitely read them.

[Kireja · Rating 4 out of 5]

"On her own during a California holiday, Liz Austen is plunged into the middle of an international plot when a boy named Ramon disappears from his room at the Disneyland Hotel. Has Ramon been taken hostage? Before Liz can answer that question, her own safety is threatened when terrorists strike at the most unlikely possible target: Disneyland itself."

There are only two options available: life or death. Can Liz Austen and her friend escape the happiest place on earth (Disneyland) with their lives? This book had be on the edge of my seat. Eric Wilson is amazing!

[Jenn G · Rating 2 out of 5]

It wasn't very good. I wasn't able to believe the story so it was a little bit flat for me. I enjoyed the part where Disneyland was described but that's pretty much the only thing I've enjoyed about it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eric Wilson always writes a good kids mystery.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoyed this author as a child! He writes good books!

[Seema M. Fazil · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

Loved it! Enjoyed picturing Disneyland. Wish I can go there!
The ending was so surprising!