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Escape into daylight
In danger of losing their lives, two kidnapped youngsters being held in a ruined abbey make several desperate attempts to escape.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1976
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About the author
Geoffrey Household
96 books88 followersBritish author of mostly thrillers, though among 37 books he also published children's fiction. Household's flight-and-chase novels, which show the influence of John Buchan, were often narrated in the first person by a gentleman-adventurer. Among his best-know works is' Rogue Male' (1939), a suggestive story of a hunter who becomes the hunted, in 1941 filmed by Fritz Lang as 'Man Hunt'. Household's fast-paced story foreshadowed such international bestsellers as Richard Condon's thriller 'The Manchurian Candidate' (1959), Frederick Forsyth's 'The Day of the Jackal' (1971), and Ken Follett's 'Eye of the Needle' (1978) .
In 1922 Household received his B.A. in English from Magdalen College, Oxford, and between 1922 and 1935 worked in commerce abroad, moving to the US in 1929. During World War II, Household served in the Intelligence Corps in Romania and the Middle East. After the War he lived the life of a country gentleman and wrote. In his later years, he lived in Charlton, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, and died in Wardington.
Household also published an autobiography, 'Against the Wind' (1958), and several collections of short stories, which he himself considered his best work.
In 1922 Household received his B.A. in English from Magdalen College, Oxford, and between 1922 and 1935 worked in commerce abroad, moving to the US in 1929. During World War II, Household served in the Intelligence Corps in Romania and the Middle East. After the War he lived the life of a country gentleman and wrote. In his later years, he lived in Charlton, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, and died in Wardington.
Household also published an autobiography, 'Against the Wind' (1958), and several collections of short stories, which he himself considered his best work.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 11, 2015
Really enjoyed reading this book - a thriller from cover to cover! Two children are kidnapped for ransom and hidden away. The story of their courage and ingenuity in a life-threatening situation is packed with tension and excitement. Seemed a little far-fetched in places, but well-written.
October 19, 2007
One of the first "young adult" books I ever read. Great adventure, I loved it! I still remember it after 23 years!
March 31, 2013
This was a great book, I loved how there was so much action. And how the author made it so that it wasn't just wealthy kids getting kidnapped. I just wish the author made more books like this one.
June 1, 2015
Quick little thriller
Kids being kidnapped happens too often. In this story I was right there while it was happening and was thrilled at how it ended.
Kids being kidnapped happens too often. In this story I was right there while it was happening and was thrilled at how it ended.
January 5, 2013
I THINK this was the book I was vaguely remembering from my childhood... although it might not be. in any event, it was a great, dated, read, and I am hoping to find more books by this author. (apparently hard to find!!)
it's from a more simple time, which in and of itself, is a relief to read and a respite from raw reality.
it's from a more simple time, which in and of itself, is a relief to read and a respite from raw reality.
April 9, 2018
Published in 1976, later in his life, this is one of (I think) four young adult novels that Household wrote. No one writes thoughtful, detailed, nailbiting suspense like him.
I read this one aloud to my young teen, and we did the last 2/3s of the book in one long rush. Near impossible to stop!
I read this one aloud to my young teen, and we did the last 2/3s of the book in one long rush. Near impossible to stop!
November 17, 2008
It was confusing, really. The action parts aren't that bad, though. Geoffrey Household definitely isn't a very good writer - I can't really understand his explanations.
March 1, 2025
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 3.5 of 5
Mike believes he has witnessed a kidnapping and, only a young boy, he has to tell an adult what he's seen to help the girl who was taken. But Mike tells the wrong adult and the next thing he knows, he is waking up in a dark, damp, dungeon-like room. Mike is not alone, however. Carrie, the kidnapped girl, is in the cell with him.
Carrie is the daughter of a wealthy family in the city. She's been kidnapped for ransom. Mike is the son of a farmer, unfamiliar with city ways. But he's observant and clever.
There's no food, no water, not even any light, and Mike fears that their only possible salvation is to escape - but the men who've taken them are still about. If he can figure out where they are, Mike might be able to bring both he and Carrie to safety.
I didn't know anything about this book when I received a free copy from the publisher, other than that it's a 'classic', worthy of republication. So I went into this blind.
I didn't realize that this was written for a middle-grade or YA audience, but it became apparent quite quickly. The story, and the writing, is simple and direct. Although there's plenty of danger, with the kidnappers around and the threat (even if not directly told) of being killed, and yet I never felt the intensity of such a situation. It was danger appropriate for the target audience.
This is a quick, direct read. There are no subplots - it's just 'problem' and the attempt to solve the problem.
This is not a book I'd be quick to recommend, though if someone were looking for an adventurous thriller for children, depending on what else they like to read, I might suggest this.
Looking for a good book? Escape Into Daylight by Geoffrey Household is an adventure thriller suitable for very young readers.
Mike believes he has witnessed a kidnapping and, only a young boy, he has to tell an adult what he's seen to help the girl who was taken. But Mike tells the wrong adult and the next thing he knows, he is waking up in a dark, damp, dungeon-like room. Mike is not alone, however. Carrie, the kidnapped girl, is in the cell with him.
Carrie is the daughter of a wealthy family in the city. She's been kidnapped for ransom. Mike is the son of a farmer, unfamiliar with city ways. But he's observant and clever.
There's no food, no water, not even any light, and Mike fears that their only possible salvation is to escape - but the men who've taken them are still about. If he can figure out where they are, Mike might be able to bring both he and Carrie to safety.
I didn't know anything about this book when I received a free copy from the publisher, other than that it's a 'classic', worthy of republication. So I went into this blind.
I didn't realize that this was written for a middle-grade or YA audience, but it became apparent quite quickly. The story, and the writing, is simple and direct. Although there's plenty of danger, with the kidnappers around and the threat (even if not directly told) of being killed, and yet I never felt the intensity of such a situation. It was danger appropriate for the target audience.
This is a quick, direct read. There are no subplots - it's just 'problem' and the attempt to solve the problem.
This is not a book I'd be quick to recommend, though if someone were looking for an adventurous thriller for children, depending on what else they like to read, I might suggest this.
Looking for a good book? Escape Into Daylight by Geoffrey Household is an adventure thriller suitable for very young readers.
June 24, 2024
Published in 1976, not quite fifty years ago, this quick-paced, kidnapped kids, mystery, thriller is a pretty good story for what it is: a bit of a bubblegum, afterschool, TV special. It's a kids book after all, written by Geoffrey Household. He was a British writer of some minor note, obviously enamored with John Buchan's writing style (which is not a bad thing IMHO).
A young boy named Mike is returning home one evening, when he notices a famous actor at a bus depot writing some information on a bulletin board. He asks the distracted actor for his signature, but the actor gives the kid a "brush-off". Unfulfilled curiosity causes Mike to look at what the actor wrote, a series of numbers that look like a telephone number. The child writes them down and gets snatched for his inadvertent nosiness.
When he awakens, he finds himself in a dark place with another child, Carrie, daughter of the actor that wrote his phone number down so that the kidnappers could contact him by phone about Carrie. The kidnappers begin their questioning of Mike with an initially warm demeanor, but are very disappointed to care for 2 children, when they really only meant to have one. This has changed things and any favorable outcome, may now no longer apply.
It's a good thing that Mike and Carrie are together. Although they never met each other before, the boy from a family of modest means, and the girl from a family of affluence come equipped with a set of complementary skills which help them cope with the unique situation. The story is not as profound as I would have liked, but overall, a good, fun, middle-of-the-road kid thriller.
A young boy named Mike is returning home one evening, when he notices a famous actor at a bus depot writing some information on a bulletin board. He asks the distracted actor for his signature, but the actor gives the kid a "brush-off". Unfulfilled curiosity causes Mike to look at what the actor wrote, a series of numbers that look like a telephone number. The child writes them down and gets snatched for his inadvertent nosiness.
When he awakens, he finds himself in a dark place with another child, Carrie, daughter of the actor that wrote his phone number down so that the kidnappers could contact him by phone about Carrie. The kidnappers begin their questioning of Mike with an initially warm demeanor, but are very disappointed to care for 2 children, when they really only meant to have one. This has changed things and any favorable outcome, may now no longer apply.
It's a good thing that Mike and Carrie are together. Although they never met each other before, the boy from a family of modest means, and the girl from a family of affluence come equipped with a set of complementary skills which help them cope with the unique situation. The story is not as profound as I would have liked, but overall, a good, fun, middle-of-the-road kid thriller.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews