The Postcard

by Tony Abbott

She died today. One phone call changes Jason's summer vacation—and life!—forever.

When Jason's grandmother dies, he's sent down to her home in Florida to help his father clean out her things. At first he gripes about spending his summer miles away from his best friend, doing chores, and sweating in the Florida heat, but he soon discovers a mystery surrounding his grandmother's murky past.

An old, yellowed postcard...a creepy phone call with a raspy voice at the other end asking, "So how smart are you?"...an entourage of freakish funeral goers....a bizarre magazine story. All contain clues that will send him on a thrilling journey to uncover family secrets.

Award-winning author Tony Abbott weaves an intriguing and entertaining mystery of adventure, friendship and family.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade, Adventure, Realistic Fiction, Childrens

368 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2008

About the author

Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller Firegirl.

Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1952. His father was a university professor and had an extensive library of books which became one of Abbott's first sources of literature. When he was eight years old, his family moved to Connecticut where he went through elementary school and high school.

Abbott attended the University of Connecticut, and after studying both music and psychology, decided to study English and graduated from the University of Connecticut with a bachelor's degree in English literature. He attended the workshops of Patricia Reilly Giff to further develop his writing after college.

Abbott currently lives in Trumbull, Connecticut, with his wife, two daughters, and two dogs. Tony had one brother and two sisters.

Reviews

[Becky B · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a 70% off pile at a bookstore. Hadn't heard of it before and wasn't sure what to expect.

The story revolves around a teenager from Boston named Jason. His Grandmother in Florida has just died and his Mom packs Jason up to go help his Dad with the funeral and cleaning up Grandma's house for sale. Jason isn't very happy about this at all. Florida is hot in the summer. Strike number one. He never really knew his Grandma, in fact, she was a little crazy. Strike number two. And he's afraid his Mom is doing this as a sign the family is breaking up and he'll be stuck in Florida with his Dad. Strike number three. But in the process of cleaning up Grandma's house, Jason stumbles across a magazine story and a postcard that set him on a scavenger hunt all over St. Petersburg area trying to figure out his Grandma's story. How did she end up in a wheel chair all her life? Who was the cast of crazy characters at her funeral? Who was his Grandpa (even Jason's Dad doesn't know that answer)? He uncovers a story of big money in old Florida, an overprotective father, and a reporter so in love that kidnappings, war, and danger can't keep him from his girl.

The mystery part of this story was well-paced and timed in the revealings that I stayed up to finish the story. It kept me guessing for the most part, and I really wanted to find out Jason's Grandparents' full story. The process Jason goes through to figure it out however is one of those if you're a kid you think it's cool all the stuff he gets away with, if you're an adult it is kind of scary to think of a teen doing all that and skeptical that they'd get away with it (like breaking into hotels set for demolition, going into off limit parts of historic sites, and tourist attractions...and lying to the police). And it all works out well. There are no ramifications for all the trespassing!
Dia, Jason's partner in crime/detection, was another part of the story I did't buy; she went from not talking to him to practically best friend in such a short period of time. I also felt like Abbott struggled to give the reporter's stories a different voice from Jason. It didn't feel like he was reading something from the past really and that bothered me a little bit. Abbott should have watched more black and white mystery movies or something before writing those.

So even though I thought the mystery was done well, I didn't really think the book was great on the whole.

Notes on content: No swearing. Sexual content is alluded to, saying that Jason's Grandma and Grandpa ran away together for a few days (didn't get married) and during that time she became pregnant. No details are given beyond that. The reporter in the stories gets beat up a couple times and shot at, but no other violence. Jason's dad drinks too much and Jason tries to excuse it by saying his Mom just died. In the end, there are repercussions for the drinking.

[Camden Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty decent read from a book I got on a whim at Goodwill. When I bought this, I hadn’t read what it was about and expected this to be a graphic novel but was surprised when it wasn’t. I was intrigued by the mystery and wanting to see how it would unravel. This was a really sweet book about love that kind of reminded me of ‘Big Fish’ with all the adventures he went on just to be with Marnie. This was very fast paced and there wasn’t really any dull moments. One complaint I have though is how Dia’s character was handled. I enjoyed her in the story but I felt as though she switched really fast from disliking Jason to acting like best friends with him in only 5 minutes of the book. It just felt odd but I did enjoy her relationship with her family and how she was so eager to figure out the mystery. I also didn’t enjoy Jason’s whiny-ness throughout this book but it was nice seeing him mature by the end of the book. Overall, this was a decent read.

[Nick P · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book The Post card has 358 pages.I can relate to the character because Jason is a kid who went somewhere he did not want to go with someone.This book reminds me of saving Zasha because it's a suspensful book.I gave it five stars because It had a good ending and a lot of twists in the middle.The ending was one of the best ending of a book I have ever read because It is a peaceful and happy ending

[Elizabeth K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun and something that I like a lot anyway -- kids investigate a mystery in Florida that involves crazy circus people, and also real estate scams and pulp fiction. It's a set-up that I always like, kids in the present day find the remnants of old clues that have been hidden for years so it's sort of like a double mystery, happening in the past and also now. This is one of those books, though, that has a mystery that is really disturbing if you look at it through adult eyes. For kids, I think, it's just moving the plot along as needed.

Grade: B+
Recommended: To people who like the weird parts of Florida, good for either boys and girls, I would say it's fine for average readers.

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great story, and story within a story! I highly recommend this book to everyone, all ages and interests.

[Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was, by all definitions, alright. I read all of it. I didn't mind it. I just didn't love it. The ending is what really annoyed me. Why? I mean, the whole story spun a mystery full of gangs and forbidden love, and a couple of confused kids trying to figure out what was going on while also reluctantly breaking a couple laws along the way. It was pretty good. But then there was the ending. The big climax that the whole story had been leading up to. What happened to Emerson Beale and Marnie? Why were the Oobarab chasing Jason? Well, it turns out it was over some real estate that only had a small amount of value since it had been a couple decades since Emerson had received it. And then it turns out that that was just an excuse for the Oobarab to reunite. It was stupid and I hated it. All that mystery and build-up led to a very disappointing "we wanted to be friends again." The book wasn't bad. Minus the ending, it was somewhat enjoyable. Not super interesting, but interesting enough that I kept reading. The problem was that ending. It just wasn't right. It just needed more.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I opened this book with good expectations. The guy who wrote Firegirl had to do a good job, and it was guaranteed to not be *shudder* chick lit. I was so right.
We begin with a young boy named Jason, who is going to Florida--in July!--with his father to help close up his now-dead Grandmother's house. There's some parental strain running a backbeat through his thinking. Then he finds the titular postcard, and an old pulp magazine, and a mystery ensues. I don't know how to go on without spoilers, though the girl living across the street, Dia, becomes involved in the runaround. The mystery is very engaging--partly because Tony Abbott uses pulp magazine stories, which I love. Also it makes my hands sweat, even now, as I write this review. It. Was. Incredible.
Jason is thoroughly human and thoroughly believable. He does decide to keep a large secret from his parents, but it isn't an instinctive decision. We see him come to the conclusion, and agree with him. His constant self-doubts about it don't hurt, either. Dia could easily have become another Spunky Girl, but she stays away from that by being--I'd like to say borderline manic, but that isn't quite it. She's like Henrietta in 100 Cupboards; more adventurous than the protagonist himself, and therefore he thinks she's possibly insane.
I may not have mentioned this before, but I love old folks in stories. They don't get into love triangles, they've lived long enough to have perspective over those high school bullies, and it's a lot cooler when they get into action sequences. This book, being set in a retirement town in Florida, does not disappoint. I just love it when, during the climax, all the minor characters reveal they had roles in the plot or are police or things like that, and it happens again.
If you like mystery stories, a good romantic subplot--though it involves an extramarital affair--old pulp magazine stories, and a kid protagonist who isn't whiny or bland, you will like The Postcard.

[Don Woodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the story of Jason, a young boy of about 13 who travels to Florida to help his father close up his grandmother's house after she passes away. The father is teetering on alcoholism and Jason's parents are on the verge of divorce. Pretty grim stuff, I know. But don't let this setting and back story dissuade you because the story is just getting going and ends up being a really satisfying and enjoyable tale. [return]Jason's father gets injured which conveniently leaves Jason alone. No sooner does he get back to the house than he finds a mysterious postcard and an apparent reference to his long lost grand father in a story in an old pulp mystery magazine. The story is written in a tongue-in-cheek Raymond Chandler style and it is interesting to watch the author switch back and forth between the two different literary styles throughout the book. The story is of a true love that thrives across the decades in the face of adversity including fiendish villains from the Order of Oobarab. [return]Jason begins to follow the clues with assistance of Dia a neighbor girl. Soon the young pair find themselves running all over St. Petersburg and Sarasota landmarks all the while being shadowed by mysterious characters; the same mysterious characters that populate the chapters of the pulp mystery story that is written by someone who just may be Jason's long lost grandfather. [return]The climax of the book is set on the grounds of the Ca D'Zan mansion in Sarasota. In college I used to go sneak on to those grounds to go running so I really enjoyed the scene where Jason and Dia sneak on to the Ca D'Zan grounds. I read this story to my boys aged 9 and 10 and they LOVED it. I highly recommend it.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ended up liking this book much more than I thought I would. In fact, I loved it. What a great mystery within a mystery this was. I loved all the hidden clues on postcards that the two smart, highly adventurous, and resourceful kids figured out how to decipher and follow. The clues lead to them to landmarks all over the Tampa-St Petersburg, FL area. What started with a postcard found in a desk in the house of Jason's grandmother who had just passed away became a very real story as clues were uncovered that not only kept the mystery alive but also filled in parts of Jason's family history that had always been missing. Who was Jason's grandfather? Was he the one who wrote all chapters of the story they kept finding at each new location? Was the love story in the chapters really his grandmother's story? I got so caught up in not only the mystery of Jason's grandmother's past, but also in wanting to badly find out how the story ended. How long did her father keep her locked away from the outside world? Did she finally ever get together with the man who never stopped loving her and spent years waiting to be with her? Who was he? Was he the man who wrote the stories that Jason and his friend Dia kept finding in all the locations? Is he Jason's grandfather? I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as Jason and Dia raced from the old De Soto Hotel to the Sunken Gardens, then to the house Jason's grandmother grew up in, and finally on to the Ringling mansion in Sarasota. At each location, found by figuring out a clue on a postcard at the previous location, they were lead to more pages of the story, and more filling in the blanks. What a wild ride this was. Definitely a book I will recommend to kids who love a good mystery.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Postcard is not exactly what I expected. The story is well written, but really seems like it should have been written with a more adult protagonist. Much of the story contained references to literature and history that someone of this age wouldn't know, much less use. The story, however, is very good containing a larger message about life.
When Jason's grandmother dies, he discovers almost accidentally, that his parents are on the verge of splitting up. He goes to Florida to be with his father as they get his grandmother's house ready to sell. Jason is angry and frustrated by his trip to Florida ruining his plans for summer vacation, but when he finds a postcard in his grandmother's house, the real adventure begins. His grandmother's funeral is populated by strange looking people that Jason doesn't know, but they start to seem familiar when the clues on the postcard lead Jason to the beginning pages of a mystery that seems to include his grandmother and all of these strange people. Jason meets a girl about his age named Dia who calls him every name but his own, and she helps him track down more clues and find more of the story. Soon Jason and Dia find themselves in danger from the very people who seemed to be his grandmother's friends. Both the mystery of his grandmother and the mystery of the story run throughout the book.
The Postcard is a very poignant story about the way we spend our lives and what we are left with at the end of it. Overall a very interesting story with lots of twists and turns, especially at the end when Jason discovers who has really been chasing him and why.

[Susan Forsgren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirteen-year-old Jason is in Florida helping his father clean out his grandmother's house following her death. Jason never knew his grandmother and is only recently learning about her from his dad. When he finds a story in a 1940s-era magazine, some of the details are eerily similar to things he has just heard about his grandmother. The story tells of love at first sight for Marnie and Nick, but Marnie's powerful father keeps them apart. Could the rich, beautiful Marnie in the story really be Jason's grandmother? And who is Nick? The story ends abruptly, and the author's death notice appears in the next issue of the magazine. A mysterious phone call sends Jason in search of more chapters as it directs him to his grandmother's desk and an old, yellowed postcard containing clues to the location of the next chapter. Marnie and Nick's story unfolds as Jason follows clues and finds the succeeding chapters. The hunt helps Jason avoid facing the fact that his parents' marriage is crumbling and his father's drinking could be part of the problem. This book succeeds on many levels. Fans of romance and adventure will enjoy Nick and Marnie's story with its quirky characters. Jason's take on his unexpected summer adventure will engage readers who enjoy realistic fiction, especially his budding friendship with a neighborhood girl who joins him in tracking down the chapters of his grandmothers life.

[Akshaya Bharath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, does this take me back. In fifth-grade we had to choose a book, make a "puzzle" poster about it, and (optional) make a cake based off the book (I did the construction site of the hotel! It was my first time baking). Alright, now the review.

I'm not much for spoilers so I'll just go over my overall thoughts of the book. It's a nice read for the older aged kids (late elementary school), it was easy to understand as a 10-year-old, I'm sure if I were to read it now I would've questioned it and looked into the deeper meaning but that's the thing, as a kid, you don't question it! It's quite random at times and has questionable circumstances, but it's amusing and interesting until the very end. It'll keep them engaged and thinking at a higher level than they're used to so it's a good stretch. It's also a good way to introduce children to the idea of novels and how they aren't always straight forward.

The reason why I gave it a four-star rather than a five-star is because I don't think it's as enjoyable when you're in middle or high school (maybe even older!), meaning, I wouldn't pick this up again now, with a more developed mind and reading skills. For kids approaching the teenager level it's a good, medium-difficulty read, and they can learn to read between the lines and think more hardly about books because they now know, things won't always go the way the are typically expected to.

Thank you for reading, I hope this helps!

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

13 year old Jason goes to Florida to help his dad settle his grandmother's estate. Bored out of his mind,Jason finds an old magazine with a pulp-noir story that seem to be about his grandmother. A mysterious phone call and a series of old postcards lead Jason and his new friend, Dia, to various Florida landmarks to find subsequent chapters of the manuscript. The mystery is convoluted, and the ending is confusing and not very satisfying.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the mystery in the mystery theme to this book. Also I like dhow it ended...bittersweet, but hopeful.

[Eugene Krabs (Amberlyn) · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a great book

[Kaylee Boren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the suspense and thrill that Jason and Dia had to Overcome.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I'm randomly roaming my library's children section and this caught my eye. And I have to say, now that I've finished this, Tony Abbott is definitely an author I'm going to check out.

Sure, this wasn't the best thing I've ever read. It is a middle grade mystery with a 13-year-old narrator. I won't lie, had I been younger, I probably would have enjoyed this more. That being said, this book had a lot going for it.

First of all, hallelujah for a 13-year-old narrator who sounded and acted like a 13-year-old. Jason had a bit of an attitude every now and then, sometimes he was whiny, and sometimes you could tell he was just a kid who didn't really know what he was getting himself into. It was realistic. Not only that, but Jason makes a friend out of a neighborhood girl, Dia. Now in any YA novel, this would have ultimately translated into a romance. In this, however, you get the impression that given a couple years that would happen, but they're still kids so...friends for now. Yay for characters actually becoming friends before falling in love!

Also, I really liked Abbott's writing style. It was simpler than what I'm used to, being that this is a middle grade novel (duh), but man, I was there. I've never been to Florida once in my life, but I could picture the setting and the characters perfectly. The story itself was a lot of fun. Maybe I'm just terrible at figuring out mysteries, but I definitely did not find this predictable. I was flipping through the pages trying to figure out what was going on. I was getting a little worried towards the end that everything would be wrapped up too neatly and too quickly, but I didn't need to fear. I was even worried that I would be left with too many questions left unanswered. I wasn't expecting the way things ended, sure, but it made sense, which I definitely appreciated. Even besides being a fun mystery, there was a certain depth to the story, as well. Not too deep to be over the heads of young readers, but just enough to give them something to actually think about. Abbott touches on the topic of parents separating, illegitimate children, embezzlement and even potential child abuse/neglect. Now, I don't want to scare anyone away--it's not a deep, dark, sad story. But those topics are just touched upon.

What was interesting about this book to me, too, was that it really struck me as a book that would be good for reluctant readers, especially young boys (what with Jason as narrator and all). My younger brother reads a bit now and then, but he's not a huge reader. I can see him reading this and totally loving it. It's just a fun, easy book to get into.

[Cindy Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Jason’s grandmother dies, he’s not sad, just upset about having to join his dad in Florida to help get her house ready to sell. How could he be sad about losing someone he never met? But once he’s there, a mysterious phone call and an old postcard unveil a mystery about his grandma that Jason becomes determined to solve. With the help of a girl from the neighborhood he tracks down clues that will reveal long-ago events with consequences that still resonate.

The Postcard by Tony Abbott is a funny adventure mystery with a touch of melancholy. As Jason works to solve the clues in the postcard, he learns about the grandma he never knew and a bit about his dad too. He also learns about the history of St. Petersburg, the town where his grandma and dad grew up.

As Jason and his friend, Dia, get closer to solving the mystery, they also work to avoid being caught by goons who seem intent on stopping them. The action and danger are intriguing, not frightening, so even sensitive readers aged 9 to 13 should enjoy reading The Postcard.

I got a copy of this title from my Little Free Library and thoroughly enjoyed reading it for review. I recommend it for boys or girls, and it would be a great parent-child book club book.

[Aly Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who works with youth/teens for my job, I have been venturing more into the YA section lately. This book happened to catch my eye, and I was able to finish it in a few days (though not consecutively) of dedicated reading.

Trying to view this book from YA eyes, I think it is a good mystery read. It keeps readers on their toes just enough, but it isn't too abstract that a youth/teen would lose interest. The characters are believably written--as there were many times that an interaction written in this book reminded me of something a youth/teen I know would do in real life.

It winds back around to the "human" element, with the main character and supporting characters discovering (or uncovering, as I'd put it in this case) not only facts and clues, but concurrently understanding more about human values and decisions.

It's something I'd recommend for youth/teens for sure. No spice, light on the violence descriptions. It is a good entry point to the mystery genre for youth and teens!

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as school lets out for the summer, Jason is told he has to meet his dad in Florida to help pack up his grandmother's house to sell after she died. He dislikes Florida with its heat, no friends, and a dad who is becoming increasingly worrisome with his drinking. And, to make matters worse, he barely knew his grandmother. His mom orders him to go anyway.

But, once there he is drawn into a mystery...a mystery within a mystery. Old postcards, an odd, old magazine, and strange characters show up at the funeral. Together with new found friend, Dia, they slowly unravel the clues left behind to his grandmother's life. But, who is leaving these clues and what does it all mean for him and his father?

The Postcard is told from Jason's point of view and from an old mystery story written by Nick/Emerson Beale. Intricately woven, the mystery will take off in all sorts of directions will an ending that wraps up the puzzle.

[Brycen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book a lot. I highly suggest it. This book is a mystery in side a mystery and a story in a story.It has a lot of action and near the end something very unexpected happen that I did not see coming.






































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































It turns out that his grandpa is Mr. Fracker.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a 3.5; I rounded up because I consider mysteries without a murder component rare. I think my biggest complaint would be Dia's exclamations. "Holy crikey and a half!" Or something along those lines. And "Cripes!" I'm not convinced. I also appreciated that the two main characters, Jason and Dia, never got flirty or anything with each other. So many YA books are about romance or have a "secondary" romance that takes over the plot that it's refreshing to find a book where two people never even think the word "kiss." Unfortunately, this is definitely more of a middle-grade novel and so most of my peers wouldn't enjoy it. My boyfriend was listening to the penultimate chapter with me and couldn't stop laughing.

[GinnyP · Rating 2 out of 5]

I believe this would be very confusing for the age group this is aimed at, with names being changed, identities hidden, and mysterious clues and stories hidden in old buildings. Jason is in Florida for the funeral of a grandmother he didn’t know. He discovers a lot. A LOT. Too much to get into in this review and too much for this reader to keep track of. Too may coincidences that make the mystery too easy for Jason and Dia to solve in a matter of days. And too many goofy circus characters (didn’t take too long for this reader to solve the secret of “oobarab” - who doesn’t read weird words backwards?!). I skimmed the last 50 pages , having figured where things were headed). There are too many other good YA books out there to waste time on this one. 2.5 stars.

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Postcard is about a boy named Jason. Jason's family had just received a phone call saying that his grandmother had passed away. He and his father had to fly down to Florida to her house to clean out all of her things. While Jason is there he finds a postcard hidden on the underside of a desk drawer. It was a clue. Jason's great grandfather had owned a hotel in town. the clue would lead him to one of the rooms where he had found letters to his grandmother from a mysterious person. Each of the letters had clues on them to where the next letter could be found. With each letter Jason finds, he uncovers his grandmother's past.

I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because the author keeps you interested with the different situations that Jason has to overcome to find the next hidden letter.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Abbott, Tony The Postcard, pgs.354 Little Brown and Company Language- PG-13; Sexual Content-G; Violence- PG; Jason is surprised when his grandma dies. He goes to help his dad and finds an old postcard. There’s nothing written on it, although there is a hole in the postcard right through a window. He goes to the hotel that’s on the postcard and finds the second part of a manuscript that his grandma hadn’t found. He gets a new friend and finds the rest of the manuscript. He’s in a living mystery. I thought that this book was really good. It took a little while to get into, although it was actually better than I thought it would be. Interest Level- EL, MS. OPTIONAL. Student Reviewer: SH

[Isis Burdick · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the moment I returned the book to my sixth grade library this book has been hunting me. Now that I am older I decided to finish everything I start with a 110 attitude.

Although I am actually trying to finish the book this time around, I still do not find the book to be interesting. The relationship with Jason and Día somehow evolves in the length of a day. Jason’s grandmother and grandfather fell in love after an Interaction with each other that could not have lasted more than eight minutes. To top things off Jason never really finds out what happened to his grandparents. The flow of the story was easy and fast paste, but I honestly wouldn’t give the book more than a 3.5

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Postcard by Tony Abbott is the story of a teenage boy who has to spend his summer vacation with his Dad cleaning out his dead grandmother's house. He clearly is unhappy to leave his friends until he finds a postcard and a mystery. He teams up with a neighbor girl and together they solve the mystery. There is also a mystery within a mystery, which the reader discovers as well. All good. Although the story is a big preposterous, it is still a fun story. Characters seem real enough. The mystery evolves. With just the right amount of suspense and intrigue. This is a good book. Not great, but good.

[Catherine Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more, but it was a little hard for me to fully enjoy. It starts a little slow, but once the mystery picks up I had a lot more fun with it. Though the ending disappointed me again. The different characters/ways of naming them is not well though out. I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. So although the story is fun and a small ride, I only give this book three stars.

[Olivia Yager · Rating 4 out of 5]

The postcard is an interesting book about a teen boy who discovers secrets about his grandmother's life after she passes away. I loved how more secrets unraveled on every page. This was an entertaining book that I couldn't put down at certain parts of the climax. The main character, Jason, can be very relatable to me and others in middle school based on the way he acts about certain things. This book was pretty easy to read and didn't have very many big words. I enjoyed reading this book.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great mystery, but there are too many characters. A family tree or list of characters with explanation would help, right at the beginning of the book. It might be that Dia kept using different names for people, so that confused me sometimes.
It was a gripping story, definitely meant for middle school students. The setting teaches a lot about Florida, and then about parts of Asia (which is cool because I live in Asia and can picture the settings in Malaysia and Singapore).