What Happened to Cass McBride?

by Gail Giles

Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Drugs Cass. Kidnaps her. Puts her in a box-underground. He buries her alive. But Kyle makes a fatal error: Cass knows the power of words. She uses fear as her weapon to keep her nemesis talking - and to keep herself breathing during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.

A vivid, complex, and insightful work of suspense.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Teen, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Thriller, Suspense

240 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

About the author

Gail Giles is the author of six young adult novels. Her debut novel, Shattering Glass, was an ALA Best of the Best Book, a Book Sense 76 selection, and a Booklist Top 10 Mystery for Youth selection. The novel is about an high school boy named Simon Glass that is helped to become one of the most popular dogs in school by other students. Her second novel, Dead Girls Don’t Write Letters, was an ALA Top 10 Quick pick (2003) and a Book Sense 76 selection. Her third novel, Playing in Traffic, is an epic story about a boy trying to help a gothic girl.

She is a former high school teacher who grew up in Texas and now lives there happily with her husband, two dogs, and three cats. Gail has one son and two grandsons.

Reviews

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

Holy Cow! That was, literally, what I said to myself after turning the last page of Gail Giles's newest release, WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? Although I've read many of the author's books in the past, I have to say that I think this one, even more than SHATTERING GLASS or PLAYING IN TRAFFIC, is my new favorite.

The plot is pretty straight-forward; is, in fact, told pretty matter-of-factly on the inside cover. Something bad has happened to pretty, popular Cass McBride. Something that involves Kyle Kirby, and his younger brother, David, who just happens to be dead. That much you'll get right away. What you won't get, until you start reading the book, is that this is a psychological thriller that will have you flipping pages like a madman (or woman).

It's actually hard to tell readers about the storyline of this book without giving too much away. Let's just say that David Kirby has committed suicide, Cass feels slightly responsible, and Kyle is sure Cass is to blame. What happens because of those three circumstances is something unexpected, something that, due to the author's vivid writing and imagination, will leave you breathless.

WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE? is a glimpse into many different points of view. That of Cass McBride herself, who has had a pretty strange upbringing and doesn't even realize it until Kyle Kirby takes matters into his own hands. Then there's Kyle himself, a young man who has had the type of childhood you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy. Then there's the police detective, Ben, who has his own story to tell, and ones to listen to. And although we don't really get to hear David Kirby tell his story (he is, after all, quite dead), we learn about a boy who never really even had a chance.

This is a great book for all lovers of a good thriller, although I wouldn't recommend it for very young teens. That said, however, this is the perfect book for a reluctant reader, as the short chapters, fresh dialogue, and snappy writing style keep you moving right along. This is another must-read from author Gail Giles!

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woah! I finished this book in one day. I had to keep reading, I had planned to go for a walk after I finished reading a few chapters, and I ended up finishing the book. It is really quick to read, I finished it in a few hours and found that I still can't stop thinking about it. I wonder what's going to happen to Cass now. And they say the guy already went to prison, which I think is true because he admitted to everything, so they don't really need her to testify. I wonder how long she really has been out of the box. And it is totally freaky how she closes herself in a locker to tell the story in a recorder. She seemed like she was keeping control of herself in the grave for the most part. But I guess the little parts took control, and now she's a mental case. (It kind of reminds me of When A Stranger Calls, except it's about a hundred times better, she should've just locked her and the kids up in a room after the first call and called the police (and why'd she run to the cabin for the college student if he didn't even pick up the phone, I mean, come on!)) Anyways, this book was quick and I'd probably read it again to see the things I missed. But it was cool that I finished it in one day.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

In What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles, Cass is one of the most popular girls in school. She has great grades, her father is rich and she has multiple friends. One day, an odd-looking boy named David Kirby approaches her. Very awkwardly, he asks her to go on a date with him. Secretly disguised by his proposal, She kindly replies that she’s busy for a while. David accepts this excuse and goes off. Then, Cass writes a letter to her best friend calling David gay and the worst kind of loser there is. She sticks it under her desk, so her friend can read it during her next class period. But, things go bad when David finds the note and reads it. He commits suicide that very night. Cass starts to worry; did that note really make him do that? Shortly after the suicide of David, Cass is kidnapped and buried alive by a person trying to avenge David’s “murder”. Stuck in a tight box for days, Cass braves her kidnapper and tries to outwit him. But, he won’t give in. Read it to find out whether Cass survives or dies.

I thought this book was very good! I loved how it was written; it made the book feel like it was actually happening. It was exciting and creepy at the same time! I thought the end could have been better, however. I guess I was expecting an ending that would blow my mind! But, other than those reasons above, I liked this book because it felt like it was really being told by the persons in the story. I loved how Cass explained how being trapped in a pitch-black box for days was torture. I thought the author really captured their thoughts and feelings!

Did it meet my expectations? I would say yes and no. I loved the story line; it totally surpassed my expectations! But, I had heard the book was very scary; the kind of book that you can’t read at night. I didn’t think it was scary at all. It was suspenseful and creepy, but not scary enough for me. I wish that the author threw in some more shocking moments to build up the suspense even more! That, to me, would have been icing on the cake.

Now, my favorite part is hard to point out. But, I believe my favorite part was hearing about David and Kyle’s past. My heart broke for them when I read those pages of what they went through every day at their home. To me, that’s the worst kind of abuse you can receive. I can’t really explain it any farther, for I would give away a major spoiler in the book.
When I was looking at books last Friday, I was looking for a book that would sustain my mind. As I looked through the shelves and shelves of books, I found a single copy of What Happened to Cass McBride. I heard it was good, so I checked it out. Boy, did I find out how good it was!

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kyle Kirby blames mean-girl Cass McBride for his brother David's suicide. He kidnaps then buries her, determined to tell her just how rotten she is before she dies. Told in the points of view of Kyle, Cass and a police detective, readers will learn how both Cass and David collided on similar, yet very different paths.

Gail Giles paced WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE with enough tension to have me hold my breath while I hoped for a positive resolution. I love Giles's storytelling and writing style.

Cass was the only fully fleshed out character. I had a lot of empathy for her family life. David and Kyle's mother was too one-dimensionally evil for me to take seriously and I never knew David as more than a victim.

WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE is a short book that should be read on a dark, stormy night when you're alone.

[Nicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good for a short book.

[Jojobean · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok.

It is about guy named Kyle who blamed his brother David's suicide on girl named Cass McBride. Cass McBride turned David down when he asked her out. That wasn't all. She also wrote a nasty mean note about him to her friend which he found. Then he hung himself. Kyle who is in extreme grief kidnapped Cass and buried her alive. The rest of the book is about Cass trying to talk her way out of death by trying to get Kyle to let her go. The story is told in 3 POVs. Cass's pov is when she is in the box buried alive and talking to Kyle. Kyle's pov is when he is arrested and being interrogated by the police. The Third POV is that of Ben Grey who is the lead police officer in Cass' kidnapping case and his pov is the police investigation of her disappearance.

I have to say I really didn't like any of the characters except for David who we learn about through the other characters. His home life is atrocious, with his verbally abusing mother following him around the house, making nasty and mean remarks. The poor guy was a loner and miserable. Cass' note was what pushed him over the edge to kill himself. I really feel sorry for him and sympathize with him.

Cass is a bitch. She is the classic mean popular girl that is in every high school, real or fiction. We all know the girl from experience~ the beautiful girl with the perfect hair and clothes, who is rich and has everything she wants. And she is as mean as satan, making fun of everyone, putting people down and thinks she is better then everyone else. Yes Cass is this bitch. She ripped David apart in her note to her friend, saying "how dare he ask her out". Are you f****** kidding me! Man I wanted to punch her the face and kick her in the ribs. Her description of him was degrading and cruel. Personally I feel like she got exactly what she deserved and that it wasn't painful enough. I despise bullies and that was what Cass was. Even her best friend though she was too mean. She needed to come down from her high horse and get kicked in the face with its hoof. Too bad she did't die, but hey now she has to live with the trauma of what happened. Good.. I have no sympathy for Cass McBride and she got everything she deserved.

Kyle and David's mom is another rancid bitch who needs putting down. She was horrible to David ever since he was little. She refused to feed him when he was five and he had to find food to eat in the house by himself. She should be shot for that alone. She was neglectful and verbally abusive to David. She blamed David for "ruining" her life and took everything out on him. She was very nasty. It's sick because there are real people like this in the world. She is more guilty than Cass and she needed to be eliminated, stat.

I didn't really care about the cops pov. Most of it wasn't interesting and I don't know why it was put as a pov.

I didn't really like Kyle but I did sympathize with him. His life was s*** because of his mother and what she did to him and especially David. His father was no help; he left often because of his job and he knew exactly what his wife was doing to his children and did nothing to stop it. In my eyes he is as guilty as Cass is. Kyle tired his best to protect his brother and help him even though he did sometimes get frustrated and wanted out. I think his plan of torture for Cass is brilliant. I know that if anyone hurts any of my family members, they better run and hide, because I'm coming after them with everything I got. I'm not a violent person but this book got to me. My brother is in high school and if someone treated him like the way people treated David, those people better watch out. I get very emotional when reading books like this because this stuff really happens in real life. And like I said before I have no sympathy for bullies and mean people. They should be thrown in jail or worse.

This review is also posted on Spantalian's Book Reviews

[Arminzerella · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cass McBride goes to sleep one night and wakes up to find that she’s been buried alive. Who would want to hurt popular, confident, pretty, over-achieving, but aloof Cass McBride? Kyle Kirby, that’s who.

Cass McBride is a junior and she knows what she wants and how to get it. She’s generally well-liked, though her best friend Erica says she can be mean occasionally. When Daniel Kirby asks Cass out, Cass can’t even believe it. He barely registers on her radar; he doesn’t even move in the same social circles she does. Although she’s polite to him in person – trying to let him down easily – Cass writes a snarky note to Erica that says she can’t believe such a loser asked her out. Naturally, Daniel intercepts the note. The next day he’s found hanging from the tree in front of his house. Suicide.

Kyle is furious when he finds out what Cass wrote. He holds her completely responsible for his brother’s suicide, and this is why he takes her. He plans to torture her in her grave – making sure she lives just long enough to know why she’s there and to feel some remorse for her actions. Cass is terrified, but she gets control of herself and tries to keep Kyle talking to her, so she can try to understand what’s going on. Little by little, the story comes out. It’s really Kyle and Daniel’s mother who has forced Daniel’s hand. In her eyes, he can do no right. She never cuts him a break, and she’s always on his case – about how he looks, how he acts, his grades. She lets him know in no uncertain terms that he will never be able to live up to her expectations and that she will never love him. Without hope, Daniel finally takes his own life. Kyle blames himself and his father, too, for what happens to Daniel – as neither one of them has been able (and in the father’s case hasn’t even tried) to protect him. Cass is able to last just long enough to tell Kyle that he’s got the wrong woman in the coffin – it’s his mom that he really wants to torture and condemn. Kyle takes off in a rage and goes after his mother, where investigators finally catch up with him.

What Happened to Cass McBride is told in short chapters through the voices of different characters – Cass, Kyle, Erica, the investigators, Cass’ parents, etc. The story is fast-paced; there’s lots of suspense as you wait to find out whether or not Cass makes it out of her grave (she does). There are some awkward phrasings, and description repetitions that took me out of the story, but otherwise this was pretty seamless and suspenseful. This should be perfect for reluctant readers.

[Kitko · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book once before when I was 12 or 13. I picked it up for school, I think we had to read a certain number of books for a project? Anyway, I remember as a kid after reading this being like "what did I just read...?". I would not have been the target audience back then, so I wanted to reread to see how it is now.
The subject matter is a lot: abuse, torture, murder, suicide. I'm good with heavy subjects like these, and I thought the overall story was good. The parts that I didn't like were the characters and the writing style. I didn't like any of the characters, most of them aren't likeable and the ones who showed a bit of likeability weren't around for long or were just talked about. I think something that added to the unlikability was the dated writing. The dialogue of the characters most of the time was hard to read. The slang and the way characters spoke was dated, but it was dated in a way where it didn't feel like it was pulling from a specific time period. It felt like it was pulling from a time period within a cheesy teen movie.
I think the length and pace were perfect though. It was a fast and thrilling read. I thought it was just 'alright', but still a decent read.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book so quick. I did feel bad that David offed himself after being rejected by Cass,having hope of a future date and then finding that note but it wasnt really Cass's fault. It was David and Kyle's mom's fault. If his mom wouldnt have made David a mess,if she wouldnt have spent so much time hating david for no reason,the note wouldnt have hurt David that much.Kyle didnt have to bury Cass alive because he felt that he didnt protect David enough. In those moment when Kyle was telling Cass about their mom,i didnt see a teenager that burried a girl alive,i saw a teenager that felt guilty of not protecting his brother enough. I kinda fell in love with Kyle and then i remembered what he did..

[talia ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

genuinely, one of the better YA mystery thrillers.

[Brianna K · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What Happened to Cass McBride?” by Gail Giles is a mysterious, suspenseful, deep, and intelligent must-read! One quote that put me on edge was, “‘We’re running out of time.’” (121) Just reading this makes me wonder, ‘What’s happening? What will happen to Cass? Is she going to make it? Will they find her in time?’ This on its own, makes me want to read, read, read! If you can get into a book and allow suspense then this is a perfect book for you. “‘Never make it a question. Answer with authority. If you speak with authority, people listen. Walk with confidence. Keep your eyes straight ahead but watch the people around you, using your peripheral vision. Don’t get caught off-guard.’” (73) I think this quote is something I could take away from this book and use throughout my life. It’s advice that could be applied every second, of every day for your whole life. It showed intelligence in the author’s writing, but also a life lesson for anyone who reads it thoroughly enough to learn from it and use it forever. An example of great, deep writing is, “Your heart doesn’t break; it dissolves, leaks away, and it hurts.” (89) Personally, I think this is some great writing. It portrayed words that really caught my attention and were touching to me. Throughout the whole book, there are many words, phrases, paragraphs, etc. that someone could simply take away from and learn from. I would recommend this book to everyone and anyone. It is a great book that doesn’t allow you to put it down and always keeps you wondering and guessing. It’s intelligent and touching and an amazing book all around.

[Ruby · Rating 3 out of 5]

PERSONAL REACTION: Cass McBride is a popular, smart, pretty girl who is used to getting what she wants. Kyle Kirby’s little brother, David, has just hung himself from a tree with a note attached to his body. Ben Gray is a detective investigating the disappearance of a teenage girl who was apparently snatched from her bedroom. In the novel What Happened to Cass McBride? the paths of these characters cross in a tragic way. Alternating the narrative from these three characters’ points of view, the story moves quickly.

The story is interesting and I would recommend it for a quick read, but I expected more from the book. I think the characters were somewhat flat and some elements of the plot were weak. I would have thought a story about a girl being buried alive would have been much more suspenseful, but it never reached that level of excitement. Even so, I think students would enjoy the book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it, even though I craved more detail, character development, and a tighter plot.

[Nathalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this books basically about how a boy wants revenge on a popular teenage girl.kyle kirby (the boy who TRYS to get revenge on the girl ) tries to burry cass mcbride (the popular one) alive... but will he succeed?
i like this this book becuase it has drama and really describes things so you get a better look at what your reading. people who like suspition and intense moment would like this book. i got this book from ms woodards libary.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Happened to Cass McBride? takes the typical teen psychological thriller and cranks the volume way up, decibels pounding mercilessly through overwrought speakers, blowing us out of our comfort zone for such stories. The book preys on one of mankind's darkest, most primordial terrors, claustrophobia, ramping up the fear factor so it touches us us even where we sit reading in complete safety. You'll find yourself gasping for air and struggling to keep your body from reflexively spasming alongside Cass McBride, trapped in a way that's almost impossible to rationally process, a brain-breaker of a scenario one can't get into too deeply without being assaulted by Cass's raw panic as she lies in repose six feet underground in a coffin...still alive. The swirled palette of emotions surrounding the hows and whys of Cass's involuntary confinement is intense enough on its own, but those feelings are almost ancillary to the primeval horror of Cass's position in the game being played between her and collegian Kyle Kirby, whose twisted mess of guilt and rage has pushed him over the edge to perpetrate an act of torture on a seventeen-year-old that's too agonizing to contemplate. Existing in Cass's shoes in her subterranean waking tomb would be scarring for even a few seconds, but what of a few days of full consciousness in such cripplingly confined quarters, with no hope of talking, screaming, or fighting your way to freedom? This is the chamber of madness we're placed in when we pick up What Happened to Cass McBride?, and I daresay it's a feeling we'll never totally leave behind.

Primarily through flashbacks, we see the tragic bid for vengeance unfold from multiple angles. There's Kyle in custody at police headquarters after the fact, relating his story to the arresting officers. It has to be told the right way, how it actually happened, and only Kyle knows the truth. The two officers have apprehended the suspect by this point, but their part in the book begins days earlier when they receive the call about a possible kidnapping in town. The officers investigate in tandem to decide if it's a bona fide kidnapping, and when they conclude it is, they work in ever-widening circles to eliminate those closest to Cass McBride and pick up a trail leading to her abductor. But as they mention numerous times to one another, the majority of kidnapping cases not solved in the first forty-eight hours end badly, and the clock is ticking. They're progressing so slowly toward Cass McBride's location, wherever that may be. Do they have a prayer of finding her alive? And then there's the piteous perspective of Cass herself, product of a broken home, who retires to bed one night only to wake up in a place dark and terrifying beyond human capacity to withstand. The sleeping pills Cass took from her father's stash were drugged, she realizes, and within minutes she learns why. Her rejection of dorky David Kirby, the note she hastily penned and stashed for her friend to read so they could share a laugh at the expense of the dweeb who thought he could get a date with a girl like Cass, David finding the note and reading it...the events spiraled downward into a thunderstorm below ground, a maelstrom of grief and panic accosting Cass now like lightning bolts. It's David's brother Kyle who's done this to her, drugged her and snatched her from her warm bed, then fit her inside the tiny crate and buried her underground. But why? Why such depraved measures to exact retribution for a teenage girl shooting down a kid's hopes of going out with her? Because David is dead, a suicide victim in the aftermath of his humiliation at finding the note Cass intended for her best friend's eyes only. David is gone, and there's much more than Cass's snub to blame. Kyle is here to tell Cass exactly why things went horrifically wrong, the real reason his brother hanged himself, and she has little choice but to listen.

"WORDS ARE TEETH.
AND THEY EAT ME ALIVE.
FEED ON MY CORPSE INSTEAD."

—What Happened to Cass McBride?, P. 102

There are families far more abusive than Cass's or Kyle's, but the brand of emotional battery inflicted by their parents is plenty to drive them to derangement. Cass's father's ceaseless ambition and overt manipulation of his wife and daughter have wedged the three of them apart since Cass's early childhood. Her mother eventually flew the coop, declining to linger in the relative wealth her husband provided if it meant enduring his passive-aggressive games and burdensome control. Sensing that her own future hinged on siding with her father, Cass refused to go with her mother, electing to continue her apprenticeship of sorts with her father, a dealmaker who taught Cass how to work others to get what she wants. It's those skills learned at her father's side that Cass turns to now to pry her way inside Kyle's unstable mind and gain leverage to get herself out of this coffin, to survive long enough to make it out without her psyche cracking like a china doll's head. Kyle and David's mother is worse yet than Cass's father, sadistic and cruelly manipulative and bitter about her family relationships and station in the world. A shameless social climber in high school, she latched onto a promising young medical student and figured she had it made, but her husband's prospects for extravagant wealth took a hit when he resigned from med school to accept a traveling position in the pharmaceutical industry. Bottling up her frustration and anger at her husband, she unleashed its fury on her two sons, especially David. David's mother never wanted him, never treated him like anything but a leech on what little happiness she retained in spite of her husband's lack of career advancement. After years of distorting David's self-perspective and ingraining in him the belief that he's a loser, his suffering elevates when Kyle moves away to college. Kyle felt relieved to leave home, assuming he'd find rest from his mother's torment, but she and David call him almost daily to vent their frustration about each other. It looks as though Kyle and David will never find respite from their mother's harassment.

As Kyle informs Cass of the inadvertent part she played in shoving David over sanity's edge, Cass struggles to listen and assimilate. Hysteria is the demon that assails her within this narrow coffin, so small a space she can't pull her knees up or move her elbows away from her body. She can't raise her head without hitting the lid of the crate. Her fingertips are soon reduced to bloody tatters from clawing at the top of her wooden prison like a crazed animal, driven by a primordial desperation for freedom. How her mind doesn't snap like a dry twig is beyond me; it probably would be a mercy for her sanity to flutter away forever, a dove escaping bondage so she wouldn't have to face the reality of her situation. Though she knows Kyle wouldn't have buried her within shouting distance of anyone who could help, Cass screams her throat raw and bloody several times, destroying soft tissue and vocal cords that will never be the same again. Cass has no source of water, only a breathing tube installed by Kyle to ensure she doesn't perish before he can properly condemn her for her iniquity and force her to confront what she did to his brother. Her body is falling to pieces and her mind isn't strong enough to ward off the claustrophobic horror under the best of circumstances, but the physical agony distracts her from the fact that she can hardly move and has no idea if or when that's going to change. Talking to Kyle also distracts her, and she clings to his voice as a lifeline to keep her coherent from one moment to the next, trying to organize what she can recall of her father's lessons about closing deals to trick Kyle into freeing her from this wooden dungeon. Cass has little love for her father, but she admires his cynical, calculating take on the world, his view of people as unsophisticated suckers ready to be had for all they're worth. His psychological gamesmanship can get her out of this coffin. Dehydrated and terrified beyond capability for clear thought, Cass focuses on her father's advice. "You don't sell the product, Cass. You sell the customer his own self-doubt. You sell his shortcomings... You have to figure out what he's missing in himself and you wrap that up in a bow and sell it to him... Works like a charm." There must be a crack in Kyle's façade, a crack worsened by the trauma of his younger brother's suicide and the guilt that Cass realizes Kyle feels over it as he relates the story. Who's really to blame for David's hopeless decision to end his life? If Cass can redirect Kyle's loathing and convince him of what he fears, that he is responsible for David's death, maybe she can get out of here alive. But she has to be careful; Kyle is unbalanced and given to psychopathic extremes at this point, and he's the only person on earth who knows Cass is buried under the earth. The slightest push the wrong way could lead him to abandon her to suffer and perish in her coffin, but Cass has to hope her father's years of training in deceit and guile are sufficient to overcome the situational advantage Kyle holds over her. She has to bring this nightmare to a close soon. She can't last much longer.

The horrifying oppression of Cass's position undeniably increases the visceral impact of What Happened to Cass McBride?. It's a punch in the gut that penetrates muscle, bone, and organs, piercing a hole through the spine and out the other side of one's body, but the sadness of the story's family dynamics is potent on its own. In this life, people save each other; people are capable of nursing one another to emotional, mental, and physical wholeness, healing wounds and mending hearts, but they're just as capable of warping one another in disgusting, atrocious ways. We can do such harm that we turn other humans into murderers, targeting themselves or perhaps a teenage girl whose answerability is questionable at most. An embittered maternal figure can screw her sons up for life because she didn't get the prestige and wealth she lusted for since adolescence, and a Machiavellian father can divide a perfectly good family and leave every member feeling hurt and unloved. That can produce a girl like Cass, whose thoughtlessness is the final straw that makes a lonesome boy harassed beyond the point of reclamation decide living isn't worth the pain. We hurt each other so badly, and have to be made aware of the harm we do. But there's a lot of ambiguity in where culpability begins and ends, and that is the most haunting, uncomfortable aspect of What Happened to Cass McBride?. Is Cass responsible for David's suicide? Is Kyle? Is his father? His mother? Is there blame to share among many guilty individuals? Or does the fact that the tragedy was set in motion by numerous parties, not knowing the role they were playing in a wounded teen's ultimate demise, mean none of them have David's blood on their hands? There isn't a clearcut answer, and that's what will eat at the survivors of this episode. They'll have to figure that out for themselves over the years, but by withstanding the disaster at its point of occurrence, they've shown they have the mettle to make it through. Though it's sure to take a long, long time to put such profound tragedy behind them.

"And...what hurt can an unsaid word do?
Can it be like an antibiotic withheld?"

—What Happened to Cass McBride?, P. 164

Gail Giles writes with troubling immediacy, putting us into the head of a girl locked six feet under in a coffin, unable to move more than a few inches. Imagining being trapped like that for a single minute is more than my psyche can tolerate; I start fidgeting and hyperventilating, freaking out as if it were actually happening to me. I don't want to think about surviving in that scenario for days, all the while knowing I wasn't about to be freed anytime soon. Swift death would be a glorious benevolence. What Happened to Cass McBride? is one of the most claustrophobic novels I've read, and I can't commend Gail Giles enough for her supreme skill in creating it. The story is more than the unforgettable suffocating sensation of being trapped in a coffin; it leaves us with a lot to think about, hard questions regarding our accountability for the feelings and actions of others that arise because of how we treat them. We shouldn't dismiss these concerns lightly, and What Happened to Cass McBride? doesn't let us get away with doing so. I give it three and a half stars, and recommend it to anyone who can handle a highly stressful story and some rough language. But beware: it won't be an easy read. And I wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

I read this book because I found it well I was sorting throughout my books and I remember getting it at a thrift store years ago. The summary looked interesting enough and it was super short so I figured I would just give it a try before I unhauled it. This book isn't bad necessarily but it is 15 years old and unfortunately that means that there is a lot of casual homophobia, sexism, and mean girl bullshit.

If I have to say anything about this book it's that it will draw you in. It's written in a way that each chapter is only a couple pages long and they alternate perspectives. They rotate through three different people and the way that the story is told draws you in immediately. So there is Cass McBride who is mean girl extraordinaire and she's buried alive. Kyle, the guy who buried her alive because he blamed her for his little brother suicide gets his perspective told from a police station interview room. Then there's Ben who is the lead detective on the case. Ben's POV was the least problematic for me.

The chapters are very short and these characters are not very likable. You somehow want Cass to be buried and you empathize a little bit with Kyle will also realizing that he's kind of a piece of shit too. Both of their parents are absolute garbage people and are directly responsible for their children turning out to be the girl so mean she was buried in the box and the guy who buried a girl in a box.

Seriously though my issue with this book wasn't the plot. The plot is interesting and it reads decently. But I'm not about books that use gay as an insult or use lez and queer as slurs. I get it. This book was written in 2007 but guess what? Queer people existed then too and I'm not going to excuse the queer phobia in this book just because it's from the early 2000s. There's also the shitty theme of these characters being so terrible and it being pointed out again and again that neither one of them dates anyone. Friendly reminder that not being into romance or sex doesn't make someone a villain.

CW: suicide, self harm, bullying, attempted murder, drug use, kidnapping, abuse from a parent, child neglect, violence, psychosis, trauma, homophobia.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told in multiple perspectives (the victim, the assailant, and the police officer) and in staggered timelines, this is a quick-paced fast read that I think my students will really enjoy. For me, it was just OK (there were some plot holes and at only 240 pages, there were some ideas and character development issues that could have been expanded on) BUT, my kiddos will eat it up. For me, it felt like an April Henry book, which means it will be successful in our library.

[Christopher Shull · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a super fast read, and it was super engaging.

With a limited cast of characters, it was fairly easy to figure out who was who.

This has three different narrators--sometimes competing and sometimes cooperating to tell their story.

[Geri Tisdale · Rating 3 out of 5]

What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles was a quick read - a book that can easily be read in one sitting. I enjoyed the book, and it kept me interested.

As a YA thriller, my 12-14yr old self would have ate this up and absolutely would have been obsessed, which is why I gave it 3 stars.

As an adult, I still really enjoyed this book, but there were several times when I questioned what the adults in the book were saying - if the cops would actually say that; if a parent would actually say that, etc.

I might pick up more of Giles' books in the future for a quick read.

[Natalie Borodkina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I basically read this in one sitting. How is this book not more well known? It’s also so just incredibly sad and hopeless. Now I’m going to cry myself to sleep because the world is an awful place full of selfish people. I loved it.

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For this book being as short as it was it packed a punch. It wasn't anything I haven't read before but the fast pace and writing made it interesting.

[Emmy Habib · Rating 4 out of 5]

i just currently finnished reading the book what happened to cass mcbride. in this book a girl named cass rejects a boy who asks her out, his name was david kirby. shortly after this david kills himself. and davids brother kyle is very upset about this, and he blames cass for it, so he kidnaps her, and burries her alive. i recommend this story to people who like fast pace mystery stories

[Talitha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Joy Kirr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read - with lots to think about. I liked the three narrators (Cass underground, Kyle, who put her there, and Ben, the detective), and I liked the way Kyle and Cass talked out their thoughts. Even if the writing itself wasn’t the best, the messages to the readers were solid.

[Abby Vogt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very clever from how it is written as well as the story line. It explains how words can do so much to influence people and how popular a person is can also influence someone. It is a great book because how the author writes. It is able to show the reader all the different perspectives from the detective's, from the main character, Cass Mcbride, to Kyle Kirby's point of views. It is a very controversial book that isn't easy to find answers to these questions: what drives someone to suicide or how the pressure of such parental cruelness? It is also hard to find any sympathy for either Kyle or Cass, which makes this book such a controversial book. Also it shows how much words can be so powerful.

The main character, Cass Mcbride, has been groomed for success by her father to get into the best schools and get everything she wants by not a lot of work but by persuasion and she has had a lot of practice in this from her dad because her father is a very well self made business man with a lot of money who is always looking for the best and keeping everything the best. We also have the lead detective in Cass's investigation who this is the first kidnapping case so he is slowly learning all at the wrong time. Then we have Kyle Kirby who is brothers with David Kirby who tried to ask out Cass who is extremely popular and David who isn't. After David committed suicide Kyle blamed Cass for David's death so Kyle goes after Cass to seek revenge on Cass for all the wrong reasons.

The setting is in a very rich neighborhood where her dad, main caretaker, resides. Also it takes place in the suburban in which she resides she has the best of everything, the best car, best house and best clothes. The setting is also at a relativity a big school where there are a lot of different groups, also takes place in a very lonely home where Cass Mcbride resides. There is also not a specific time but we are able to tell it is modern times because of the technology that they have.

The impacts of the setting is very understandable because where they live is a very rich neighborhood where everyone is constantly looking their best or trying to do out do one another and always have better things then anyone else. So the social pressure on David and Kyle Kirby was outstandingly high because their mother and father are very rich as well so they are always being put into the unwanted spotlight.


I'd recommend this book to any 8th grader or freshmen because it is an easy read but also has a very disturbing story line behind it. Also I would recommend this book to girls who are 13 to 17 only, because I feel like girls have more sympathy for things like that.

[Gisele · Rating 4 out of 5]

David Kirby is a kid that keeps a lot to himself. All his life he looked up to his older brother Kyle. Their mother wasn't a very good mother. She didn't spend any time with them, she left everything at home to be done by them, and she was always complaining. Kyle would basically help David out with his problems, he was David's best friend, he never left his side. Now in high school, things were hard for David. He was quiet all the time and didn't really socialize with many people. But he had this one little secret… He had a huge crush on a girl named Cass Mcbride. Cass Mcbride is the kind of girl that some people might call perfect. She was the class president, she was trying to get nominated homecoming queen, she had many friends and she walked the halls like she ruled them. She always got her way. One day, David built up the courage to ask Cass on a date. Cass was surprised by this. She didn't know what to say so she laughed and then said “maybe, I'll let you know.” Cass was so embarrassed that a nerd asked her out on a date. Why would anyone ever do that?? Well she wrote about it on a piece of paper during history class to her best friend. She accidentally dropped the note and guess who picks it up! David! Many mysterious things happened to Cass after she wrote that letter, and people made sure that she regrets every little word that she wrote on that paper that day.
Gail Giles did a really good job making this book so suspenseful that you want to keep reading. Although it was very suspenseful, I had to put my book down for a moment sometimes because everything was so intense. I like all the different ways that the author describes the fear and the pain in some of these characters. It made you understand their emotions better and it made you feel like you were in the book with them.
I recommend this book to anyone that loves a good mystery. This book has a lot of suspense and some surprising moments that no one would expect to happen. People that love drama would like this book too because it could be very dramatic at some parts of the story. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars because some of the chapters get confusing with who is talking and which side of the story it is on. Other than that this book was amazing and I recommend reading it.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose to read this book because my reading group choose it. The Genre of the book is fiction. The setting of thie book takes place in alot of different places. One is in under a greenhouse, one is in a box burried under the greenhouse, and one is at the police station. If i were to describe the main character it would ave to be crazy, phyko, hurt, in alot of pain, angry, and sad. In the begining of this book a kid named David wants to get a girlfriend because he thinks that his mother would approve and stop calling him names. So he talkes to his older brother Kyle and he tells him what to do. "Get new cloths and say this." He tries to go for the hardest girl in school to get "Cass McBride." She turnes him down but she was nice about it. In class Cass writes a note and puts it under her desk for her friend to read next period. David saw her do it and takes the note and put it in his pocket. In the middle of the book his older brothe Kyle kidnapes Cass and takes her to a green house hes worked at for years. He diggs a whole and put Cass in a box with a walky talky strapped to her hand. Cass tries so hard to perswade Kyle to let her out of the box and that Davids death wasn’t her fault. At the end of this book Kyle drives to his moms house and wants to hang her. He thinks she should pay for what shes been doing to David all of his life. The cops show up and take him to jail just before he gets her outside to hang her on the tree out front. The same tree David hung himself on. The main conflict of this book is Cass is in a box somewhere and the cops have to find her. The problem is resolved when Kyle tells the cops where he burried Cass. My opion of this book, it was a really good book. I recoment to people that have no problem with swear words though. Very good book!

[Miss.Always.Reading.Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Am. Speechless.........
I can not believe that the same Author that wrote "Dead Girls Dont Write Letters" wrote this book!
I was not too much of a fan of "Dead Girls Dont Write Letters" it bored me.
But THIS book, I could not put it down.
It was kind of like watching 48 Hours Mystery only in book forum.
This book has three stories to follow: Cass story, Kyle story and a Detective story.
Cass McBride is a rich snobby girl, she lives with her father, her mother walked out on her one day. Cass is popular and pretty, everyone wants to be like her. People think that she is sweet and nice but shes really mean and looks down on others. One day a boy named David, whos a dork and unpopular decides to ask Cass out, she prentends that he has a chance with her but once out of his site, she writes a horrible mean note about him and sticks it under the class desk for her friend to read. Only David finds the note!
Kyle: is Davids brother and protector. When something happens to David because of Cass note its up to him to figure out why it happened. He blsmes Cass and decides to get revenge on her. He digs a hole, kidnaps her and buries her alive. Even though Kyle acts tough, inside hes hurting and he finds out somethings about him that he never knew through Cass powerful words.
Word are all Cass has to try to get herself out of this situation......
Detective Ben: is assigned to Cass McBride`s case and its up to him to figure out who took Cass before time runs out.
This book teaches you that words are powerful but at the same time word do hurt people more than we think.
My least favorite character was Kyle`s mom, the way she treated David was heartbreaking and cruel.
I suggest everyone to read this book, it will have you look at the way you usewords differently.

[Sydney Bartel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal Response:
I really enjoyed this book. I just wanted to keep reading it to find out what would happen. I really liked the main character and the mystery aspect of this book. I do, however, wish that this story was longer.

Plot:
This book was about a girl named Cass. She gets kidnapped in the middle of the night, thrown into a wooden box, and buried alive. Her kidnapper gave her a walkie talkie to communicate with him. After talking to him, she finds out that he was guy named Kyle. Kyle’s brother just committed suicide and Kyle thought that it was all her fault. He kept her in the box underground for a few days while talking to her about his brother. Cass was trying to talk her way out of the box entire time, but she had to be careful because he had the opportunity to kill her. In the end of the book, the cops find Cass right after she was basically dead. She had a lot of mental issues after the kidnapping, but she was physically fine. Kyle was sent to jail after he confessed to everything.

Characterization:
The main character in this book was Cass. Her character grew a lot throughout the story over the course of a couple of days. She started out as very stuck up and she thought that she was better than everyone else. In the end of the book, she really understands that her feelings can hurt people and that she should really value her life.

Recommendation:
I would recommend this book to high school students. I think that age group would enjoy this book best because the main character is also in high school. I also think that girls would like this book better because the main character is a girl. I recommend this book to people looking for a mysterious and short book.

[Joke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't read this kind of book very often. I used to, until I fell in love with Science-fiction and doomed loves.
What happened to Cass Mcbride is not just a thriller.
From the beginning, you knowhow That Cass is burried a live and you know That Kyle did it.
This book is writen in 3 characters : Cass, Kyle and Ben ( police officer).
But not only there are not only 3 characters who tell the story but Also 3 different times.
Kyle is sitting in the police office while Cass is still lying in her grave talking to Kyle while Ben is doing research..
It sounds complicated but there were no difficulties.
So Cass is kidnapped by Kyle, whose brother comitted suicide.
For That, Kyle blames Cass because she didn't want to go put with his brother.
Cass has everything: a rich father, enough boys around her and a best friend. Kyle's brother , David, was a loser. Someone who got never noticed . People only talk to him to make themselfs feel better. So trough his whole life, he has heard only bad things about himself. And the most came from his own terrible Mother.
Gosh , I hate That woman! She loves nothing, not even her own children. She never stops talking shit..
so the reason David kills himself, is his Mother but Kyle blames Cass because that's easier.. While lying into her grave , she talks to Kyle and let him realise That it is his Mother he has to blame.
Cass learns from Kyle That her father is as evil as Kyle's Mother. Her farther uses her to become rich and popular and when she isn't useful anymore, he will drop her like dirt.
That's What he did with her mother.

This book is a thriller with a touching story behind the afwul.

[Sarah (YA Love) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Talk about a suspenseful book! The story is told from the perspectives of Kyle, Cass and the detective, Ben allowing us to learn what has happened from the time Cass is kidnapped to when Kyle is in police custody. I was instantly hooked, but who wouldn’t be intrigued by a teenager burying a girl alive?! Kyle’s brother, David, has killed himself and Kyle blames Cass. Her punishment is to be buried alive, but she also has to listen to Kyle tell David’s tragic life story and how she led to his suicide.

What Happened to Cass McBride is the ultimate story of revenge and using your words wisely. Kyle has been looking out for David his entire life. Their mother (one of the most horrible mothers in fiction if you ask me) has abused David mentally, physically and verbally his entire life. This has caused David to be socially awkward and cry more than normal. Kyle needs to avenge David’s death, so he heads straight for Cass. Cass, though, has grown up in a house where image and selling yourself is everything. She’s learned from her father how to make people love her, and in return, how to get what she wants. She has to use her words wisely with Kyle, because each second that she’s buried is a second closer to death. And each word breathed leaves her with less oxygen.

This was a quick, leave you on the edge of your seat read, that reluctant readers will love (or anyone who loves suspense!). I was literally gripping the pages as I reached the last 20 pages. I thought I knew how it would end, but I was completely wrong! It was a surprise that left me thinking…