Death Drop

by Melanie Jackson

On his way to baseball practice, Zeke lines up for Vancouver's newest thrill Death Drop, an elevator that falls faster than gravity.

The theme of the ride is based on the story of Persephone, who tumbled into the underworld. Zeke tumbles into a frightening situation himself after he discovers a little girl who is lost. He takes her to the Death Drop manager's office. But later, when he tries to find out what happened with her, the ride's staff say they never saw her! To find the missing girl, Zeke must navigate a devilish plot that includes Dante Gabriel Rossetti's famous painting Proserpine, a fiery drop into flames, and an angry coach.

This short novel is a high-interest, low-reading level book for middle-grade readers who are building reading skills, want a quick read or say they don’t like to read! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.

144 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2020

About the author

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

Melanie Jackson wrote her first mystery story at age seven and hasn't stopped since. She isn't sure why she likes mysteries so much, except that maybe it's part of being curious about life and its possibilities. A former journalist, Melanie volunteers as a creative writing mentor for the Vancouver School Board. Born in Scotland, raised in Toronto, Melanie lives in East Vancouver, in the same Commercial Drive area as her singing sleuth Dinah, with her husband, daughter and cowardly cat.

Series:
* Dinah Galloway
* Ailie Mooney

Reviews

[VP · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zeke talked/thought like a 40s noir detective.
Sausage curls, Blondie, reform school...
Obviously this was not a book meant for adults , but that was no reason to make it terrible.

I doubt Vancouver would have allowed that Death Deop monstrosity anywhere near False Creek. The Vancouver setting added nothing to the lame story.

[Jada Frederick]

it was intertaning

[Isabelle Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was very hard to understand

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zeke is a bit early for baseball practice - which is right across the street from Vancouver's newest thrill ride: The Death Drop. He doesn't want to be late but he does want to check out what all the hype is about. Before he can consciously choose, however, he gets caught up in a mystery involving a missing little girl, a priceless work of art, and of course the death drop itself.
Savvy readers will have the mystery solved long before the end of the book, but it is a good hi-lo read nonetheless.