The Red Gondola and the CovaAuthor: Patricia Crandall
Caroline Wilkes is a bright-eyed and independent nine year old facing her parents’ divorce, her mother’s alcohol abuse, and her father’s drug habit. She tries to understand her surroundings and muses, “Adults sure are weird.” Caroline knows she isn’t supposed to go to the state park alone, but she is constantly seeking her older brother’s attention and wants to surprise him with an unexpected gift. Therefore, she sneaks away from his graduation party to get a ticket for a gondola ride. Only to never return.
The Red Gondola and the Cova is an action-packed novel about the hard facts of life written in an introductory manner for young audiences.
The author Patricia Crandall quickly builds suspense to keep the reader involved in Caroline’s journey and kidnapping. With Caroline sneaking out of the house, the reader first wonders whether Caroline will make it home without getting caught, but then this suspense is quickly overridden by the buildup of Caroline trying to escape an attacker.
Crandall has a way with words, and she is quickly able to create vivid descriptions of the scenes making them come to life in the reader’s mind. A page turner. A thriller. A book the reader won’t want to put down without first reading it from cover to cover.
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