Down the Rabbit Hole

My certification is in middle school language arts, so I read a lot of young adult literature. Actually, it's probably more the other way around: I enjoy ya lit, so I became certified to teach language arts. (And I have always loved to write, so that doesn't hurt either.)

I just finished reading Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery by Peter Abrahams. When my husband and I go on long trips, we sometimes read a book aloud during the drive. It makes the trip go a lot faster. (Harry Potter has accompanied us on a few trips.)

This mystery is nice, because the reader can actually figure it out. (no evil twins, suspects you never met, etc.) This can be both satifying and frustrating. It's satisying to discover "who done it," but it is frustrating to watch the main character make mistakes, because she doesn't know "who done it" yet.

Ingrid, the 13-year-old main character, is strong and fearless. This makes the book very readable for boys as well as girls (in the same way that True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle is).

The vocabulary is just challenging enough. Ingrid uses metaphor to describe her feelings. The characters are interesting. The subplots are smaller "mysteries" to be solved. There is humor, action, drama, and suspense. This book references Sherlock Holmes stories and Alice in Wonderland. (Ingrid is acting in a play of Alice, and the characters' views on adaptation and interpretation could spark discussion. Other issues in the books: sports and steroid use, commercial development of natural areas, socioeconomic class, and art.) Ingrid's investigation is an example of research using primary sources. Works great as a "read aloud" book.