Thursday, November 24, 2011

What Happened to Cass McBride?

What Happened to Cass McBride by Gail Giles, ISBN 978-0316166386, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2006, 211 pages.


Teaser: Kyle Kirby blames Cass McBride for his brother's suicide, so he buries her alive.  Will Cass survive?
Plot Summary: Kyle Kirby's brother, David, has just committed suicide and he wants someone to pay for it.  David is pressured by his abusive mother to ask out a girl, so he asks Cass out and then finds a note she wrote to a friend about being asked out by someone so low on the social status chain.  He then hangs himself.  Kyle holds Cass McBride responsible for his brother's death and for that he kidnaps her and buries her alive.  Cass is known for her way of getting what she wants so she tries to talk with Kyle about his feelings, in the hope that he will let her free.  We learn that both characters have some skeletons in their closets and they both learn tough lessons about themselves as the clock is racing to save Cass McBride.
Critical Evaluation: The fact that the book is written from the alternating perspective of three different characters is intriguing.  We hear the story from Cass, Kyle, and a policeman's view.  Cass and Kyle both have secrets and even though Cass is buried alive she knows that she has to outwit Kyle if she has any hopes of getting out alive.  Cass has a way with words and the author's descriptions of being buried alive are very realistic and might frighten some readers.  This psychological thriller will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, and at times they will feel the horror that Cass feels talking with her kidnapper.
Author Information:
Gail has written 10 books.  She is a former high school teacher and lives in Texas with her husband, 2 dogs and 3 cats.  She has 1 son and 2 grandsons.  She loves her family and pets.  She began her love of writing in the fourth grade where she was a troublemaker. She went to Catholic school and the nun did not like her making trouble, but one day the nun was having a bad day and asked if she would write a funny story to cheer her up.  That began her journey as a writer, when she was able to make the nun laugh out loud.  Most of Gail’s books are about teenage boys.  She is inspired by things that have happened in her life and she is inspired by the places she has lived, such as Texas, Chicago and Alaska. Gail’s first book, Shattered Glass won many awards including YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. She also lived in Alaska for a while and her time there inspired the book, What Happened to Cass McBride? For more information about Gail and her books please visit http://www.gailgiles.com
Genre: Mystery
Curriculum Ties: N/A
Booktalking Ideas:  Read the passage from the beginning of the book about Cass being buried alive.
Reading Level/Interest Age: 14+
Challenge Issues:  This book could be challenged due to the fact that a character is buried alive or from parts of the book that deal with a dysfunctional family and abuse.
Why included? I research this author for the genre project.  She writes a lot about teenage boys, so I felt this book would be a good book to suggest for a male reader. 

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