Disappearing Act
by Sid Fleischman
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Description
After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities will keep them safe.Tags
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Member Reviews
How can you not love Sid Fleischman? I would like to have lunch with him - his books are so fun, the guy has got to be entertaining in real life. Two kids escape a stalker by becoming street performers in Venice Beach; adventures ensue. Funny, interesting, but with a serious undertone, this is pitch perfect for kids.
*SPOILER* After their archaeologist mother's death in a Mexico earthquake, Kevin and Holly hightail it for Venice, CA, while being stalked by "the Toad." They don't know what he wants. They settle in a rooming house in Venice, surrounded by street performers and Hollywood star wannabes. They dye their hair to disguise themselves and take on the names Pep and Chickadee Gomez. While Holly auditions successfully for a beach opera production, Kevin makes money on the side as a "hat man" for juggler Bumpy Rhodes. But the Toad turns up, threatening the kids over a map to a dig location. Turns out he will never figure out where it is because their mother hid the map in Kevin's old copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" which is long gone.
After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities will keep them safe.
Student Review:
This book is about a brother and a sister who are being stalked by a person called "The Toad." They moved to California to try to escape the stalker, but he follows them there. The situation becomes chaotic as they try to escape him. If you are looking for a good mystery, this is a great choice.
This book is about a brother and a sister who are being stalked by a person called "The Toad." They moved to California to try to escape the stalker, but he follows them there. The situation becomes chaotic as they try to escape him. If you are looking for a good mystery, this is a great choice.
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Author Information
112+ Works 21,082 Members
Sid Fleischman was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 16, 1920 but grew up in San Diego, California. He loved all things magical and toured professionally as a magician until the beginning of World War II. During the war, he served in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and afterwards, he graduated from San Diego State University in 1949. After graduation, show more he worked as a reporter with the San Diego Daily Journal. After the paper folded in 1950, he started writing fiction. He tried his hand at children's books because his own children often wondered what their father did. To show them how he created stories, he wrote them a book. He wrote more than 50 fiction and nonfiction works during his lifetime including The Abracadabra Kid: A Writer's Life; Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini; The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West; The Thirteenth Floor; and The Ghost in the Noonday Sun. His book, The Whipping Boy, won the Newberry Award in 1987. He is the father of Newbery Medal winning writer and poet Paul Fleischman; they are the only father and son to receive Newbery awards. He also wrote screenplays including Lafayette Escadrille, Blood Alley, and The Whipping Boy. He died from cancer on March 17, 2010 at the age of 90. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- New Mexico, USA; California, USA; Venice, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Statistics
- Members
- 88
- Popularity
- 363,661
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (3.21)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook
- ISBNs
- 11
