Ransom

I believe I was in 5th grade when I originally read this suspense YA about 5 kids who are kidnapped via hijacking their school bus at the end of the route.

There is certainly a wide variety of characters here, some revealed as stronger than they or the others think, and some showing the cracks in their characters.
Both the kids and the parents (negotiating with the kidnappers) are developed.

A good 'short book' for a young person who wants something suspenseful, but the fact that more than one plot point turns on telephone communication may make it a bit dated for modern readers.

Por un lado, la narración es bastante neutra, no te hace sentir nada, simplemente cuenta hechos.
Por otro, los personajes (mayormente los chavales) me han gustado y me parece una lástima que se hayan desarrollado tan poco sus tramas, porque daban para mucho. Se queda como a las puertas de lo que sería una historia interesante para cada uno de ellos. La introducción perfecta para fanfics, si los hubiera.

Ransom tells the story of five high school students kidnapped on their bus ride home from school and held for ransom because they live in a wealthy neighborhood and their captors feel they can get money from their families.
The book is extremely effective both because it is exciting and because of the glimpses it provides into five unique high school students. Though the characters in many ways can be considered stock characters, the book serves as an effective morality tale for how high schoolers may react and relate to their fellow students and to frightening situations. High school students can relate to at least one of the characters, while learning the importance of having true relationships with others.

After reading this, the first thought that comes to mind is "The Breakfast Club on a field trip". You have your "All-American Good Guy", the "Princess", the "Loner", the "Weird Chick", and the "Younger Dweeby Kid", all stuck together as part of a poorly planned group kidnapping plot. The book is fairly slim (being originally written for a young adult audience), but I still found the plotline gripping, and pretty much couldn't put the book down once I started it.

I'm far from young adult but every now and then I'll read books geared to them (for example, the hilarious series,'My Teacher is an Alien').

Ransom had good suspense, an unexpected turn (at least, for me), and well defined characters with interesting interplay between them, especially between Dexter, Bruce, and Jesse.

A definite guilty pleasure. 5 high school kids are kidnapped because the kidnappers believe they are wealthy...however, appearances can be deceiving. I think these teen horror stories are pretty well-written as fluff goes.

Read this book many years ago, this audio copy is well done and highly recommended.

The lives of five captives hang in the balance while their families gather the ransom. Two brothers, their family frantic to find their sons. A loner whose uncle doesn’t even know he’s missing. An Army brat whose family will never be able to raise enough money. And a cheerleader who can’t count on her stepdad, but knows her father will come through.