Rescuing Seneca Crane

Rescuing Seneca Crane is the second book in the Kari & Lucas mystery series. I adored The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, the first book in the series, and I devoured this one during the read-a-thon. The story picks up only a few months after the first novel ends. It's late summer, and the girls are off to Edinburgh, Scotland with Kari's mom, who is interviewing teenage piano prodigy Seneca Crane for a magazine piece. Kari and Lucas befriend Seneca, who has accomplished a lot professionally, but has had little room for a normal, teenage social life. As the title indicates (it's literal, not figurative), Seneca is soon kidnapped, and Kari and Lucas find themselves in the middle of another caper in a foreign country.

Once again, Susan show more Runholt does a tremendous job of describing locations. Edinburgh and the other towns of Scotland are like characters in this novel. The misunderstanding of the Scottish accent provided several laugh out loud moments for me. I loved this book as an adult reader, which is not always true of children's books. (A side note about grade level: the characters are teenagers, and teens would certainly enjoy it, but I think it's also appropriate for upper elementary readers.) Runholt also deftly educates the readers while entertaining them. I learned a lot about classical music, Scotland and history along the way, but I was mostly aware of the adventure I was on and wondering how Kari and Lucas would solve the mystery and rescue Seneca Crane.

If you haven't read The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, please read it first. This book is just as good, but you'll love it more if you already know Kari and Lucas. I personally enjoyed Lucretia a little bit more because I enjoy art more than classical music, and I've been to most of the places Kari and Lucas visited in Lucretia. I haven't been to Scotland yet, but with Runholt's descriptions I could certainly picture myself there, and I do now want to visit Scotland even more desperately. show less

I pretty much inhaled this book, the second in the Kari & Lucas mysteries due out in August. I was enjoying it so much, in fact, that I read it through eating my lunch & then sat in Snow Park across from my work & finished it before going back inside. It was very pleasant, but then I had to find something to read on the BART on the way home. Fortunately, my floor at work has a small lending library & I scrounged something to keep me company on my way home.

I love these books! The plotting is excellent. The writing is intelligent. The characters are believable &, best of all, competent. How nice is it to read about female characters of any age who can problem solve their ways out of a tight spot?

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia has art show more history thrown into the mix to make things more interesting. With Rescuing Seneca Crane, it's music, Scotland, & medieval castles. How cool is that?

This series is highly recommended for anyone with kids aged 11 & up. They'll thank you for it! show less

In Rescuing Seneca Crane, we join Kari and Lucas for another international adventure. Kari's mother is doing an article for the magazine she works for on the famous, and young, pianist Seneca Crane. Seneca is a teen-aged musical prodigy who plays piano with different orchestras across the world. Kari, Lucas and Kari's mother meet Seneca, and her family, in Scotland where they become fast friends. When Seneca is kidnapped, Kari and Lucas know it is up to them to save her. With Lucas' amazing intellect and Kari's accurate intuition they follow the trail through Scotland on train, boat and trolley car, into castles hundreds of years old.

Rescuing Seneca Crane is a very fun and exciting book that makes the reader ask questions and want to show more discover more. For instance, I learned what a round turn and two half stitch knot is and I found out that Prince Street, in Edinburgh, Scotland is a very famous street. I even found one or two things that Ms. Runholt invented, which of course is completely okay in the world of fiction. This book, as well as The Mystery of The Third Lucretia made yearn to travel and experience new cultures. It is evident that Ms. Runholt is writing to educate and inspire her readers, as well as entertain them.

One of the funniest lines in this book was;

It was like I was having a collision with a wet mattress. The rain and spray hit us smack in the face.

A central theme of this book is BOYS, Boys, boys. Lucas has become boys crazy and Kari has to find a way to deal with this new change in their friendship. I will never forget how interest the opposite sex changed my friendships, as a girl. Friends can quickly feel like they are getting pushed aside for a boyfriend or a girlfriend and that can hurt. On the opposite end of that equation, the friend with a crush can feel unheard, as if what they care about isn't important to their friend. Kari and Lucas have to deal with this difficult situation and find a solution that works for them. Runholt does a wonderful job of delicately introducing boys into Kari and Lucas's world without making it too grown-up or unreachable for younger readers.

Overall, I would recommend this book to young girls over nine and women, like me, who enjoy children's fiction. Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as I did The Mystery of The Third Lucretia, it was a good book and worth the read. show less

I was fortunate to receive an advanced copy of this book:
BookDescription
When Kari and Lucas first see Seneca Crane up on stage, playing the piano in front of hundreds of people, they are in awe. She is beautiful. She is amazingly talented. And she is only thirteen! But then they get to know her at the Edinburgh Arts Festival and realize that she envies them. Soon the three are becoming friends . . .until Seneca disappears. There’s no stopping Kari and Lucas from jumping on the trail and tracking her down. Even when it leads to the heart of the Scottish highlands!

My Review
From the same author of The Mystery of the Third Lucretia, Rescuing Seneca Crane is another GREAT Kari and Lucas mystery. Again she has created an interesting and show more intelligent story for these two junior detectives. The characters display a friendship that is both touching and true-to-life. I enjoy the way the two girls complement each other and defer to each other’s strengths when necessary. Boys enter the picture in this book, and Kari and Lucas are typical girly girls, but smart enough to know that some boys are too old for them.

This time their adventure takes them to Scotland, and I enjoyed reading the descriptive narration. The excitement never stops as the girls try to find out what happened to their new friend, Seneca. I can’t wait for Ms. Runholt to come out with book #3, and I hope to see the character of Seneca again in a future book. Yes, this is a children’s book – about ages 9-15, but I enjoyed it just as much as my grown-up mysteries. show less

My students who say they love reading a mystery will love this book. Kari and her best friend Lucas are off on the adventure of a lifetime to Edinburgh, Scotland. Kari’s mother has the pleasure of interviewing the child piano prodigy Seneca Crane, for the magazine she works for. Kari and Lucas had gone to see Seneca when she play with the Minnesota Orchestra. They learn several things about Seneca. First her parents are domineering, second she is very lonely, and third, she can seem to fit their friendship into her very busy schedule. They become very good friends. When Seneca is suddenly kidnapped, Kari and Lucas start looking at the clues in hopes of rescuing their new friends. This was a first read of this author for me. I will show more definitely look into her other works. show less

Rescuing Seneca Crane
Susan Runholt
Viking/Penguin Books
345 Hudson St.; New York, NY 10014
www.penguin.com
978-0-670-06291-1, $16.99, May 2009
Reviewed by (Laura Goodwin) for Reader Views (x/06)
Once again, a delightful teen mystery!
4.5 stars for amazon.com

I was privileged to be provided with an advanced readers copy from the publisher. This novel is the follow-up to the Third Lucretia, once again featuring the sleuth fighting 14 year olds, Kari and her best friend Lucas. The entire novel takes place within one week and centers upon their friendship with a piano prodigy, Seneca. The setting of this one takes place in Edinburg, Scotland, where Kari’s mother follows them. They are in Edinburg for the Orchestra festival in which their friend show more Seneca is performing. While there, they befriend a three year old Asian child named Parker who is familiar with Seneca and who later provides some valuable clues.
The girls meet Paul and Edie who were acting strangely at Usher Hall where Seneca is performing. After her performance, Seneca is nowhere to be found. With the help of Parker, the girls discover that she was kidnapped. Luckily, Seneca left the Queen of Sword Tarot card in her dressing room. This becomes another valuable clue. Parker actually witnessed the two kidnappers and it becomes almost a game trying to get information from him. He tells them that one of the men looks like a character from the children’s novel, My Neighborhood Book. Parker told them that she was taken to the dollhouse castle in the sky.
With the help of one of the locals, Kari and Lucan learn this location is the Old Dalhousie Castle on the Isle of Skye. The trek out by train and finally find their destination and see Seneca high above one of the windows throwing bread to the birds. Kari devises a plan involving her fly fishing casting skills where she will cast a line to the window with a cork and a note attached to it on how they will rescue her. Finally, after several attempts, Kari finally makes it to the window and the girls are able to escape. They quickly are discovered and are running through the woods and thought their luck ran out. To their surprise, it is a couple of men from the hotel who rescue them and are able to get the police to arrest them men.
Finally, Seneca is safe and sound and is able to put on a farewell concert and invites the girls to watch. This novel was a perfect follow up from the Third Lucretia and I found myself not wanting to put it down. Just like with the last one, it is a very quick read that young and older people can enjoy. show less

Kari and her best friend Lucas are super excited to meet the famous teen pianist Seneca Crane. They're even more excited when they get to hang out with her and sightsee in Scotland. They quickly become friends, but Seneca is suddenly kidnapped after a performance. Convinced she's left them a clue, Kari and Lucas set out to find her.