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119th out of 1,123 books
—
1,900 voters
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
by
Sara Nickerson (Goodreads Author),
Sally Wern Comport
Margaret's father died in a mysterious drowning accident when she was eight years old. Four years later, her mother still won't talk about it -- in fact, she doesn't talk about much of anything. But when Margaret's mother takes her and her little sister, Sophie, to a strange abandoned mansion and puts a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign in the front yard, Margaret is determined to so...more
Paperback, 288 pages
Published
May 6th 2003
by HarperTrophy
(first published January 1st 2002)
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This one surprised me. I picked it up on Kate's suggestion and it hooked me. A strong mystery with good central and supporting characters. Booktalk below.
How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
Sunday’s are always the same in Margaret’s family. Her mom calls them ‘family unwind days.’ Mom takes a nap on the couch, Sophie – Margaret’s 7 year-old sister – works on THE HARDEST JIGSAW EVER MADE (you have to say it like that because it’s all capitalized), and Margaret folds...more
How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
Sunday’s are always the same in Margaret’s family. Her mom calls them ‘family unwind days.’ Mom takes a nap on the couch, Sophie – Margaret’s 7 year-old sister – works on THE HARDEST JIGSAW EVER MADE (you have to say it like that because it’s all capitalized), and Margaret folds...more
Margaret's life is an unenviable one. She always eats lunch in the bathroom, has no friends, and at home her mother sleepwalks through life and provides the bare minimum for Margaret and her little sister Sophie. Their dad drowned four years ago, and their mother will never speak about it. Then one day they do something out of the routine--they take a ferry to a nearby island, drive to a horror-movie worthy tumbledown mansion, and put up a for sale sign.
Meanwhile, Boyd, who lives next door to th...more
Meanwhile, Boyd, who lives next door to th...more
This is the story of Margaret, a girl with an imagination fueled by fear of the unknown, living with a beloved little sister, Sophie, and their mother who is in the grip of depression several years after the drowning death of the girls' father. School is not a haven; Margaret eats her lunch in the bathroom every day to avoid bullying and has no friends. When their mother takes the girls on a trip to an island, where she puts a for sale sign on a ramshackle old mansion a mystery takes hold, set o...more
Twelve year-old Margaret and her seven year-old sister live on the Washington coast with their indifferent mother, their father having drown several years before. Life is dull as Mom wakes up from her naps only to go to work and do laundry. So a sudden trip to a nearby island to see a broken down house makes Margaret suspicious and sets her, along with new friend, Tina Louise, to solving the mystery of why the family owns a house she never knew about, why is it filled with so much junk, and how...more
Sep 05, 2008
Micaela
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Anyone who likes mysteries, humer, and scary details.
Recommended to Micaela by:
I found it on my own one day!
I loved this book! It was scary, funny, and a great mystery! The begging isn't so great but then when you keep reading, you won't want to stop! It's completly unpridictible and has a great story-line. It wasn't to scary but it was. This booked hooked me the whole time, I wish the other made a seiries of these books!
Four stars - for a YA book. Or: this is what I would have thought. Because I like books about conspiracies, and hidden truths, and Fate (capital F), and water-water-cold-and-deep. Oh, the so many layers and the tricks of memory and mind. But it gives the sense of trusting, finding family, fighting towards truth, & what you're going to sacrifice, what you won't ...
This is written and illustrated (in a comic-style) by women - hurray! - and all the elements combine. It works. It opens up possi...more
This is written and illustrated (in a comic-style) by women - hurray! - and all the elements combine. It works. It opens up possi...more
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Margaret's dad drowned four years ago. Her mom won't answer questions or even talk about dad to her and her younger sister, Sophie. Mom doesn't talk about much. She just goes through the motions: chain smoking when she's stressed, which seems like a lot of the time.
Margaret gets the chance to find out about her dad and his past, but she must journey to an island and an abandoned mansion which she didn't know existed until recently.
Scary at times. Well told except for later on in the book, whic...more
Margaret gets the chance to find out about her dad and his past, but she must journey to an island and an abandoned mansion which she didn't know existed until recently.
Scary at times. Well told except for later on in the book, whic...more
I absolutely love this book and I'm not sure how to explain why.The story just stuck with me.
I love the author's voice and writing style and the memorable story. I was able to conjure up wonderful images in my mind of the characters, the setting, and the mysterious house and it's occupant.
The book is a perfect combination of narrative, dialogue, and description. Suspenseful action will keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
This book is one of my all-time favorite middle grade reads!
I love the author's voice and writing style and the memorable story. I was able to conjure up wonderful images in my mind of the characters, the setting, and the mysterious house and it's occupant.
The book is a perfect combination of narrative, dialogue, and description. Suspenseful action will keep the reader wondering what will happen next.
This book is one of my all-time favorite middle grade reads!
I really liked the writing and the story in general, but had a big issue with the actions of the main character. She is 12, I believe, and she puts herself into very dangerous situations because she does not consult any adults in her desire to discover the truth about her father. I would much rather have seen her working with adults instead of on her own. Maybe that's just the mother in me, but it truly bothered me. Other than that, the writing style is great and the mystery is enough to keep yo...more
Nov 28, 2009
Susan
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of family dynamics, books, mysteries
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I guess as a child that read it, I would think that it would be a very good book. As an adult reading the book, I found it to fairly predictable. So, I was rather bored with the plot. It was also challenging getting started. What I should do is read the books that I still remember from childhood - Pippi Longstocking, Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and Rascal to see if they still read well now that I am an adult.
Aug 09, 2011
Neill Smith
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Shelves:
books-used-for-readers-workshop,
read-alouds
Margaret’s father died in a mysterious drowning accident when she was eight and her mother mostly slept her life away while Margaret looked after her little sister, Sophie. Then her mom takes her to visit a mansion on an island and she meets a boy who is totally enamored with a locally produced comic book about a mysterious superhero who seems to have a connection with Margaret’s father.
Mar 12, 2009
_inbetween_
added it
A good book. Once again it seems children's/YA novels are the only ones with genuine plot, excitement and feeling. At first I liked the depression of the mother, much like in Gale's FF, and the lunch on the loo, much like me, and then it was really exciting and not obvious, and the ending didn't give them something fantastic for their losses but healed in another, very small way.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast paced, young reader. I won't elude to anything but if your looking for a light hearted book you will not find that here. Although it was a light read there was some tough underlying real life issues that the characters are working through and learning to face head on. While still keeping enough distance from them so there is not overwhelming emotions behing brought out.
Margaret's life is plain and she basically takes the role of mother in their family. She was left fatherless when you dad drowned. He was an expert swimmer, which is why it was such a mystery why he drowned. When Lizzy, Margaret's mother, suddenly takes her and her sister Sophie to a house far away from their home, Margaret becomes suspicious an begins digging. She leaves to go investigate the house and her little sister covers for her. When she arrives in the town and starts down Waterfront roa...more
I thought this was a little too sad/scary/intense for a young adult book. I would definitely needed to put this one in the freezer if I read it at age 12. That said, for some reason I couldn't put it down. I found the writing style interesting and fun. I could predict the ending either. Fun quick read.
What's weird about this book is that after I read it, I let a friend borrow it and she lost it on the playground. I was only in 2nd grade. She never found it, and I never actually bought another copy. But it was excellent, I remember that. And something about comic books and an amphibian uncle...
I liked this book to a degree but the story just got too unbelievable for me. And there were just too many unanswered questions in my mind about why the characters were the way they were. What I did like was how the kids stuck together - sister and sister, friend and friend.
This is a wonderful spooky, charming, touching story. It's rare that a book will actually give you chills and be afraid of what's going to happen next and also have real feelings but this book managed. It's a great story and really fun to read out loud. We loved it.
A good little mystery, if I was 12 it would probably have scared me. Two lonely kids bond over a reality based comic book that holds the answers to how one of their father's died and just who the other one's neighbor is. A very quick read for me, just a few hours.
Al principio no me apetecía leerme este libro, porque lo veía gordo, pero... cuando empece a leerlo no podía parar, me encantó.... osea..... me encanta. Cuando ví que desde la primera hoja pasaban cosas, pensé, no es una mierda de libro. :D
LO RECOMIENDO
LO RECOMIENDO
How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Sara Nickerson
I was given this as a gift by my Nan when I was younger. It was a brilliant read and just scary enough without going overboard. I also loved the comic strips inside the book, great idea!
I was given this as a gift by my Nan when I was younger. It was a brilliant read and just scary enough without going overboard. I also loved the comic strips inside the book, great idea!
Probably the weirdest book I've ever read. Made myself finish it because I needed closure. I ordered it online from the library because I thought it was a non- fiction book and for some reason I was intrigued about the idea of being able to disappear.
It was a really odd book, but I really liked it. The ironic part is that while I was reading it I set it down, but forgot where. I asked my dad if he would: "Help me find my book called, How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found."
There wasn't a rating low enough for this book. The book could take a clue from the title and just disappear and never be found and probably no one would ever miss it! I am still wondering what ever possessed me to finish reading the book.
This was really good, but it didn't quite fit it's genre. Sure it has all the characteristics of a mystery book, but the mystery didn't keep me guessing. I knew exactly how it was going to end, and I was right. Over all, this was a pretty good book.
An adorable story about some children who don't have many (or maybe any) friends, a mysterious comic book about a boy who turned into a rat, a
nd what actually happened when one of the children's father drownd.
nd what actually happened when one of the children's father drownd.
Aug 20, 2009
Ainnie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
preteens or tweens
Recommended to Ainnie by:
my mom
I really loved this book! It was perfect for my age when i read it back in seventh grade and i cant exactly remember the details cuz its been a while but i remember it was a great book!
I couldnt read this after dark, I was already terrified enough. Not a grab your throat bloody thriller, I hate those, but it was creepy and absolutely amazing.
Apr 16, 2013
Tatisam2
added it
I absolutely loved this book, it is what got me started in reading huge books, I read it in 5th grade and it inspired me to now read 800-10000 pg. books
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What's The Name o...: MG/YA girl goes back to house where father drowned, comic book references | 3 | 17 | 34 minutes ago |
Sara Nickerson is a freelance writer. How To Disappear Completely and Never Be Found is her first novel.
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