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Are You in the House Alone?

3.39 of 5 stars 3.39 · rating details · 713 ratings · 90 reviews

An updated look for the classic YA thriller from genre heavyweight Richard Peck

Sixteen-year-old Gail is living the upper-class suburban life when she begins receiving terrifying phone calls and notes in her locker. And the calls keep coming. When she's attacked by the town's golden boy everyone refuses to take action against him and his powerful family. A frightening drama...more

Paperback, 160 pages

Published April 1st 2000 by Puffin (first published 1976)

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Oct 17, 2008 Lisa (lisaisbusynerding) added it

in a sentence: it all starts when gail gets a very graphic and sexually violent note in her locker at school...and then the phone calls start, but only when she's all alone.

i must confess, this has been on my to-read list for awhile, but after a recent conversation with my friend elizabeth about goosebumps and fear street, i decided that now was the time to read it. i was hoping for something that would be so absorbingly scary that i could jump up in my seat as i was reading! high expectations,...more in a sentence: it all starts when gail gets a very graphic and sexually violent note in her locker at school...and then the phone calls start, but only when she's all alone.

i must confess, this has been on my to-read list for awhile, but after a recent conversation with my friend elizabeth about goosebumps and fear street, i decided that now was the time to read it. i was hoping for something that would be so absorbingly scary that i could jump up in my seat as i was reading! high expectations, i know, but this book did a pretty darn good job of getting there.

you're introduced to a multitude of characters that could be the creep doing these things to gail, so you're guessing along with her to try and discover who the guy is.the first 2/3 of the book was what i expected - mysterious, creepy, scary, angsty. after the 'event' that shifts the story, i was not sure what to expect for the last 1/3 of it. however, this was a scary story, and if the scary part happens before the end, what are we to do with the rest? good thing richard peck had an idea of what to do, and executed it well.

at the same time viewing the entitlement issues of small town-high school dynamics and relationships paired with a suspensefully uncomfortable undertone, this book takes a hard look at some tough issues. as someone who is an avid Lifetime Movie Network fan and Law and Order: SVU, this book particularly spoke to me. happy endings are not a given. punishment isn't always just. victims sometimes make themselves more of a victim from their lack of action. if the first 2/3 of the book is the mystery, the last 1/3 is the genius of the author for taking that mystery and making it feel tangible and real.

though a bit clumsy in parts, especially with the veiled conclusion at the end, are you in the house alone was a thrill ride for the first part and a thoughtful pondering for the last part which made for a unique and relevant book. in particular, the last conversation between the mother and daughter about the overall conclusion. that gave me the heebie jeebies. i was hoping for something better than Fear Street (my memory of Fear Street rather as i have not read them since i was about 10), and i was not disappointed.

fave quotes: "When you've got a problem your friends can't face, you become a...leper" (87)
"I felt drunk with all the knowledge. I knew hew was missing an important, human part. Call it insanity if you feel like making excuses for him. He thought everything belonged to him and that he could do no wrong. Nobody had ever told him otherwise. At that moment it didn't even chill me to realize how many people there are like that in this world." (147)

fix er up: there were some loose ties i was not down with. the family's lawyer after the incident just sorts of fades into the background for example.(less)

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Dec 02, 2008 Mindy rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I am shocked that this book is considered a young adult book. If I had children, I wouldn't want them to read this book, even if they were in high school. The synopsis on the back said it was about a sixteen year old girl who receives strange notes and phone calls. She feels she is always being watched. I thought this would be a normal young adult mystery where the characters get scared and try to solve the mystery. In the end, they catch the person, and everyone is saved. However, this book is...more I am shocked that this book is considered a young adult book. If I had children, I wouldn't want them to read this book, even if they were in high school. The synopsis on the back said it was about a sixteen year old girl who receives strange notes and phone calls. She feels she is always being watched. I thought this would be a normal young adult mystery where the characters get scared and try to solve the mystery. In the end, they catch the person, and everyone is saved. However, this book is much different. First of all, they talk a lot about Gail, the main character, having sex with her boyfriend Steve. Then the notes and phone calls that Gail receives are very vulgar. The stalker tells her what he plans to do with her. Half-way through the book, Gail is beaten and raped by Phil Lawver, her best friend's boyfriend and the son of the most powerful family in town. His family is so powerful that they have complete control of the police, the school board, etc. No one wants to persecute him because all authority figures are where they are today because of the Lawver family. The police try to make Gail seem like a slut and Phil seem like the victim. Gail decides not to go for an arrest because if the case even makes it to trial, which is highly unlikely, she will have to relive the event and undergo harsh questioning on the witness stand. Even after that, Phil will probably not be persecuted. The rest of the book is about her trying to cope with this tragedy, which is even harder when Phil roams the streets. Phil even sent her flowers. Gail tries to warn her best friend, Allison, but Allison just gets furious and refuses to believe it. Gail eventually goes back to school, but Phil harasses her on her walk home. Before the end of the book, Phil attacks again. He almost kills a girl who was wearing the same coat as Gail. Phil is finally taken away somewhere, but no one knows where. Then the book ends with everyone in an uproar. Gail can't stand men, Steve is mad at Gail for not taking action against Phil, Allison is depressed because her boyfriend is mentally sick, the other girl is almost dead, everyone in town is scared, etc.
This book might be a good book for a rape victim to read because it might help the victim cope everything. However, it is a really intense book. The rape scene is especially intense. Therefore, I do not think children should read this book. It should be an adult book. It definitely should not be placed in school libraries. (less)

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Sep 07, 2012 Mrs.Davies rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-2013-school-year

Are You in the House Alone was published in 1976, before caller id and cell phones, back in the day when phones were attached to the wall and prank calls were not easily traced (and when people used words like "sweathog"). Gail, the narrator, is a high school junior who is harrassed, first with prank calls while she is babysitting, then with creepy notes in her locker, and finally with a violent attack. I enjoyed the story, but it was especially interesting to see how things have changed since 1...more

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Jun 22, 2012 M. rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Extremely interesting Y/A book about rape and attitudes toward the victim prevalent as late as the 1970's, and important issues we need to remember about women's rights. Although it's only 40 years old, perhaps it could be looked at as historical fiction. The book was written in 1976 and reissued in 2000.

The story...Gail, a high school junior, is being stalked by an unknown person, presumably male. She gets multiple phone calls with no talking, although in at least one, her stalker says a filth...more Extremely interesting Y/A book about rape and attitudes toward the victim prevalent as late as the 1970's, and important issues we need to remember about women's rights. Although it's only 40 years old, perhaps it could be looked at as historical fiction. The book was written in 1976 and reissued in 2000.

The story...Gail, a high school junior, is being stalked by an unknown person, presumably male. She gets multiple phone calls with no talking, although in at least one, her stalker says a filthy word. She gets notes left on her locker at school. Her best friend tells her to forget the whole thing; the guidance counselor can't handle the problem and refers it to the coach who is also Dean of Boys and he ignores it; and family problems make it impossible for her to talk with her parents (her dad has been let go of his job and her mother doesn't like to discuss unpleasant topics unless specifically of her own choosing). Gail gets more and more scared and finally she's attacked and raped by a boy from a very prominent family in town. The police are sure she's "asked for it" if she's not outright telling lies even though she was found unconscious from the attack and has to be hospitalized for several days. The lawyer her parents hire tells her that because she wasn't a virgin when she was attacked, she'll basically be crucified in court if she tries to bring the rapist to justice. It isn't until another girl is attacked and nearly killed that anything is done, and that only because there were identifiable tire tracks left on the side of the road where the girl was left. Even then, the boy's family is left to deal with their problem privately and it's not at all clear what they've done with him--various rumors say he's in a private clinic, he's in a private school where he's the star squash player, etc.

Anyone reading this book today would come up with obvious questions--why wasn't a DNA test done being foremost. Well, they didn't do DNA samples in 1976. Why wasn't Gail believed? There was a prevalent attitude that women/girls might think they didn't "want it" but clearly they really did and if it got a little rough, well, so be it. Women were still treated as chattel property well into the 70's and were frequently considered temptresses spinning their webs around unsuspecting men/boys who couldn't help themselves.(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Allison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics, contemporary-realistic-fiction, mystery-suspense, strong-female-lead, ya-teen

I loved this book, not because it was an especially easy or fun read but because books like this one discussing tough topics need to be written. So thank you, Richard Peck, for writing this book. This whole review is going to be a big spoiler because to talk about why it's awesome I kind of have to give away the big surprise. So, be forewarned.

(view spoiler)...more I loved this book, not because it was an especially easy or fun read but because books like this one discussing tough topics need to be written. So thank you, Richard Peck, for writing this book. This whole review is going to be a big spoiler because to talk about why it's awesome I kind of have to give away the big surprise. So, be forewarned.

(view spoiler)[ Despite being filed often as mystery/suspense, this book is really only half mystery. In the 1970's in a small, conservative suburb in western Connecticut, Gail starts getting a lot of hang up phone calls while she's babysitting or home alone. Then, someone starts leaving obscene notes in her locker at school. Finally, about half way through the book, Gail is raped and beaten by her best friend's boyfriend and the town's golden boy, Phil. End of mystery.

The whole second half of the book is about Gail dealing with the aftermath. Many of those around Gail don't want to believe she was raped. The police officer who questions her insinuates that she deserved it. She's pretty, after all, she must have been teasing her boyfriend and he got a little riled up. You can't blame a guy. The lawyer Gail's family hires, who's awesome, basically says she'll probably lose if they go to court because a) Gail's taking birth control, b) she's having sex with her steady boyfriend, and c) she's pretty. Basically, she's a scheming, easy, delinquent youth trying to ruin the chances of an all start athlete and son of the richest family in town. I just about lost it at this point and sat silently fuming and muttering to myself for a while until I was calm enough to continue.

There are a lot of reviews of this book on Goodreads talking about how the subject matter is too adult for this story to be considered young adult. The book starts with Gail and her boyfriend skinny dipping, and there's a few discussions between Gail and her mother about how she's been to Planned Parenthood to get birth control and how Steve and her are sleeping together. And there is the rape scene. But Peck was obviously very careful to avoid anything that could be considered obscene or indecent. The contents of the notes left in Gail's locker are only alluded to. The rape scene ends before any actual rape begins. And not once is there an actual sex scene. This book is downright clean compared to some of the passionate scenes found in other YA novels. The only thing that this book has that others do not is frank discussion of a young woman's sexuality and her right to identify as a sexual being without being harangued for it.

Yes, it's difficult to read at times, especially during and after the rape scene. It's an intense experience, what Gail goes through. But it's so important to continue this and similar kinds of discussions with teen girls. This book made me want to get down on my knees and thank the women's rights activists who fought to change the perception of rape in this country since the 1970's. But girls still need to know that these things can happen, that it's often someone you know, that their silence will only further hurt themselves and maybe even others (as Gail's does when her silence leaves Phil free to strike again). Young adulthood is the perfect time to read this kind of story and begin discussing these issues. (hide spoiler)]

End of rant.(less)

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Sep 03, 2009 Sandra Strange added it

Shelves: young-adult, mysteries

This isn’t really a mystery. The narrator is living a rather mundane life, with steady boyfriend, until she finds a series of obscene notes in her locker. The threats escalate until her best friend’s steady boyfriend, son of the most prestigious folks in town, stalks her and ultimately rapes her and beats her brutally. No one in town will acknowledge this young man’s horrific behavior because there is no proof, and her father loses his job. There is pressure for the family to move away to hush u...more

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May 16, 2011 Joanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Took this book out of the library thinking it was a horror / suspense
novel, but then realized it was more. Rated as a “young adult” book I felt
the subject was violent, but could open discussion on a difficult topic.

Taking place in the mid 70’s in a small quiet CT town, 16 year old Gail is
threatened with sexually explicit notes in her school locker and mysterious
hang ups when she answers the phone (she is always along in the house or
babysitting when they happen). Despite trying to discuss the sit...more

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Apr 15, 2010 Kristine Kouba rated it 3 of 5 stars

Plot Summary – This is supposed to be a mystery book, but it didn’t seem that way to me- not much of a mystery, but more disturbing and a bit graphic book. Gail has a boyfriend, who her parents don’t like, and they have sex. Gail feels like she is being watched, and she starts to receive notes and weird phone calls. She ends up being stalked, followed and raped by Phil Lawver, a wealthy boy whose parents have money and power in the neighborhood. The situation is turned against Gail and Phil ends...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Destiny rated it 4 of 5 stars

*some spoilers* This book was an easy, fast read. It, though short, accomplished a lot in a few short pages. I am what I like to call, an empathic reader. I love books were I feel as if I am in the character's shoes. I like to be the character. So upon reading this, I was impressed with how much I could empathize. Gail the main character is an HS student from the mighty NYC. She's lived in the small connecticut town for inly a few years. She was a normal teen with a normal life. She has a boyfri...more *some spoilers* This book was an easy, fast read. It, though short, accomplished a lot in a few short pages. I am what I like to call, an empathic reader. I love books were I feel as if I am in the character's shoes. I like to be the character. So upon reading this, I was impressed with how much I could empathize. Gail the main character is an HS student from the mighty NYC. She's lived in the small connecticut town for inly a few years. She was a normal teen with a normal life. She has a boyfriend and of course, her parents are a little skepical of him. *Spoiler* But anyway, everything comes to a fast and terrible halt when her best friend's boyfriend rapes her. He had threatened her for a few weeks with raunchy and disturbing notes, phone calls. She was found bruised and battered on the floor of the woman she babysat for. Once she has recovered a bit, she proceeds to tell the police who raped her. As in most cases, they don't believe her and think she bought this all on herself.

I have a strong dislike against people who think that rape is "made up". Or my favorite, "You invited him over for some fun. It wasn't what you wanted and now you crying wolf." That statement is pure bullshit but that is a conversation for another time. Anyway, this book was able to provoke my empathy. I could feel the pain she felt when she was hit in the head, the distress of the situation and the feeling of terror. Many times I caught myself freezing when my house phone rang. Or when there was an knock at the door. Peck did a great job of delivering the emotions. He painted a picture that was easy to see and understand. He created very believable characters. For example, the new girl. She was fresh from NYC. I could vividly see her colorful attire and the great love she had for the theater. For her, her clothing choice was normal. But the native were not used to such gear. The struggle to hold onto yourself and fit was real. Her carefree attitude towards their reactions, were indeed the true attitude of a NYC native. After all, you can see her style imtitidated in Times Square or in SoHo.On to the next character. Gail's best friend (cant remember the little conformist name at the moment), is a true definition of trying to fit in. She forgo all that she came from and under goes an transition into an identity crisis. She is willing to become a house wife and an snobby rich person, just so her "future" will be secure. She so into this life style that she dreams of that she forgets to be a best friend. All she cares about, is making sure she is eating tea and crumpets. I just for one want to call her a b**ch. She pissed me off so much, that I found myself trying to punch an fictional character. What happened to loyality to your friends? But anyway, she tells Gail to ignore all the letters stuck in her locker. The friend doesn't believe anybody really going to hurt Gail. How wrong was she. Freaking idiot. Gail's boyfriend was a little boring. I mean, I feel like I didn't know him too well. He just didn't stand out as a person. I'm not sure if she went with him because her mother didn't like him (I don't know why, it wasn't like he was an exciting person. He was def a home body type), or because she known him forever. Not sure. Now the little snob who raped Gail, was a little more interesting. He was everything the "golden" boy in town should be. He was rich, into snobby people sports and was on his way to Harvard. Nobody would expect that kind of behavior was him. Judging by everyone's reaction, nobody really wanted to believe Gail.

Getting down to the action of the book, the rape scene was the most exciting thing in the book. Although the character were described pretty well, they still remained a bit lifeless. The most reaction or feeling I got from Gail was the rape scene and the after the rape. It like the town sucked the life out of everyone. Except for the new girl. It's like she was a distant memory instead an actual in the flesh person. The drama teacher even stayed distant.Maybe that was Peck's whole point. I'm not sure, so don't take my word for it. Once Gail decided not to go ahead with the trial, the story went right back to being dry and boring. Almost like it never happened. Even when the new girl got raped too by the same person, it's like they didn't care. The new girl packed p and was never heard from again. I still don't understand why the people acted like it never happened. Same thing happened when the golden boy came up missing. They acted like he went to college early. Like come on , the sick dog got sent to somewhere he needed to be.

It still was a bit of a dry read with the dry characters. I didn't particiularly like the teenage dialouge. I feel like it too boring and not young enough. Again,it was pretty dry. Like the words seem leaf like in the fall.

But all in all, the book kept you interested until the end. There wasn't any beating around the brush and wasn't weighted down with stuff that wasn't relevant. It got straight to the point and described the teenagers pretty well.The characters were well developed.

Check the book out for yourself.(less)

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Sep 19, 2009 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-fiction

A mystery turned into morality tale. Gail, a junior in high school, is dating a smart guy from the wrong side of the tracks whom her parents disapprove of. Pretty usual when it comes to high school tales but this ends up being the least of her worries. Once school begins, Gail begins recieving anonymous notes with preverse messages and silent phone calls when she's alone. Although she feels threatened, Gail does not believe she can go to anyone with her problem. When she finally does, it is only...more

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Mar 12, 2012 06AmberB rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book is good it is just confusing at most parts and I got lost. It took me time to figure out what was going on but once I realized what was going on it was ok. It was an easy read compared to most the books I read. Would I recommend it? Probably not because it made me uncomfortable at parts, I would of stopped but I did not have time to change my book before the end of the term. I also think he could have wrapped up the book up a little better than what he did, but that is just my opinion....more

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Mar 25, 2010 Kasey rated it 3 of 5 stars

I found this book in the horror section and I was looking for a good scare, little did I know that I would find a really horrifing book. Taking place in the 70's it is about a girl that is stocked and eventually raped. She knows who did it but he comes from a very well-to-do family and no one wants to touch him. Gail's lawyer even says see has little to no chance of winning a case - if it even makes it to court. The reason this book was scary was because it is true. All to often victims of rape...more

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Sep 30, 2012 Nicole Palumbo Davies rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Are You in the House Alone was published in 1976, before caller id and cell phones, back in the day when phones were attached to the wall and prank calls were not easily traced (and when people used words like "sweathog"). Gail, the narrator, is a high school junior who is harrassed, first with prank calls while she is babysitting, then with creepy notes in her locker, and finally she is raped. I enjoyed the story, but it was especially interesting to see how things have changed since 1976.
The b...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Rachel rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, youth

This book is quite a bit different than the Grandma Dowdel series that so enchanted me. Gail is 16, living in an old town in upstate New York, dating a young man her mother finds unsuitable. Well, dating in the "it's a good thing she's on the pill" sense. Then she begins getting disturbing notes and phone calls. She doesn't quite know to whom she can turn for help, and the few she does turn to are out of their depth.

This book asks more questions than it answers, and spells out quite clearly the...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 31, 2012 Learning Community Learning Community rated it 3 of 5 stars

Imagine living in a world were someone is watching you and you just can't escape the feeling that your being watched. Well, that's the world Gail Osburne lives in.

Gail Osburne is living a good life in suburban Connecticut until one day she finds a weird note in her locker. Her friend, Alison, counsels her to "forget it," Gail can't just get it out of her mind.

I like the setting. The setting paints a picture in your mind of how the setting exactly looks.

I also think that the theme of the boo...more

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Jun 17, 2013 Cindy Dyson Eitelman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

What to say about Are You In The House Alone? Truly an afterschool special. Manipulative; message-based; preachy at the end....

...and good. The people made sense, you know? Everyone was a person I knew--everyone talked and acted just like my own parents and friends might have, back in the seventies, when confronted with a ugliness outside their experience. There were no villains, not even the perp--he was just as much a victim as his victims. It was real as real and twice as life-size.

I'm scared...more

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Nov 22, 2011 Aboardman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-lit-2011

I enjoyed this book, though I wouldn't recommend reading it when you are actually in the house alone, especially if you're a girl. The issues that Peck deals with in this book remind me of Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak" (I can't figure out how to bold or underline in this thing). Gail deals extensively with date rape and the fears associated with it. The main difference is that this book was written in the 70's when the law was more lenient towards the rapist. Gail must deal with the fears whil...more

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Aug 29, 2010 Penny rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I began this book I expected a chilling horror tale of some unnamed someone stalking a teenager. However, two-thirds of the way through the book that stalking comes to a culminating scene and the remainder of the book grapples with violence against teens, those who commit it, what makes some citizens feel they are above the law, and how victims are sometimes treated, in addition to suspenseful drawing out the question of will the guilty party be caught. It still has a valid message today, a...more

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Apr 30, 2010 Joey Farmer rated it 3 of 5 stars

i think this book was pritty good it is about this girl her name is Gail Osburne she is a high school student in Oldfield Village she has a best friend whos name is Alison she has a boy friend whos name is Phil Lawver he is the son of the most powerful family in town the Lawvers Gail start receving strange notes and letter saying weird sexual things like what the stalker will do to her and finaly she finds out that the stalker is Alisons boy friend Phil and then Gail is raped by Phil and Gail ca...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Kelly Daubek rated it 4 of 5 stars

There are many reasons I enjoy this book. First, it deals with a real-world threat that many people confront on a daily basis. Second, it gives voice to the age-old belief that women “ask for it” when they are raped. Third, it shows the process of what happens after a girl has been raped (during the hospital proceedings), and finally, it offers the perspective that some will fight for justice (Gail knows the realities of the situation – that Phillip will probably escape prosecution). As in Speak...more

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Feb 20, 2009 Justin rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

I thought this book was ok, but I didnt really like it because it had a lot of boring parts. I also liked it because it had some scary parts. For example a part in the book that was intersting was when she(main character gets kidnapped and the dad goes missing too. And it was very long but it was also confusing. And all the police try to find them but they cant because the kidnapper has hidden them somewhere. One of the confusing parts was when the kidnapper was taking them to all kinds of place...more

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Aug 27, 2008 Becky rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Diehard Peck fans. Teen girls looking for a fast, mindless read.

Shelves: children-and-ya

Richard Peck is generally regarded as one of our best YA authors, and when you look at his more recent work, such as the trilogy that kicks off with A Long Way From Chicago, it's easy to see why. His characters can be tough, but funny. His plots can contain clever, winking coincidences. There's some timeless wisdom to be extracted from these books.

I can't help but wonder if people thought the same thing when Are You in the House Alone? was published in the 1970s. Today, the book sounds hopelessl...more

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Apr 16, 2008 Lynnsey Sutphin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 06, 2011 Gail (myJunegirls) rated it 3 of 5 stars

I read this book strictly on the fact my daughter thought I might enjoy it and got it for me.
I did enjoy it. I think my problem (and this goes with most Young Adult books) is it left me wanting more. I wanted all the gory details. I wanted to know exactly what the notes read. I don't like "implied" violence....I prefer to read it all (does that make me morose?)

It was a little predictable in that I knew who was going to be revealed as the "villain" BUT I didn't expect the ending to go how it did....more

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Aug 27, 2012 M rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another re-read for me. I first read this about ten years ago, having been terrified by the film several times in the 80s. I was surprised then to find that it's a 'young adult' book, and this still surprises me now. It's pegged as a 'mystery', but it's actually quite a horrifying, graphic book about a teenage girl with a stalker. I would not necessarily recommend it for teenagers, but the issues and problems it raises may be interesting to those mature enough to cope with them.

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Nov 24, 2012 Brenda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2001, middle-school

05/07/01
Set in Oldfield Village, a teenage girl named Gail Osbourne baby-sits Mrs. Montgomery's two kids. She keeps getting notes that was inside her locker that said strange things on them like "I'm watching you, you"

At Mrs. Montgomery's house while baby-sitting the kids, she answers a phone call and on the other end of the line was a terrifying voice that asked her if she was in house alone? Gail hangs up the phone, the doorbell rings, she opens. Standing at the door was a guy around her age w...more

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Apr 22, 2009 Erika rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-club

This book was very intense. I actually enjoyed it. This book keeps you on your toes. After one chapter, you want to keep reading more. This book is about a city girl who moved to suburban in Connecticut. Gail, feels like someone is watching her. She receives these threatening notes in her locker. Her friend suggest she forget about them but Gail knows she can't. Cause she is the only one who knows that someone, somewhere is watching her and waiting to strike.

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Apr 17, 2010 Melodi P. rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a pretty good book. It wasn't that much of a surprise to me who the stalker was because it was kind of foreshadowed from the beginning. However, the book did leave me on the edge of my seat and I never wanted to put it down;I used any chance I had to read it. This book draws you in you from the beginning and doesn't dissappoint. I highly reccommend it. after reading this book, I was fairly creeped out lol. It really is a great book :)

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Jan 26, 2009 Suzanne rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-realistic-fiction

I skimmed this book to see what it was about. I heard Richard Peck give a speech at the Utah English Teachers' Conference, and he was really entertaining. I thought this was going to be a creepy little thriller. It turns out it's about a girl being raped and the aftermath. For a better treatment of the subject I recommend Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, but I suppose I should do more than skim! Maybe someday.

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Mystery

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About Richard Peck

Richard Peck is an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder.

Richard Peck was born in 1934 in Decatur, Illinois, a town he describes as quiet and safe. His mother, Virginia, was a dietitian and his father, Wayne, was a merchant who often rode his Harley Davidson to work.

Richard...more

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Books by Richard Peck

A Long Way from Chicago (A Long Way from Chicago, #1)

A Year Down Yonder (A Long Way from Chicago, #2)

The Teacher's Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts

A Season of Gifts (A Long Way from Chicago, #3)

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Are You in the House Alone?

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