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The Postcard
by
Tony Abbott
"So how smart are you?" said a man's voice abruptly. And loudly. "Because now... it's starting."
A creepy phone call. An old, yellowed postcard. A bizarre magazine story. And a strange group of funeral-goers who seem to follow their every move-all contain clues that will send Jason and Dia on an adventure to uncover extraordinary family secrets.
Award-winning author Tony Ab...more
A creepy phone call. An old, yellowed postcard. A bizarre magazine story. And a strange group of funeral-goers who seem to follow their every move-all contain clues that will send Jason and Dia on an adventure to uncover extraordinary family secrets.
Award-winning author Tony Ab...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
May 1st 2009
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
(first published January 1st 2008)
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This book is the story of Jason, a young boy of about 13 who travels to Florida to help his father close up his grandmother's house after she passes away. The father is teetering on alcholoism and Jason's parents are on the verge of divorce. Pretty grim stuff, I know. But don't let this setting and back story dissuade you because the story is just getting going and ends up being a really satisfying and enjoyable tale. [return]Jason's father gets injured which conveniently leaves Jason alone. No...more
I picked this book up at a 70% off pile at a bookstore. Hadn't heard of it before and wasn't sure what to expect.
The story revolves around a teenager from Boston named Jason. His Grandmother in Florida has just died and his Mom packs Jason up to go help his Dad with the funeral and cleaning up Grandma's house for sale. Jason isn't very happy about this at all. Florida is hot in the summer. Strike number one. He never really knew his Grandma, in fact, she was a little crazy. Strike number two. An...more
The story revolves around a teenager from Boston named Jason. His Grandmother in Florida has just died and his Mom packs Jason up to go help his Dad with the funeral and cleaning up Grandma's house for sale. Jason isn't very happy about this at all. Florida is hot in the summer. Strike number one. He never really knew his Grandma, in fact, she was a little crazy. Strike number two. An...more
This book is for 8-12 year-olds and I found it to have a unique story. Jason Huff is sent off to Florida after his grandmother's death to assist his father in packing up her belongings. His grandmother, Agnes Monroe Huff was the daughter of a wealthy man, who owned a hotel among other holdings. Jason receives a strange phone call that leads him to the discovery of a postcard among his grandmother's things. The postcard shows the Hotel DeSoto, the hotel owned by Jason's great-grandfather. He also...more
Before I write too much about whether I enjoyed this book or not, (The answer is yes, by the way!)I need to preface it, by stating that I had a special affinity for it before even reading. I spent quite a few years on the west coast of Florida in St. Petersburg, as a kid, the same area covered in The Postcard. Many of the locations used sparked a wave of nostalgia for me. Just brought me right back to my childhood. So, that was an added benefit of course.
Putting that aside, the read itself was a...more
Putting that aside, the read itself was a...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I picked this one up after seeing it in a bookstore and realizing that it was the only award winning children's novel there that I had never heard of (it won the Edgar award for best juvenile novel for 2009).
Jason finds himself cleaning out his Grandmother's house with his father when he stumbles on an old story in a magazine and an old postcard that sends him all over Florida searching for clues to his gradnmother's past.
This was a fast paced funny mystery in a sort of hard-boiled detective sty...more
Jason finds himself cleaning out his Grandmother's house with his father when he stumbles on an old story in a magazine and an old postcard that sends him all over Florida searching for clues to his gradnmother's past.
This was a fast paced funny mystery in a sort of hard-boiled detective sty...more
So, I'm randomly roaming my library's children section and this caught my eye. And I have to say, now that I've finished this, Tony Abbott is definitely an author I'm going to check out.
Sure, this wasn't the best thing I've ever read. It is a middle grade mystery with a 13-year-old narrator. I won't lie, had I been younger, I probably would have enjoyed this more. That being said, this book had a lot going for it.
First of all, hallelujah for a 13-year-old narrator who sounded and acted like a...more
Sure, this wasn't the best thing I've ever read. It is a middle grade mystery with a 13-year-old narrator. I won't lie, had I been younger, I probably would have enjoyed this more. That being said, this book had a lot going for it.
First of all, hallelujah for a 13-year-old narrator who sounded and acted like a...more
13 year old Jason goes to Florida to help his dad settle his grandmother's estate. Bored out of his mind,Jason finds an old magazine with a pulp-noir story that seem to be about his grandmother. A mysterious phone call and a series of old postcards lead Jason and his new friend, Dia, to various Florida landmarks to find subsequent chapters of the manuscript. The mystery is convoluted, and the ending is confusing and not very satisfying.
The Postcard is a great book about Jason and the mystery he solves in Florida. In the beginning of the story, Jason goes down to see his dad in Florida. His grandma had just recently died and Jason's dad asked him to come down and help him clean the house out. When Jason gets down to Florida, one of the first things he starts to clean out is a box of magazines. While doing this Jason finds out that his great grandpa used to own a hotel right down the street. Then, later that night, Jason gets a...more
This is a great read so far. Laughed out loud several times. Really quite annoyed with one chapter though, as the female half of the main character team is constantly referring to the male half of the MC team by different boys' names. We've all seen Scrubs by now, we get it. It's funny for Doctor Cox, on TV. Doesn't work that well in every line of dialog for a solid chapter. Here's to hoping that literary tick doesn't last...
Well, it's lasted to almost the last chapter. That's too bad. Great boo...more
Well, it's lasted to almost the last chapter. That's too bad. Great boo...more
The Postcard by Tony Abbot is about a boy whose life seems to be changing- and not in a good way. It all boils down to the spilt of his parent- or lack there of. But when his grandma unexpectedly dies, his father is forced to clean out her house. Jason comes along with his father to Florida, where the adventure really begins.
First, it’s the creepy Phone call. Then it’s the crazy assortment of funeral-goers. Then it’s the magazine, which seems to be a cover story for his grandmother’s real stor...more
First, it’s the creepy Phone call. Then it’s the crazy assortment of funeral-goers. Then it’s the magazine, which seems to be a cover story for his grandmother’s real stor...more
This was fun and something that I like a lot anyway -- kids investigate a mystery in Florida that involves crazy circus people, and also real estate scams and pulp fiction. It's a set-up that I always like, kids in the present day find the remnants of old clues that have been hidden for years so it's sort of like a double mystery, happening in the past and also now. This is one of those books, though, that has a mystery that is really disturbing if you look at it through adult eyes. For kids, I...more
Passable mystery involving a boy who discovers various clue-filled postcards that lead him on a hunt for parts of an unfinished crime story that seem to mirror his recently deceased, unknown grandmother's life.
With interchangeable characters (I couldn't keep the old people straight) and no real threat of danger or intrigue, this one doesn't add up to much. In fact, the ending kind of just peeters out. Abbott's pretty good at writing how a real boy would act and speak (with the exception of the b...more
With interchangeable characters (I couldn't keep the old people straight) and no real threat of danger or intrigue, this one doesn't add up to much. In fact, the ending kind of just peeters out. Abbott's pretty good at writing how a real boy would act and speak (with the exception of the b...more
When his grandmother dies, Jason's mom makes him go down to Florida with his dad to help clear out her things. Jason didn't know his grandmother well - she lived far away, and she wasn't very stable, so he never went to visit her or had much contact with her. His dad is very upset at his mother's death, and Jason ends up dealing with a lot of stuff himself b/c his dad isn't around. One day Jason gets a mysterious phone call which leads to a mystery involving his grandparent's tragic and romantic...more
This book is a solid read for 5th - 7th graders. I have hesitations about the level of reader required, however. Because the story is a mystery and this mystery is told through a short story the main character finds, a young reader has to be able to follow a story within a story. This can be very challenging for young readers. The non-linear story is very difficult to grasp. Fairly serious topics of death, grieving and alcoholism are also involved, though handled in a manner appropriate for youn...more
This is a mystery story for the 8 to 12 year old, although I think it might be a bit confusing for some young readers. The plot revolves around an old postcard that Jason finds in the drawer of a desk in his now deceased grandmother's house that he is helping his father clean out. The novel goes between the story of Jason's search and the pages of a manuscript to a mystery story penned by
"Emerson Beale". Though the premise of the story is believable, the situations that Jason goes through are i...more
"Emerson Beale". Though the premise of the story is believable, the situations that Jason goes through are i...more
I opened this book with good expectations. The guy who wrote Firegirl had to do a good job, and it was guaranteed to not be *shudder* chick lit. I was so right.
We begin with a young boy named Jason, who is going to Florida--in July!--with his father to help close up his now-dead Grandmother's house. There's some parental strain running a backbeat through his thinking. Then he finds the titular postcard, and an old pulp magazine, and a mystery ensues. I don't know how to go on without spoilers,...more
We begin with a young boy named Jason, who is going to Florida--in July!--with his father to help close up his now-dead Grandmother's house. There's some parental strain running a backbeat through his thinking. Then he finds the titular postcard, and an old pulp magazine, and a mystery ensues. I don't know how to go on without spoilers,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Dec 09, 2009
Catherine Mustread
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Catherine by:
Edgar Nominee '09 juvenile winner
The title alone was a hook for me since I love historical postcards. This slow starting mystery picks up speed after Jason's grandmother's funeral when he discovers there is an old mystery involving his grandmother and the clues are on the postcards. Jason and his new found friend/neighbor girl Dia turn into super-sleuths and solve this complex mystery involving circus people, historical sites, and pulp fiction in record time. Jason's transformation from a Florida hater to thinking it's a "cool"...more
Okay I had a hard time with this book which was a mystery in a mystery. Jason grandma dies, he goes to Florida with his dad, his mom is too into her own self to go with them yet is concerned how to break it to Jason, her son that his dad has a problem (alcohol) yet she allows him to go on his own.Then Jason tries to uncover who his grandma really was and who was his grandpa anyway. During all this I got so confused in the inner mystery in the "story".
I read this at the recommendation of a friend of mine who works as a librarian at a middle school. I have to say, though, that I wasn't too impressed. It was a somewhat interesting story, but the writing style was immature and irritating. The "mystery" was long and drawn-out, especially since it was pretty obvious from the start what had happened. It definitely is for a younger crowd, but I don't think that means that the writing shouldn't be as good.
I liked the mystery within a mystery and the twist in the end, not what I thought was going to happen. Usually with most kid mysteries, I have the end figured out before the characters do, but in this book, I had one or two details figured out, and was surprised by the end. The nice thing about it was that the twists made perfect sense and didn't leave you wondering how they came up with that solution.
i keep going back and forth on the rating - 2? 3? i'm not really sure! the book had a good story to it - not an elementary school student story, so it probably won't go back into my book library - but it would drag. there was a story within the story. they both had very interesting parts, but the story within was not as captivating in the writing style. the ending kind of left you hanging through. i think that if the writing had been better and some of it had been cut out, this could easily have...more
I've read "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott and enjoyed it, so I decided to try this one by him as well. It turned out to be a very fun and entertaining mystery read. In Florida with his father after his grandmother dies, Jason is helping his dad to clean and pack-up his grandmother's home. After getting an anonymous phone call, Jason discovers an old, yellowed postcard hidden in his grandmother's desk. He follows a trail of clues hidden at historical landmarks all around the city. With each clue, Jason...more
I am on a YA kick right now because of my sister, who is reading them for work. I really liked this book because the author did a great job creating a gripping mystery that kept you reading along right to the very end. He also had a male main character for the boys with a interesting "tough cookie" female side kick. Very good book for both boys and girls, and for their parents.
The chapter endings in this book are so exciting that I had to learn to stop mid-chapter if I wanted to get anything else done at all. I'm reading and discussing it with a group of fourth graders and we all LOVE this book!!! Very exciting, fun structure--and all the kids read ahead. Because you just can't stop at the end of a chapter!
This novel had a slow start. It didn’t pull me in until the story’s scaffolding (the discovery of the short story, and subsequent events) got underway. I had some trouble distinguishing characters until the very end, and it felt a bit weird the way Figgs and Phantoms is a bit weird. Still, an enjoyable mystery.
I read this book in one day, which I rarely do, it was that good. I would have given it five stars but there were some inconsistencies with the days. Read and tell me how so much time can pass and it's only Sunday. Doesn't make sense. Otherwise, a good book that pulls you into the mystery and keeps you reading.
A decent mystery for younger readers. After Jason's grandmother dies, he heads to Florida with his dad to sort through her things. An odd phone call, an old postcard, and Jason begins to suspect his grandmother has some strange, mysterious past. Dia, his bold new friend pushes him to find the answers...
When Jason's grandmother dies,he's sent down to her home in FLorida to help her father sort through her things.At first he gripes about spending the summer miles away from his best friend,doing chores,and sweating in the Florida heat,but he soon discovers a mystery surrounding his grandmother's murky past.
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Tony Abbott (born 1952) is an American author of children's books. His most popular work is the book series The Secrets of Droon, which includes over 40 books. He has sold over 12 million copies of his books and they have been translated into several other languages, including Italian, Spanish, Korean, French, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. He has also written the bestseller "Firegirl".
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Sep 13, 2012 08:05pm