The Disappearing TV Star

Raven Hill Mysteries #3

by Emily Rodda

Book by Rodda, Emily

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Contemporary, Young Adult

3 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Emily Rodda (real name Jennifer Rowe) was born in Sydney, Australia and graduated from the University of Sydney in 1973 with an MA (Hons) in English Literature. Moving into a publishing career, first as a book editor, and finally as a publisher at Angus & Robertson, Rodda's first book was published in 1984.

Reviews

[Kerryn (RatherBeReading) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I didn't enjoy this installment quite as much as I did the previous two in the series, I think that's partially due to the fact that I don't enjoy Richelle as a narrator as much as I do some of the others.

I also prefer the stories to have a bit more of a 'mystery' aspect to them.

I am looking forward to reading further into this series.

[Mella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though I've been looking for years, I've never managed to track down all 30 of the Teen Power Inc series. I really hope at some point these are released in ebook format. Or reprinted as paperbacks. I'm not really fussed but I would definitely like to read all of them in some format. Still over the years I've read a great many of them and have recently been rereading the ones I have. (And scouring auctions and used bookstores for missing copies.)

Anyway Teen Power Inc is brilliant. They're lighthearted mysteries featuring a cast of six teenagers who start their own odd job business to earn money. Each book is narrated by a different character. There's Liz who is the mother hen. She is passionate about equality and fairness and helping others. Her best friend is Sunny who is super sporty. She spends a lot of her time exercising and attending taekwondo and gymnastic classes. Tom is the class clown of the group, always ready with a joke and his sketchpad. Elmo is the reporter. He joins the group in the first novel, when the gang accept a job as the new delivery people for the Pen (the local newspaper) that Elmo's father owns. Nick is described as being "cool". He's always ready with the right words and the charm. And last of all is Richelle who is the fashionista and kind of an airhead. Each book focuses on the adventures and mysteries the group fall into when they start a new job.

The Disappearing TV Star is narrated by Richelle. Richelle is a funny character - her thought process was interesting to read. She is a little stuck up but her point of view shows she does have a good heart - she just seems to ignore it at times when she's busy being judgemental. Richelle dreams of being famous - model, actress, I don't know that she's particularly concerned with how she gets there - just that she does. Richelle seems to get on best with Nick who she seems to consider her equal in terms of coolness.

The gang has been hired as extras in an advert for a new chocolate bar with famous actress Cassandra Cass. Richelle is thrilled at the opportunity to be on tv and possibly launch her career into the stratosphere. But not long after they start filming, Cassandra Cass disappears. Her mother claims she has been kidnapped but the local police think she left of her own accord.

Nick and Richelle are the main characters in this novel. We see a bit of the rest of the gang but these two are the ones who get caught up in the danger. They're both fairly shallow though - and kind of asses. Richelle asks towards the end about why Nick called Elmo to cover the crime when he doesn't really like him and he says because then Elmo owes him and it's good to build favours. I guess I just thought that because they all hang out together they're friends or something - I mean none of them really seem to have friends outside of the group so it seemed logical but they're just friendly, I guess? Nick's pretty calculating at times. Richelle isn't much better though. At least though she does recognise that it's not a good thing. For instance she observes Cassandra manipulating people and considers whether she's like that and doesn't like what that may say about her. She's not perfect but she does at least try to be better.

I really liked how they solve this mystery. They work with the police to reconstruct their kidnapping and it's pretty creative. The mystery is really good and there were a lot of twists I didn't see coming. For a middle grade novel they're surprisingly deep. Well it's a cross between middle grade and young adult whatever you call that. I love all the characters and enjoyed them piecing together the clues. I would rate four stars but while I enjoyed it, I don't know that I like Richelle enough to give it four stars. 3.5 stars. For the age group 4 stars, maybe 4.5. I can't wait to read the next one.

[Laura McCormick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missable.
The gang are hired to be extras in a chocolate bar ad. The next day, the lead actress goes missing.
If made slightly less complicated, this would have worked as a Teen Power book. If fleshed out more, it would have made a good adult Agatha Christie style whodunnit. This book was "too long for Dick and too short for Richard", and has the gang separated for most of the second half.
I don't feel like I missed anything not reading this one as a kid.

[Lemony Bean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly one of the weaker entries. I don’t think Rodda had worked out quite how to write Rachelle at this point and is falling into a habit of drafting caricatures rather characters in this book.

Having said that, it’s still fun and I still think it’s worth a read (or a listen - again huge kudos to Rebecca Macauley for her voice work!)

[Derelict Space Sheep · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much of a mystery. Also, while the Teen Power kids prove fractious as ever, Richelle’s character is difficult to stomach in the first person. Her surprise revelation (which would have made sense from Nick’s POV) comes across as an authorial cheat.

[Bec · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Audiobook
I prefer Liz as a narrator to Rochelle.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this story you will see another side of Richelle.

[Kylie Abecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good read. It has good pace, though I must admit I didn’t like the narrator of the story, though I didn’t much like Richelle’s character in the other books in the series either.

[Helen Luu · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Richelle was never my favourite and this book further proves it. Sure she’s smart if she wants to be but her attitude is the worst. How she has friends is beyond me.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

so glad got that done. nothing worry about ever now.

[ebony]

I just loved this throwback to my childhood so so much. Teen Power Inc. was where it was at!

[a*s*h · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t a review, this is me reconciling with the fact that I actually like Nick Kontellis after this book. Don’t expect coherent thoughts.

Didn’t think I was going to be able to rate this five stars (which would have been a crying shame because hello it’s by EMILY RODDA) because I am inordinately biased to love Tom Moysten’s pov the most but HECK.

I’ll admit Richelle made it...DIFFICULT to like certain aspects of her personality, but I hung onto the hope that this was all part of her character arc and LO AND BEHOLD it was and it was GREAT.

I loved her development, and even while I disproved of her judgy thoughts, it was still so cool and interesting to see her inner monologue changing and the little pinpricks of rare doubt and self awareness becoming increasingly persistent and eventually make her realise the holes in her self image and whatnot.

Even Nick, neoliberal film snob that he is, ended up being very likeable by the end. This was GREAT, because even more than the mystery what surprised me were these two characters. The LITERAL darkest horse, I did not expect to come out of this fervently wishing for them to get together. Does romance happen in this series?? Do they just do this dance for the whole series??

In any case, their constant bickering and snipping, when directed at others, is hard to like - PERSONALLY it makes my blood pressure rise, Elmo DOESN'T deserve this bullying - but when it’s at each other? Love it. It’s fun and it keeps you wondering if they even like each other...and then Richelle goes on about Nick's “piercing dark eyes” or his “cool brooding look” and Nick, Mr I-hate-affection, says something like “Richelle, you’re amazing” and I’ve lost track of this sentence. Where was I?

Anyway so I’m suddenly a Nick/Richelle fan and yes, it was a fantastic book. Madam Rebecca Macauley flexing her immense talent once again (I listened to the audiobook, thank you public funding for libraries), and the mystery was fun and in tradition with these books, got HEAVY towards the climax. Awesome.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Disappearing TV Star' is told by Rochelle Brinkley. Rochelle is obsessed with clothes and her looks, and she is definitely a bit shallow and spoilt, and bitchy at times. She dreams of being 'discovered' and when Teen Power Inc get a job as extras on a chocolate bar advert starring teen sensation Cassandra Cass, Rochelle is certain this is her Big Chance. It turns out Cassandra doesn't have the perfect life Rochelle thought she did though - her mother, Hazel, is a typical overbearing 'stage parent' and has been telling the media about her fears that Cassandra will be kidnapped. Rochelle and her mates, and everyone else, initially pass this off as just an attempt to get Cassandra in the spotlight, but then she really does go missing, and Rochelle and the others become involved in the search for her...

Another great instalment in the series. Only four stars because I didn't like Rochelle much at the beginning of the story, though by the end she had grown up a bit and become not quite so shallow. Good story, nice easy listen.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book when I was a child more then other ones in the series. It tells the truth about making films (well, in simplified form, but the book is for teenagers) and it is told by Richelle who was interesting for me because of her ambitious dreams and behaviour. I can say she was a lite version of Massy from The Clique. I liked describing of all these dresses, chocolates, filming, Nik's and Richelle's travel in a truck of bandits etc. The whole action is tangled enough to be interesting and hard for finding an answer.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was probably my favourite out of the books I've read. It was really interesting and left the other 2 left me wondering until the end... what on earth was going on then suddenly the answer is there right in front of me!! I would definitely recommend this book to boys and girls around 8 - 11. It was just like a mystery. You had you pen and paper and we're writing down each clue then figured it out just at the right time!

[Julia]

it is cool

[Taliesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

[A.J. Raven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this series. The amazing thing is how Emily Rodda is able to give individual voices to the group of friends.

[Brianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richelle is not my favorite point of view to read from but this was pretty good for a children's story.

[Sue Nash]

Fun twist on teen mystery, reminded me of secret 7