SOLVED. Middle Grade fiction. Kids (Cisco? Frisco?) put in foster care because mother is sick. Foster family trains kids in obstacle courses. Read around 1992-1994. [s]

[Ashley]

Pretty sure I read this book in 1994 or earlier, probably between 1992-1994, and it seemed old at the time (I was an elementary kid, so take that with a grain of salt, but I think the book pages were yellowed/old smelling.)

The book was about some kids, at least one brother and one other sibling (a sister, I think?), possibly another younger sibling, too. I am pretty sure the brother's name was San Francisco, but he went by either Frisco or Cisco. The kids' mom was sick or in the hospital for some reason, so the kids were put in foster care with a family that had a bunch of other foster kids, and possibly some bio kids. The family had the kids constantly doing obstacle courses, and they had some sort of sound meter and the kids had to complete the courses without going over a certain decibel level.

SPOILERS BELOW

(view spoiler)[

If it isn't insanely obvious, the secret is that the family is training the kids to be burglars and break into places and steal stuff for them. The main characters don't figure this out for awhile (and I was totally shocked as a child, too), but I am pretty sure they eventual end up escaping/exposing the family. I think they end up reuniting with their mom, too.

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[Emily]

The Great Smith House Hustle? (Cisco)
The plot is not really the same though.

[Ashley]

That isn't it, but thank you for trying!

[Ashley]

I have a weird memory that maybe the foster family had a German last name, but that could be wrong.

[Rainbowheart]

Might want to check the Kids in Foster Care list.

[Ashley]

Rainbowheart wrote: "Might want to check the Kids in Foster Care list."

I didn't know that list existed - thanks! It doesn't look like the book is on there, but I found some new ones I'd like to read. :)

[Tab]

I think, Emily was on the right track :)

"The Great Smith House Hustle" had a prequel called The Big Smith Snatch. It sounds a lot like your book, OP.

[Ashley]

Tab wrote: "I think, Emily was on the right track :)

"The Great Smith House Hustle" had a prequel called The Big Smith Snatch. It sounds a lot like your book, OP."

I think this is it! There are a lot of details I don't remember in the summary, but it matches a lot of what I do remember, and the original publication date is right. Thank you!!

[Emily]

Great!!!