Bibliographic Information: Plum-Ucci, C. (2006). The Night My Sister Went Missing. New York, NY: Harcourt Books. ISBN: 0152047581
Plot Summary: The Night My Sister Went Missing is set on Mystic Dunes, an island, where a party with local teens took place. Kurt Carmody's parents are out of town, and being the older brother at 17, he is responsible for his 15 year old sister, Casey. Kurt and Casey break their parents' rules while away and they go to a party at Mystic Dunes, an abandoned pier, where teens hang out and party. During the party, Casey disappears. As the story unfolds, fingers are pointing toward different "suspects" to Casey's disappearance. Casey had an older boyfriend, Mark Stern, who had a history of trouble. Stacey Kearny is Mark Stern's ex-girlfriend. She has a troubled past: her mother is promiscuous, she is a victim of incest and supposedly pregnant. Stacey brings a small gun to the party which almost everyone handles.
During the story, Kurt listens to police interviews of suspects and tries to put the pieces together. Fingers are pointed at Stacey because of the gun and her tormented past, but Kurt sees beyond the obvious clues. Stacey's' father, Mr. Kearny, was blamed for molesting her because Stacey's grandfather found Mr. Kearny twice outside her room in the middle of the night. Kurt slowly realizes that Mr. Kearny had not molested Stacey, but her wealthy grandfather had been molesting Stacey and Stacey's mother for many years. At the end of the novel Casey is found alive. Casey was an expert swimmer and she had dived off the end of the pier and survived. Sadly, Stacey, who always had a crush on Kurt, commits suicide. Her life of abuse and mistreatment took a toll.
Critical Evaluation: The Night My Sister Went Missing was engaging, yet a little confusing. The novel involves many pertinent issues: teens, cliques, incest and family relationships. There are many characters involved in the storyline; that is where the confusion lies. The best part of The Night My Sister Went Missing is the assumption that Stacey's father had been molesting her and was a creep. In reality, her wealthy, supposedly wonderful loving grandfather had been molesting both Stacey and her mother for years. The devastating effects of incest on an individual's self esteem was written in a way that teens and anyone for that matter, can really relate to.
Annotation: Casey Carmody disappears one night at a teen party on the pier at Mystic Dunes. A gun is passed around the party and fingers are pointed at numerous suspects.
About the Author: Carol Plum-Ucci is a young adult novelist who was born in 1957 in New Jersey. In 1979 she graduated from Purdue University with a bachelor's degree in Communications. After receiving her degree she worked as a freelance writer in Chicago and then became the Assistant to the Producer of the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. She worked for the Pageant as a staff writer and director of publications for years.
The Body of Christopher Creed, which won the Printz Honor Book Award in 2002, was Plum-Ucci's first published novel. She has been praised for her way of relating to teens through her writing and interweaving mystery with the supernatural. Carol Plum-Ucci was nominated in 2007 for The Edgar Allan Poe Award for The Night My Sister Went Missing, and in 2003 she was nominated for the Michael L. Printz Award for What Happened to Lani Garver.
Genre: Young Adult Fiction/ Incest/ Mystery
Curriculum Ties: None
Talking Points: What happens the night of a teen party at Mystic Dunes when Casey is missing and a gun has been passed around to the partygoers? When facts are revealed around the night of the party at Mystic Dunes, is Stacey really as awful as she has been made out to be or has her history of incest influenced who she really is?
Reading Level & Interest Age: 12 and older
Challenge Issues: Reference to sex/pregnancy/incest. Drug and alcohol usage.
Reason for Inclusion: The Night My Sister Went Missing is a suspenseful book that deals with subjects that teens are interested in: friendship, betrayal, sex, relationships, incest, mystery and the supernatural.
1 comment:
What are two major themes? What is one mood?
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