lauraellis's review against another edition
4.0
The third book about the Stanley kids, in which Blair finds a dog which everyone at first thinks is imaginary, David copes with a school bully, and two escaped prisoners are loose in the area. ZKS works her usual magic. I was enthralled as usual.
jselliot's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A vaguely spooky mystery that I remember reading as a kid. It wasn't a favorite like House on Hackman Hill or Mystery of the Haunted Trail, but it was generally entertaining. Although it was part of a series, this was the only book I could ever find in print. Maybe it would've been better if I'd had more context?
manwithanagenda's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Blair gets used more for his creepy village-of-the-damned prescience in this outing, which is nice.
It's the end of the summer and the family has returned from Italy (the 'famous' kidnapping isn't referred to, it really is best forgotten) and David and co. have been trying to convince their parents to let them have another pet, to no avail.
David is still our narrator, but Snyder has given him something interesting to think about, that is, he has a bully. But, wait, there's more going on: Amanda's become even more boy crazy ("ye gods"), Janie's convinced she's going to capture the escaped convicts rumored to be in the area, and Blair's detachment from reality is causing trouble at school - a problem only exacerbated (I almost wrote, exasperated...there's probably a review where I did write that) by his new story, the one about a new dog he can only see at night.
Though not as good as 'The Headless Cupid', this book at least works unlike the tepid 'The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case', because the characters are allowed to express themselves, particularly in the interactions between David and Pete, his erstwhile bully.
Stanley Family
Next: 'Janie's Private Eyes'
Previous: 'The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case'
It's the end of the summer and the family has returned from Italy (the 'famous' kidnapping isn't referred to, it really is best forgotten) and David and co. have been trying to convince their parents to let them have another pet, to no avail.
David is still our narrator, but Snyder has given him something interesting to think about, that is, he has a bully. But, wait, there's more going on: Amanda's become even more boy crazy ("ye gods"), Janie's convinced she's going to capture the escaped convicts rumored to be in the area, and Blair's detachment from reality is causing trouble at school - a problem only exacerbated (I almost wrote, exasperated...there's probably a review where I did write that) by his new story, the one about a new dog he can only see at night.
Though not as good as 'The Headless Cupid', this book at least works unlike the tepid 'The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case', because the characters are allowed to express themselves, particularly in the interactions between David and Pete, his erstwhile bully.
Stanley Family
Next: 'Janie's Private Eyes'
Previous: 'The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case'
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