A HITCH AT THE FAIRMONT
Jim Averbeck
Atheneum Books for Young Readers
2014
Available:
paperback, hard copy & Kindle
Eleven-year-old Jack
is orphaned. The year is 1956. His father died in the war before Jack could get
to know him. Now is mother has died in an "accident." He doesn't want
to think about how or why it happened. After her funeral he is collected by an
aunt he hasn't met. She lives at the famous Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco.
Living in such opulent luxury you'd think he'd moved to easy street, but this
is not
the case. His aunt uses him as her personal slave and showers more affection on her pet chinchilla. She disappears and Jack teams up with a fictional version of the famous movie director Alfred Hitchcock. Together they track through a complicated to plot of mistaken identities, kidnapping, disguises, and close escapes. Not to mention chocolates!
the case. His aunt uses him as her personal slave and showers more affection on her pet chinchilla. She disappears and Jack teams up with a fictional version of the famous movie director Alfred Hitchcock. Together they track through a complicated to plot of mistaken identities, kidnapping, disguises, and close escapes. Not to mention chocolates!
While not necessary to
really appreciate all the twists and turns of the story, one would need to be a
Hitchcock fan to appreciate the subtle references to the man and his Hollywood
persona. References to his films and legendary practical jokes are sprinkled
throughout the story in the clues, chapter headings, settings and pacing of the
novel. Jack is a likable character with an amazing ability to draw. He puts
this ability to use at the beginning of each chapter.
Target audience: Grades 6-8
Mystery/suspense: Like a Hitchcock movie
Kid appeal: Advanced readers
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