Ransom (original 1966; edition 1984)

by Lois Duncan

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591	11	43,002	(3.39)	17
Thriller. Young Adult Fiction. HTML: Edgar Award finalist: When the strange new bus driver passes the last stop, the five teens on board know something's wrong: "[A] gripping thriller." �Publishers Weekly Valley Gardens is the last stop on the bus route after school. The neighborhood is known for its wealthy families, perhaps the richest in town. Marianne, Bruce, Glenn, Dexter, and Jesse live in Valley Gardens, and have no trouble guiding the new bus driver to the last stop of the day�but the strange substitute driver keeps driving. Soon the five teenagers are hostages deep in the mountains. Their kidnappers demand stacks of money from their families, even though most of the students aren't as well off as the abductors assume. Without hope of raising the ransom money, the five teens must find a way out or face terrifying consequences. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection. .… (more)

▾Book information

Member:	uvicsfl
Title:	Ransom
Authors:	Lois Duncan
Info:	Laurel Leaf (1984), Paperback, 176 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	5(1), kidnapping, drama

Work Information

Five Were Missing (Republished as: Ransom) by Lois Duncan (1966)

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Recently added by	britt_dani, putplejinzo, CPSmiddlelibrary, detectivekatie, IrelandKing, lababzzz10, hollylovesbooks, KyrieWitch, SRSlibrary
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Kidnapping, bus -- children's/young adult fiction (2)

Kidnapping -- children's/young adult fiction (60)

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▾Member reviews

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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)

Pointless and boring. (

)

LynnMPK | Jun 29, 2023 |

Read this book many years ago, this audio copy is well done and highly recommended.

The lives of five captives hang in the balance while their families gather the ransom. Two brothers, their family frantic to find their sons. A loner whose uncle doesn’t even know he’s missing. An Army brat whose family will never be able to raise enough money. And a cheerleader who can’t count on her stepdad, but knows her father will come through. (

)

Gmomaj | Sep 2, 2022 |

I believe I was in 5th grade when I originally read this suspense YA about 5 kids who are kidnapped via hijacking their school bus at the end of the route.

There is certainly a wide variety of characters here, some revealed as stronger than they or the others think, and some showing the cracks in their characters.
Both the kids and the parents (negotiating with the kidnappers) are developed.

A good 'short book' for a young person who wants something suspenseful, but the fact that more than one plot point turns on telephone communication may make it a bit dated for modern readers.

bunnyjadwiga | Jul 13, 2022 |

Pointless and boring. (

)

LynnK. | Aug 4, 2020 |

1966 Doubleday library binding - I'm pretty sure it's the first edition.

This is a good suspenseful study for a middle grade story. I've seen it listed as YA. It's not. Unless one gets into the personality study the story isn't going to be exciting for anyone over maybe 15. And the personality/psychological study is on a younger level. I debated whether it should get the fourth star as, even for me, it didn't have an ageless appeal. (

)

Yona | May 2, 2013 |

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▾Series and work relationships

Is contained in

Ransom / The Third Eye / A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan

▾Awards and Honors

Awards

Edgar Award (Nominee – Juvenile – 1967)

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▾Common Knowledge

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Canonical title

Five Were Missing (Republished as: Ransom)

Original title

Five were missing

Alternative titles

Ransom

Original publication date

People/Characters

Important places

Important events

Related movies

Held for Ransom (2000 | IMDb)

Epigraph

Dedication

For Robin Dale

First words

The kidnapping took place on a Thursday.

Quotations

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

Five were missing (Republished as: Ransom) (Source)

Publisher's editors

Blurbers

Original language

Canonical DDC/MDS

Canonical LCC

▾References

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Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

Thriller. Young Adult Fiction. HTML:

Edgar Award finalist: When the strange new bus driver passes the last stop, the five teens on board know something's wrong: "[A] gripping thriller." �Publishers Weekly

Valley Gardens is the last stop on the bus route after school. The neighborhood is known for its wealthy families, perhaps the richest in town. Marianne, Bruce, Glenn, Dexter, and Jesse live in Valley Gardens, and have no trouble guiding the new bus driver to the last stop of the day�but the strange substitute driver keeps driving. Soon the five teenagers are hostages deep in the mountains. Their kidnappers demand stacks of money from their families, even though most of the students aren't as well off as the abductors assume. Without hope of raising the ransom money, the five teens must find a way out or face terrifying consequences.

This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Duncan including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's personal collection.

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