Giff, Patricia Reilly. Hunter Morgan Hangs Out.

Giff, Patricia Reilly.  Hunter Morgan Hangs Out.  Holiday House  2013  134p  ISBN 978-0-8234-2859-5   ms   VG    Realistic fiction    

This cute, adventuresome story tells of twins Zach and Hunter, typical boys who are about to enter sixth grade and who become obsessed by the idea of solving a crime before it happens.  Their annoying neighbor Sarah Yulefski preys on the friends’ imagination and thirst for adventure.  She warns them that she has knowledge of a possible future kidnapping of someone in their family, and she provides clues in bits and pieces as to the identities of the victim and the perpetrator.  As if that were not enough for the boys to handle on their last few days of summer vacation, they are burdened with the realization that they have not completed their summer reading assignments.

Patricia Reilly Giff has created a fun novel that is sure to delight young readers as they connect with the two main characters.  These characters are then surrounded and affected by their numerous siblings in a way that is hilarious and reminiscent of Cheaper By the Dozen and the Little Rascals.

This novel is sure to please young and reluctant readers as it is filled with action, adventure, and mystery and ends happily despite the boys’ neglected summer assignments.  Written as a sequel to Morgan Hunter Saves the Universe, this book can easily stand alone as a hilarious, relatable ‘tween novel.

Summary: Zach and Hunter spend their last days of summer vacation trying to solve the mystery of a kidnapping that their friend Sarah informed them would happen, based on a conversation she overheard with very few details.
           

Boys-Coming of Age-Fiction, Humor                     --Virginia McGarvey