World Famous Comics: What Happened to Cass McBride?
What Happened to Cass McBride?
By: Gail Giles Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: Little, Brown Young Readers Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 240 Publication Date: May 01, 2007 Reading Level: Young Adult
Product Description: "The setting is claustrophobic, the characters are complex and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats," KLIATT raved of this vivid, fast-paced psychological thriller in a starred review. Kyle Kirby has planned a cruel and unusual revenge on Cass McBride, the most popular girl in school, for the death of his brother David. He digs a hole. Kidnaps Cass. Puts her in a box--underground. He buries her alive. But lying in the deepest dark, Cass finds a weapon: she uses the power of words to keep her nemesis talking--and herself breathing--during the most harrowing 48 hours of her life.
Whats with the ending? This book was very suspenseful and entertaining but I am sick of books and movies that get you interested and then just end with little/no closure. This is one of those so if you want to know what happens to the characters and have things wrapped up, dont read this because apparently the author got bored and decided to just say 'the end' without finishing. At least that's how it felt to me anyway.
Riveting until the end A tightly plotted, suspenseful story that keeps the pages turning. The question of "is she still alive" filled my head for most of the story, and I couldn't put the book down until I'd found out. Nicely done.
SPOILERS below, read at your own risk.
The ending was a little too rushed for my taste. I understand it's because of Cass's current state of mind, but I thought the shift was too sudden. Maybe because, throughout the book we see the story from the perspective of three people. Then, after the rescue, we only see Cass. I'd have liked to see a tiny bit from Kyle, knowing the state of mind Cass was in, and know how he felt about that. I think it would have rounded things out a bit more. Just my opinion. :)
Young Adult Fiction What Happened to Cass McBride? by Gail Giles
When Kyle Kirby's brother commits suicide, Kyle must punish the girl who pushed David over the edge. He kidnaps the popular, smart, go-getting Cass McBride and buries her alive! Now, Cass is suddenly alone with herself, her thoughts, and her harsh words. But even she knows there's only one way out of the box she's in--Kyle.
"What Happened to Cass McBride?" is told through first person via Cass's eyes and Kyle's which is an interesting turn. You see clearly the motivation behind each one's actions. The detective searching for Cass is told in third person, but is necessary to move the story closer toward the resolution of finding Cass and catching Kyle. The story is intriguing and draws you in.
As Cass must analyze Kyle, she must also self-analyze. She is not merely speaking to his psyche to gain freedom. When she learns the details of David's suicide, she realizes she is to blame and she is fraught with guilt. Cass really transforms through her ordeal, and although no one could be the same after an experience like that, we know that Cass McBride will be a stronger, better person afterward.
Although, a powerful book, there isn't a lot of emotion. I feel for Cass McBride and the situation she finds herself in, but I'm not in the box with her. I remain safely detached from the situation. Still, the story is compelling and the characters motives are well explained and understood and you will empathize.
It was an interesting book and can hold the attention of youths and adults alike, but as an adult reader, I finished quickly and consider myself having read a great "young adult" novel.
Another suspenseful HIT for Gail Gillies What Happened to Cassie McBride is a suspenseful, page-turner which will not disappoint Young Adult readers. Gail Gillies has a intriguing way of making her characters come alive as well as encouraging teenagers to keep reading. Her creative characterization and foreshadowing motivate the reader. I have read four of Gail Gillies's novels for reluctant readers, and everyone of her books is powerful, suspenseful and thought-provoking. I encourage all teenagers, even those who would rather be on the internet, to read one of her novels; you won't be disappointed!
A compelling suspense novel Reviewed by Ian McCurley (age 13) for Reader Views (6/07)
Cass McBride is an ordinary, popular teenaged girl with a sometimes cruel sense of humor and a conniving mind that will do anything to become better than the other girls, from becoming the first junior homecoming queen, to leaving notes under her desk for her friends to find, read and laugh. One of these notes got her into BIG trouble. That day, she had been asked out by David Kirby, a nerdy guy who normally she wouldn't give the time of day to. Not wanting to hurt his feelings, she said "Some other time," and then left the hurtful note that pointed out how much of a dork he was and other unsavory things. Not expecting him to find the note, she set it under her desk for her friend to find. But David found it. The next day, David Kirby's body was found hanging by a rope from a tree in his front yard with a note pinned to his body. Not his shirt, but his body. The note said, "Words are teeth, and they eat me alive. Feed on my corpse instead."
Seeking revenge, David's brother, Kyle Kirby, takes Cass from her suburban home and puts her in a box, or rather a crate. He places this crate in a greenhouse several feet underground. No one but him, because he is the gardener for the estate on which the greenhouse is situated, would stumble upon her. Kyle, however, left her with a tube of air and a walkie-talkie. The reason he leaves her alive, for now at least, is so that she can understand what she had done to his brother. And now, using the persuasive skills learned from her conniving salesman of a father, Cass must make him see that it wasn't her fault; that he should release her. Though at first she thinks she is powerless, Cass discovers that she has one weapon: words. So the questions are: Was it Cass who "killed" David Kirby? Or was it David and Kyle's mother who blamed David for her less-than-perfect life? And an even bigger, more important question, will Cass survive being buried alive?
Gail Giles writes wonderfully in that she shows the way words affect us using the story of a tragic suicide and a kidnapped young girl. She also shows that when people have no solution, they blame others only for the sake of themselves. "What Happened to Cass McBride" is for readers 15 and up.
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