Puzzle Pieces: Nobody's There

TITLE: Nobody's There (2000)
AUTHOR: Lowery Nixon, Joan
GENRE: Mystery
RATING: 7/10
WARNINGS: None
PLOT:
We all have moments when we act before we think, and Abbie Thompson does just that.  Angry at her cheating father for breaking up their family, Abbie acts out and gets arrested for malicious mischief.  Now the judge has assigned her to volunteer in the Friend to Friend program (a program which matches a teen with an elderly woman).  From the first time she met Edna Merkel, Abbie knew the old woman wasn't just your average senior citizen.  Mrs. Merkel was cranky, difficult, and not only is she a part of the town's crime prevention group, but she thinks she's a private investigator.  After getting too involved in a crime,  Mrs. Merkel brags about being onto something big, and ends up attacked.  Suddenly, the private investigator game is real, and Abbie must put all the puzzle pieces together.
THEME:
A major theme is this book, is choices have consequences.  This theme is explored in a few different areas.  First we see how some of Mr. Thompson's choices lead to the breaking apart of his family.  Second, we also see that because Abbie acts out she is arrested and assigned to the Friend to Friend program.  And third, we see that because Mrs. Merkel got too involved in a crime, she was attacked.
STYLE:
In this book the author uses third-person omniscient.  I think this style was good for this book, because there are a lot of characters and elements that come into play throughout the story.  With this style I knew everyone's thoughts and feelings, and it helped me to really tie the details together.
AUDIENCE:
The intended audience for this book is young adults.  The main character is a young adult, and I myself am a young adult.  Because of this, I was able to understand some of the things Abbie was going through.  Nobody's There is a very appropriate book and in my opinion, not offensive in any way.  Children, young adults, and adults could all enjoy this read.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
In my opinion, Nobody's There, is a fairly decent book.  It has a slower start, but the ending was enticing.  Booklist said this book is "an engaging suspense story with diverse characters, plenty of plot twists, and a staisfying ending."
I would recommend this mystery to anyone looking for a quick read with a good ending.  Nobody's There kept me curious and thinking. While I read I became a private investegator of the crime myself.  "The plot is just tense enough, not too scary, with a special focus on a family in the midst of a divorce." -Alexandra Zissu.  Adult or child, Nobody's There is worth picking up.
Signed,
Private Investegator