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How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found
Margaret's father died in a mysterious drowning accident when she was eight years old. Four years later, her mother still won't talk about it -- in fact, she doesn't talk about much of anything. But when Margaret's mother takes her and her little sister, Sophie, to a strange abandoned mansion and puts a FOR SALE BY OWNER sign in the front yard, Margaret is determined to solve the puzzle of her family, once and for all. Armed with three strange clues -- a swimming medal, a key, and a handwritten comic book -- Margaret returns to the mansion alone. With the help of Boyd, the lonely, comic-book-obsessed boy next door, she discovers that truth can be stranger than fiction -- depending on who's telling the story.
281 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
43 people are currently reading
1,956 people want to read
About the author
Sara Nickerson
6books42followersSara Nickerson began her professional writing career working in television and film. Her first novel, HOW TO DISAPPEAR COMPLETELY AND NEVER BE FOUND, started out as a screenplay. She is the author of two other middle grade novels: THE SECRETS OF BLUEBERRIES, BROTHERS, MOOSE & ME and LAST MEETING OF THE GORILLA CLUB. Sara lives in Seattle and is currently working on a new middle grade novel - one with only four words in the title.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
August 25, 2015
You know how it is when you stumble across a book you've never heard of by an author you've never heard of and you start to read and can't put the book down....?
Well this is one of those books. Sophie and Margaret are two lonely sisters living a strange half life with a severely depressed mother who most of the time hardly notices their existence. One day she springs to life, briefly, and takes them off to a mysterious house which she does not allow them to enter, but in the grounds of which she deposits a For Sale sign. But Margaret is pretty sure the house is not empty. And the boy next door knows something too. But their mother takes them back home with no explanations and returns to her torpor.
Thus begins a most curious, exciting and dramatic tale, with a satisfying ending.
This story is probably aimed at lower teens but I read it with great pleasure and the story will stay with me for a long time.
Well this is one of those books. Sophie and Margaret are two lonely sisters living a strange half life with a severely depressed mother who most of the time hardly notices their existence. One day she springs to life, briefly, and takes them off to a mysterious house which she does not allow them to enter, but in the grounds of which she deposits a For Sale sign. But Margaret is pretty sure the house is not empty. And the boy next door knows something too. But their mother takes them back home with no explanations and returns to her torpor.
Thus begins a most curious, exciting and dramatic tale, with a satisfying ending.
This story is probably aimed at lower teens but I read it with great pleasure and the story will stay with me for a long time.
May 26, 2016
I picked up this book as a throwback to elementary school to see if it would hold up 10+ years later, and I was surprised and delighted to find that it was just as good as, if not better, than before. You can tell that it's geared towards younger audiences and it's a fast read (2.5 hours) but an entertaining one. Even remembering some of the twists and reveals from before, the plot moves quickly and with enough suspense that it kept my attention to have me reading it cover to cover in one sitting.
Nickerson manages to convey the story of a 12 year old girl trying to figure out where she fits in in her family in a way that is both dark and lighthearted at the same time, dealing with topics like her mother's depression and the mystery of her deceased father. All in all, a book that holds up no matter how old you are when you read it.
Nickerson manages to convey the story of a 12 year old girl trying to figure out where she fits in in her family in a way that is both dark and lighthearted at the same time, dealing with topics like her mother's depression and the mystery of her deceased father. All in all, a book that holds up no matter how old you are when you read it.
January 14, 2025
A good book. Once again it seems children's/YA novels are the only ones with genuine plot, excitement and feeling. At first I liked the depression of the mother, much like in Gale's FF, and the lunch on the loo, much like me, and then it was really exciting and not obvious, and the ending didn't give them something fantastic for their losses but healed in another, very small way.
February 2, 2023
Hands down the best reading experience I've ever had!
Loved the story, loved the characters.
Your comments, jokes and theories made the story even more entertaining.
Please, let's keep this tradition going and read something else together like this 🙏
Loved the story, loved the characters.
Your comments, jokes and theories made the story even more entertaining.
Please, let's keep this tradition going and read something else together like this 🙏
March 21, 2021
Honestly a great book! I didnt think I'd love it so much! Great themes and plot, suspense and great characters!
September 11, 2022
if you’re not reading a book that previously has been annotated by your friends then <3 what are you doing <3
August 24, 2022
Nii hea raamat ja ma polnud sellest mitte kuulnudki! 2005 ilmus eesti keeles ja mitte keegi pole maininudki!
Pikemalt
Pikemalt
December 13, 2016
¡Menuda pasada de libro!
Me encontré con él de pasada en una de mis visitas a la biblioteca de la facultad, me llamó la atención la portada y la sinopsis tampoco estaba mal. No es que me esperase mucho de un libro recomendado para niñxs a partir de 12 años pero...¡qué equivocada estaba!
Digamos que el libro contiene dos historias que al final se acaban entrelazando...o una historia contada desde dos puntos de vista: el de Margaret y el de Boyd, personajes parecidos y muy diferentes al mismo tiempo. La primera busca dar respuesta a por qué una misteriosa casa aparecida de la nada guarda relación con su familia de la noche a la mañana; el segundo, vive absorto en un mundo de cómics cuyo personaje principal es Ratt, un hombre rata.
Justamente una de las cosas que me resultaron llamativas al hojearlo fue la aparición de viñetas en algunos de los capítulos, lo que le da cierto dinamismo a la lectura. De ésta tengo que decir que, aunque con 22 años se hace un poco difícil conectar completamente con los personajes principales, está tan bien contada y tiene tantos elementos de misterio e incluso de terror, que al final la acabas disfrutando mucho.
Hay un detalle que seguro que a cualquier lector o amante de los libros adorará, y es la biblioteca tan especial de la que se habla. ¿Os imagináis un sitio en el que cualquier persona pueda dejar a disposición de los demás lo que escriba sin tener que ser un escritor/a reconocido/a? Bueno, en este libro alguien tiene la genial idea de crear un sitio así ;)
Quizás una personita de 12 años disfrute leyendo una historia de misterio, pero alguien más mayor puede ver el trasfondo que tiene.
Me encontré con él de pasada en una de mis visitas a la biblioteca de la facultad, me llamó la atención la portada y la sinopsis tampoco estaba mal. No es que me esperase mucho de un libro recomendado para niñxs a partir de 12 años pero...¡qué equivocada estaba!
Digamos que el libro contiene dos historias que al final se acaban entrelazando...o una historia contada desde dos puntos de vista: el de Margaret y el de Boyd, personajes parecidos y muy diferentes al mismo tiempo. La primera busca dar respuesta a por qué una misteriosa casa aparecida de la nada guarda relación con su familia de la noche a la mañana; el segundo, vive absorto en un mundo de cómics cuyo personaje principal es Ratt, un hombre rata.
Justamente una de las cosas que me resultaron llamativas al hojearlo fue la aparición de viñetas en algunos de los capítulos, lo que le da cierto dinamismo a la lectura. De ésta tengo que decir que, aunque con 22 años se hace un poco difícil conectar completamente con los personajes principales, está tan bien contada y tiene tantos elementos de misterio e incluso de terror, que al final la acabas disfrutando mucho.
Hay un detalle que seguro que a cualquier lector o amante de los libros adorará, y es la biblioteca tan especial de la que se habla. ¿Os imagináis un sitio en el que cualquier persona pueda dejar a disposición de los demás lo que escriba sin tener que ser un escritor/a reconocido/a? Bueno, en este libro alguien tiene la genial idea de crear un sitio así ;)
Quizás una personita de 12 años disfrute leyendo una historia de misterio, pero alguien más mayor puede ver el trasfondo que tiene.
September 12, 2014
How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found by Sara Nickerson is about a 12-year-old girl named Margaret trying to solve a family mystery. This book is full of suspense and is easy to pick up, but it is not at the high school reading level. The plot is too unrealistic and childish and the characters are too young for me to really appreciate the book. With a half-man half-rat writing comic books based on his own real life experiences, including ghosts as characters, the plot and characters would appeal more to a younger age. There are not enough characters either, at least ones that the reader really gets to know. Margaret and Boyd are the two main characters, and each chapter switches between their points of view, but other than them, the reader only gets to know two other characters: Margaret’s mom and younger sister. Another issue with the characters is that once Margaret runs away to the island to solve her father’s death mystery, there are no updates on her sister and mother who were going through difficult times before she left. This causes the reader to lose interest in Margaret and focus more on inventing a new story for Margaret’s family. All in all, How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found might be a decent book for a short reading period since it is easy for the reader to pick up from where he or she left off, but it is not a good choice for anyone who wants to read for a longer period of time or wants something meaningful from a book.
January 1, 2025
I found this book in a thrift store and thought it was the one from the Radiohead song—turns out I was wrong, but decided to read it and am so glad I did. It’s well-written, thoughtful, mysterious. The suspense is truly effective and it has deep characters, especially for a kids book. Couldn’t put it down!
March 1, 2020
This was one of my all time favorites as a kid. I checked it out from the library a million times. I have to reread it soon
March 9, 2021
Margaret and Boyd both desperately need a hug and Sophie is everything.
December 2, 2015
The book that I read for this project was How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found. I chose this book because of the suspense and uncertainty of its description. The story opens with three characters-- Sophie, Margaret, and their mother, Lizzie.
The plot begins with the girls driving to a big mansion. When they get there, Margaret realizes that this mansion holds a mystery. She secretly sneaks into the building and finds an old letter addressed to her mom from her deceased dad. Inside it holds the clues she needs to find out about what happened to her dad and how to solve a hidden riddle.
This package leads her to the doorstep of an unpopular boy named Boyd, who loves reading comic books. Together, they solve the mystery of Margaret's dad, Boyd's comic books, and the old mansion.
I enjoyed this book a lot, but there were some things I wasn't too fond of. I liked how the book was narrated by
Mr. Librarian and how he sporadically put side notes into the story.
As I read on, one thing that I disliked was how the book was for a younger audience. I think the target audience for this book is around the ages of 10 to 13. As a 15-year-old, I thought it was a little childish; but I still enjoyed the mystery and suspense factors.
Overall, I thought this was a good book and would recommend it to others.
The plot begins with the girls driving to a big mansion. When they get there, Margaret realizes that this mansion holds a mystery. She secretly sneaks into the building and finds an old letter addressed to her mom from her deceased dad. Inside it holds the clues she needs to find out about what happened to her dad and how to solve a hidden riddle.
This package leads her to the doorstep of an unpopular boy named Boyd, who loves reading comic books. Together, they solve the mystery of Margaret's dad, Boyd's comic books, and the old mansion.
I enjoyed this book a lot, but there were some things I wasn't too fond of. I liked how the book was narrated by
Mr. Librarian and how he sporadically put side notes into the story.
As I read on, one thing that I disliked was how the book was for a younger audience. I think the target audience for this book is around the ages of 10 to 13. As a 15-year-old, I thought it was a little childish; but I still enjoyed the mystery and suspense factors.
Overall, I thought this was a good book and would recommend it to others.
November 29, 2009
I really love this novel. It's at once a comic book, a family drama, a mystery, a bildungsroman, and much more than that still. Nickerson is a lovely writer. There are some great moments of clarity and truth in here. My favorite is when Margaret is describing the incident when she briefly doesn't recognize her sister in their apartment elevator, but these great moments are sprinkled throughout. I also love the idea of the island's library of unpublished manuscripts, and the way the librarian kept writing "editor's notes" that take you out of Margaret's head and allow you to watch the other things going on in an almost voyeuristic manner.
My only complaint is the constant shifts between Margaret's first person POV and third person of the boy's. I can understand the reasons, as Margaret is the heroine, and having her first person is vital, while having his would make him her equal which I do not believe he is as a character in the story. However, the first and third person POV just don't jibe well with each other in this narrative.
Grade: A
My only complaint is the constant shifts between Margaret's first person POV and third person of the boy's. I can understand the reasons, as Margaret is the heroine, and having her first person is vital, while having his would make him her equal which I do not believe he is as a character in the story. However, the first and third person POV just don't jibe well with each other in this narrative.
Grade: A
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2008
I loved this book! It was scary, funny, and a great mystery! The begging isn't so great but then when you keep reading, you won't want to stop! It's completly unpridictible and has a great story-line. It wasn't to scary but it was. This booked hooked me the whole time, I wish the other made a seiries of these books!
October 21, 2022
Täiesti tundmatu raamat ja tundmatu autor minu jaoks, aga hea leid.
Ma nimetaksin seda pigem siiski laste- kui noorteraamatuks, aga sedasorti lasteraamatuks, mis sobib nutikatele lastele ja täiskasvanutele ühtviisi. Ehk siis tegemist pole selle nunnutava muinasjutuga, milles lapsi alahinnatakse ja neid maailma eest kaitstakse.
Umbes kümnesele minule oleks see raamat väga meeldinud. Üleneljakümnesel minul läks natuke aega, et sellega samale lainele jõuda. Peamiselt seetõttu, et raamatusse on integreeritud koomiksilehekülgi ja see on žanr, millega mul kunagi mingeid sooje suhteid pole olnud, ei teagi täpselt, miks, võib-olla seetõttu, et mu infotöötlusviis on märksa rohkem sõnaline kui visuaalne ning sõna ja pilt koos segavad mu enda kujutlusvõimet.
Aga see selleks, lõpuks sulandusid need eri žanrid semiootiliselt üksteisesse ja jäi üle ainult puhtalt autori tehnilise meisterlikkuse ees müts maha võtta. Lisaks meeldis mulle asjaolu, kuidas raamat jätab sulle tõlgendamisvõimaluse � kui soovid, on kõik reaalse maailma loogikaga seletatav, kui ei soovi, jätab kerge maagilise realismi puudutus vabaduse su enda kujutlusvõimele.
Ma nimetaksin seda pigem siiski laste- kui noorteraamatuks, aga sedasorti lasteraamatuks, mis sobib nutikatele lastele ja täiskasvanutele ühtviisi. Ehk siis tegemist pole selle nunnutava muinasjutuga, milles lapsi alahinnatakse ja neid maailma eest kaitstakse.
Umbes kümnesele minule oleks see raamat väga meeldinud. Üleneljakümnesel minul läks natuke aega, et sellega samale lainele jõuda. Peamiselt seetõttu, et raamatusse on integreeritud koomiksilehekülgi ja see on žanr, millega mul kunagi mingeid sooje suhteid pole olnud, ei teagi täpselt, miks, võib-olla seetõttu, et mu infotöötlusviis on märksa rohkem sõnaline kui visuaalne ning sõna ja pilt koos segavad mu enda kujutlusvõimet.
Aga see selleks, lõpuks sulandusid need eri žanrid semiootiliselt üksteisesse ja jäi üle ainult puhtalt autori tehnilise meisterlikkuse ees müts maha võtta. Lisaks meeldis mulle asjaolu, kuidas raamat jätab sulle tõlgendamisvõimaluse � kui soovid, on kõik reaalse maailma loogikaga seletatav, kui ei soovi, jätab kerge maagilise realismi puudutus vabaduse su enda kujutlusvõimele.
April 1, 2019
This book was kind of odd. I am not completely sure I liked it, it all just seemed random in my head. I did also find the writing confusing at some points, but it still was able to keep me entertained. Something else that confused me was how the story doesn’t start at the beginning, it starts somewhere in between and that threw me off from following it well. But it was ok overall.
October 26, 2018
No me imaginé que este libro llegara a atraparme a fondo, principalmente el suspenso que maneja.
August 19, 2021
A perfect story for children that want a “grownup story� or adults who want to rediscover their childhood sense of adventure.
January 12, 2025
Even 15+ years later, this is still such a good read!
January 29, 2025
One of my favorite books as a kid and it completely held up
August 14, 2020
Despite what I'm about to say, I did like the book. Three stars is pretty strong, but "it was ok" does the book a tiny injustice. Maybe I'll bump it down later, honestly, because thinking about it in retrospect, it wasn't a great book.
Appropriate, and enjoyable, for ages 8-12 and here's the summary even though Wikipedia literally has one, so why would you want to read mine, but I wrote it out without thinking and don't want to waste my time and energy (and there aren't any spoilers, I just don't want it taking up space):
Overall, was left a little bit disappointed. Thought the ending was going to be predictable, was pleasantly surprised, and then it made an abrupt 360 and turned out to be just as predictable as I'd thought after all. Which was part of why I was disappointed ()
Things the book does poorly:
1. part of the writing is stilted. Hard to get into and imagine happening.
2. the writing is sloppy. Examples:
(a) She hears Tina Louise telling her instructions at the beginning of the book (which is confusing because it's written like she can see and hear TL, even though TL isn't there, so the reader knows she can't actually see her, but it's honestly written like she can. Which is confusing, creepy, and annoying), and then somewhere along the way, she completely stops hearing/seeing her. Like, just stops. Not like the character is growing and maturing and learning to figure things out on her own, nah, she just stops cold turkey. Goes from every couple pages to not at all the next chapter.
(b) The author tells us specifically Boyd's never been out on the water with his dad - but somehow as soon as it's down to brass tacks not only does he know how to start it, but he knows how to drive it. And he's never even been on it. Motorboat driving isn't picked up in one day, in a couple minutes, under extreme pressure.
3. Boyd's emotions are confusing (especially for a 12-year-old boy). Why does he cry about lying, in front of the girl he lied to? I just don't understand why he got all cut up about letting her believe (not even saying, so was he technically even lying...?) it was her uncle who tied him up, not the three bullies.
4. leaves a lot of questions and loose threads. For example:
(a) who is Mr. Librarian? I assumed he would come into it at the end, since he plays a p big role throughout the book. And I assumed since he acted secretive and knowledgeable, that he actually HAD secrets and knowledge, but ig not ?
(b) what was the point of him scaring her
(c) sorry this is a spoiler for those of you tryna decide whether to read this or not. I can always save you the trouble if you want to read the spoiler at the v bottom of this review.
(d) Boyd has a mortal terror of the water, but it never really explains why - just that he does. And he gets over it v quickly.
(e) never explains why Lizzie was always tired and sleeping, though it hints that (a) it was because of her husband's death, and (b) it wasn't because of her husband's death. But it never clarifies which one it actually is.
(f) ...is the uncle a rat, or not? When she sees him in the library, she makes it seem like he's 100% a man-turned-rat. However, the book makes it very clear that he's a human, so which is it? Even while reading I was pretty confused whether he's supposed to strongly resemble or actually BE a rat. And why?
(g) How does that happen, anyway? Because the story of how he turned rat was given to the reader through the comic book, and we know the comic is fictionalized (eg: there's no Drowning Ghost), so we never get to know how or why he turned into/goes as a rat.
(h) Boyd has this hero worship of Ratt dude, but unlike most stories, he never gets to tell Ratt. Or even talk to him, in the story. Obviously he does talk to him, bc , but it would have been nice to READ ABOUT, instead of making it happen off page.
(i)
5. frustrated at the lack of resolution or character growth in this book. And the author thinking little things fix big things. Specifically, this part in the book:
Margaret never really apologizes for what she said at the library on page 196. She flies off the handle, rips into him, exposes his insecurities, while belittling them and him. He's really hurt but doesn't say anything, just keeps going with their plan even if he'll have more fallout from it going wrong than she will, and she never says anything even though she knows all this, and how much she hurt him. So... ? So what? Nothing comes of it, so why did that even happen? Like, neither one of them grows from that. Nothing happens. She says she's really sorry about what she said (pg 221), but she never tells him 1) she was speaking out of anger 2) not all of that is true and 3) not all of the things that are true are true to the extent that she was making them out to be. If that makes sense. He mumbles, "don't worry about it" and then she tells him she eats her lunches in a bathroom stall. And apparently that fixes all hurt feelings bc he goes back to normal, friendly, old Boyd, and it's never brought up again. So yeah she's sorry, but if he thinks it's all true then it's still going to hurt him and embarrass him and make him more shy and insecure than he already was. So saying sorry didn't really do anything. But the writer apparently believes telling someone about an insecurity of yours makes all their thousand insecurities that you just exploited and exposed and ripped apart and made worse...is all going to go away? Because you shared something about yourself that you're not proud of? I'm sorry, but ...okay? ...big deal? ...who cares? and how in heck does that change anything? Notice that he's still obsessed with the comics at the end, so it's not like the author was using that to bring maturity and showing a kid growing up and moving on to real life. Nah, she just wanted to make Margaret have a little mean time.
6. I've read a lot of books that do this, and I hated it every time, because it's so unrealistic and relationships don't work this way. And because it slows down the book and delays so many things that don't need to be delayed (and hinder the progress of the characters bc of it). OKAY so here's what it is: the kids hide the randomest stuff from each other because of dumb fears they have. So both the stuff they're hiding isn't worth hiding, and the reason they're hiding it doesn't justify hiding it in the first place. That happens multiple times in the book:
(a) Boyd hides the fact that the Threes tied him up, not the uncle. He can't bring himself to tell Margaret that he lied about it, and he stalls her while he's tryna get up the courage to tell her. So he slows her down from rescuing her sister (both believe that if they don't go soon, she'll be killed) and then decides in the end to not even tell her anyway so what was the point. Also not sure why the author felt the need to constantly talk about his fear of telling her that it was the Threes, especially since when he does get over his fear, it's incredibly quick and takes about a sentence to wrap up so why all the hype. Super unnecessary and just took up valuable page space that could have been used for character growth or progress. Also not sure why he's crying about it in the boat. If you've read the story, you'll probably know the part. If you haven't, basically he almost tells her and then just can't, so he starts crying while starting up the boat that will take them out to Sophie.
(b) Margaret hides what she saw in the library, and the fact that it's her uncle who's been writing about the two boys, and that it's her dad who was the ghost (p215). Why? Because "what does that make her?" Uhhh, idk, related? (fr, I'm not sure what she's worried about will happen if she tells Boyd her uncle is the Ratt dude.)
7. (pg 255) When everything's gone down, and they're looking for Ratt, she gets in a boat to go back to shore, and she sees Sophie grinning at her - obviously, at that point, .
Things the book does well:
honestly just a bunch of quotes.
-
Never done this before, and might start doing when the books aren't worth reading, but if you want to spoil the book for yourself:
Appropriate, and enjoyable, for ages 8-12 and here's the summary even though Wikipedia literally has one, so why would you want to read mine, but I wrote it out without thinking and don't want to waste my time and energy (and there aren't any spoilers, I just don't want it taking up space):
Overall, was left a little bit disappointed. Thought the ending was going to be predictable, was pleasantly surprised, and then it made an abrupt 360 and turned out to be just as predictable as I'd thought after all. Which was part of why I was disappointed ()
Things the book does poorly:
1. part of the writing is stilted. Hard to get into and imagine happening.
2. the writing is sloppy. Examples:
(a) She hears Tina Louise telling her instructions at the beginning of the book (which is confusing because it's written like she can see and hear TL, even though TL isn't there, so the reader knows she can't actually see her, but it's honestly written like she can. Which is confusing, creepy, and annoying), and then somewhere along the way, she completely stops hearing/seeing her. Like, just stops. Not like the character is growing and maturing and learning to figure things out on her own, nah, she just stops cold turkey. Goes from every couple pages to not at all the next chapter.
(b) The author tells us specifically Boyd's never been out on the water with his dad - but somehow as soon as it's down to brass tacks not only does he know how to start it, but he knows how to drive it. And he's never even been on it. Motorboat driving isn't picked up in one day, in a couple minutes, under extreme pressure.
3. Boyd's emotions are confusing (especially for a 12-year-old boy). Why does he cry about lying, in front of the girl he lied to? I just don't understand why he got all cut up about letting her believe (not even saying, so was he technically even lying...?) it was her uncle who tied him up, not the three bullies.
4. leaves a lot of questions and loose threads. For example:
(a) who is Mr. Librarian? I assumed he would come into it at the end, since he plays a p big role throughout the book. And I assumed since he acted secretive and knowledgeable, that he actually HAD secrets and knowledge, but ig not ?
(b) what was the point of him scaring her
(c) sorry this is a spoiler for those of you tryna decide whether to read this or not. I can always save you the trouble if you want to read the spoiler at the v bottom of this review.
(d) Boyd has a mortal terror of the water, but it never really explains why - just that he does. And he gets over it v quickly.
(e) never explains why Lizzie was always tired and sleeping, though it hints that (a) it was because of her husband's death, and (b) it wasn't because of her husband's death. But it never clarifies which one it actually is.
(f) ...is the uncle a rat, or not? When she sees him in the library, she makes it seem like he's 100% a man-turned-rat. However, the book makes it very clear that he's a human, so which is it? Even while reading I was pretty confused whether he's supposed to strongly resemble or actually BE a rat. And why?
(g) How does that happen, anyway? Because the story of how he turned rat was given to the reader through the comic book, and we know the comic is fictionalized (eg: there's no Drowning Ghost), so we never get to know how or why he turned into/goes as a rat.
(h) Boyd has this hero worship of Ratt dude, but unlike most stories, he never gets to tell Ratt. Or even talk to him, in the story. Obviously he does talk to him, bc , but it would have been nice to READ ABOUT, instead of making it happen off page.
(i)
5. frustrated at the lack of resolution or character growth in this book. And the author thinking little things fix big things. Specifically, this part in the book:
Margaret never really apologizes for what she said at the library on page 196. She flies off the handle, rips into him, exposes his insecurities, while belittling them and him. He's really hurt but doesn't say anything, just keeps going with their plan even if he'll have more fallout from it going wrong than she will, and she never says anything even though she knows all this, and how much she hurt him. So... ? So what? Nothing comes of it, so why did that even happen? Like, neither one of them grows from that. Nothing happens. She says she's really sorry about what she said (pg 221), but she never tells him 1) she was speaking out of anger 2) not all of that is true and 3) not all of the things that are true are true to the extent that she was making them out to be. If that makes sense. He mumbles, "don't worry about it" and then she tells him she eats her lunches in a bathroom stall. And apparently that fixes all hurt feelings bc he goes back to normal, friendly, old Boyd, and it's never brought up again. So yeah she's sorry, but if he thinks it's all true then it's still going to hurt him and embarrass him and make him more shy and insecure than he already was. So saying sorry didn't really do anything. But the writer apparently believes telling someone about an insecurity of yours makes all their thousand insecurities that you just exploited and exposed and ripped apart and made worse...is all going to go away? Because you shared something about yourself that you're not proud of? I'm sorry, but ...okay? ...big deal? ...who cares? and how in heck does that change anything? Notice that he's still obsessed with the comics at the end, so it's not like the author was using that to bring maturity and showing a kid growing up and moving on to real life. Nah, she just wanted to make Margaret have a little mean time.
6. I've read a lot of books that do this, and I hated it every time, because it's so unrealistic and relationships don't work this way. And because it slows down the book and delays so many things that don't need to be delayed (and hinder the progress of the characters bc of it). OKAY so here's what it is: the kids hide the randomest stuff from each other because of dumb fears they have. So both the stuff they're hiding isn't worth hiding, and the reason they're hiding it doesn't justify hiding it in the first place. That happens multiple times in the book:
(a) Boyd hides the fact that the Threes tied him up, not the uncle. He can't bring himself to tell Margaret that he lied about it, and he stalls her while he's tryna get up the courage to tell her. So he slows her down from rescuing her sister (both believe that if they don't go soon, she'll be killed) and then decides in the end to not even tell her anyway so what was the point. Also not sure why the author felt the need to constantly talk about his fear of telling her that it was the Threes, especially since when he does get over his fear, it's incredibly quick and takes about a sentence to wrap up so why all the hype. Super unnecessary and just took up valuable page space that could have been used for character growth or progress. Also not sure why he's crying about it in the boat. If you've read the story, you'll probably know the part. If you haven't, basically he almost tells her and then just can't, so he starts crying while starting up the boat that will take them out to Sophie.
(b) Margaret hides what she saw in the library, and the fact that it's her uncle who's been writing about the two boys, and that it's her dad who was the ghost (p215). Why? Because "what does that make her?" Uhhh, idk, related? (fr, I'm not sure what she's worried about will happen if she tells Boyd her uncle is the Ratt dude.)
7. (pg 255) When everything's gone down, and they're looking for Ratt, she gets in a boat to go back to shore, and she sees Sophie grinning at her - obviously, at that point, .
Things the book does well:
honestly just a bunch of quotes.
This is silly, I said to myself. Go downstairs and wait for morning. But even as I said it, I knew I wouldn't. It wasn't some test of bravery or even curiosity anymore. It was just that if I turned around and went downstairs, it would mean there was smth to be afraid of. And if there was smth to be afraid of, then how would I be able to spend the rest of the night in that house?
(p131)
"This is all your fault," I said to my mother. "Your fault." I didn't mean it, really. I knew there was a lot I would never understand - like what it must have been like to have two small kids and a dead husband. But I wanted to hurt someone as much as I hurt. And I wanted it to be her.bt, dt.
(page 265)
This isn't just my story, and where it beings and ends for me isn't where it begins and ends for anyone else.
(p276)
I will say this. People leave their stories everywhere. On tiny scraps of paper and initials scratched in wooden benches. In bits of conversation overheard at a bus stop or floating out from a second-story window on a warm, summer day. In what they throw away but shouldn't, and in what they should throw away but can't. Even on grocery lists, if you squint your eyes and look at them long enough.And it does have a satisfying explanation for all the "Editor's notes" and who's behind writing the book, that's one thing I liked about the ending.
(page 281)
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Never done this before, and might start doing when the books aren't worth reading, but if you want to spoil the book for yourself:
January 7, 2021
one of my fav books from childhood and it was so fun to share with my students
April 4, 2022
I read this book for the first time in elementary school and I loved it so much. I wanted to reread for nostalgic reasons and I wasn’t disappointed.
Shelved as 'library-to-read'
October 3, 2019Gad I'm old. This is listed as a 'children's book you still love as an adult.' When this came out, two of my children were already adults and too old for it! Nevertheless, I will look for it.
February 24, 2021
I OVERCAME MY DEBILITATING RAT PHOBIA JUST IN TIME TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THIS WEIRD, WHIMSICAL, TOUCHING STORY
October 6, 2007
This one surprised me. I picked it up on Kate's suggestion and it hooked me. A strong mystery with good central and supporting characters. Booktalk below.
How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
Sunday’s are always the same in Margaret’s family. Her mom calls them ‘family unwind days.� Mom takes a nap on the couch, Sophie � Margaret’s 7 year-old sister � works on THE HARDEST JIGSAW EVER MADE (you have to say it like that because it’s all capitalized), and Margaret folds her laundry. That’s about it. Oh, they heat up a pizza.
That’s why this Sunday is so unusual. Their mom takes Margaret and Sophie on a ferry ride, but she won’t say where they’re going, or why. They end up at a spooky mansion on a strangely familiar island, and along the way Margaret’s mom buys one of those black and red signs that say “For Sale By Owner.�
When they finally arrive, Margaret wants to know what’s going on, but her mother only tells her to go find a shovel. Figures. Margaret goes around the back of the house to look. In a big walled-in patio, surrounded by old National Geographics, Margaret strains for a peek inside the strange house. Suddenly, she crashes through a crate on the floor. Inside, she comes across a clue. A big one. A package sent to her mother, and returned unopened, over 4 years ago. Just after Margaret’s father died in a drowning accident.
In the package are a comic book, an old key, and a champion swimming medal with her dad’s name engraved on it. How could her father have drowned if he was a champion swimmer? She just has to find out. And so � the following week � trusting a mere 7 year-old to cover for her in front of mom, she takes the ferry back to the island alone. She needs to get into the mansion and find answers. What does a comic book about a half-rat half-man have to do with her family? Maybe finding out about her dad isn’t going to be quite as simple as she thought. How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
Sunday’s are always the same in Margaret’s family. Her mom calls them ‘family unwind days.� Mom takes a nap on the couch, Sophie � Margaret’s 7 year-old sister � works on THE HARDEST JIGSAW EVER MADE (you have to say it like that because it’s all capitalized), and Margaret folds her laundry. That’s about it. Oh, they heat up a pizza.
That’s why this Sunday is so unusual. Their mom takes Margaret and Sophie on a ferry ride, but she won’t say where they’re going, or why. They end up at a spooky mansion on a strangely familiar island, and along the way Margaret’s mom buys one of those black and red signs that say “For Sale By Owner.�
When they finally arrive, Margaret wants to know what’s going on, but her mother only tells her to go find a shovel. Figures. Margaret goes around the back of the house to look. In a big walled-in patio, surrounded by old National Geographics, Margaret strains for a peek inside the strange house. Suddenly, she crashes through a crate on the floor. Inside, she comes across a clue. A big one. A package sent to her mother, and returned unopened, over 4 years ago. Just after Margaret’s father died in a drowning accident.
In the package are a comic book, an old key, and a champion swimming medal with her dad’s name engraved on it. How could her father have drowned if he was a champion swimmer? She just has to find out. And so � the following week � trusting a mere 7 year-old to cover for her in front of mom, she takes the ferry back to the island alone. She needs to get into the mansion and find answers. What does a comic book about a half-rat half-man have to do with her family? Maybe finding out about her dad isn’t going to be quite as simple as she thought. How to Disappear Completely and Never be Found, by Sara Nickerson.
July 14, 2020
This is another one of those amazing books from my childhood, I obviously loved creepy scary books. More than that, I loved that this book dealt with the real world problems that children face. This is definitely a common theme in the books that I loved as a child. I read books that dealt with the supernatural, fantasy worlds, real life problems and I read a lot of classics and mystery novels. I loved suspense, horror and thrillers. I still love all kinds of stories, but with all the books and stories I have heard and read, not every story sticks in my head with much detail. This is one of the exceptions to that fact. This book has been in my head for years and I was so happy to find it again. I really love this book very much. The horror, suspense and the friendship and family values throughout the book really make it even more wonderful.
December 7, 2010
Four stars - for a YA book. Or: this is what I would have thought. Because I like books about conspiracies, and hidden truths, and Fate (capital F), and water-water-cold-and-deep. Oh, the so many layers and the tricks of memory and mind. But it gives the sense of trusting, finding family, fighting towards truth, & what you're going to sacrifice, what you won't ...
This is written and illustrated (in a comic-style) by women - hurray! - and all the elements combine. It works. It opens up possibilities and worlds-among-worlds, as books ought to do, as so few do outside the YA realm (goddamn it all).
-- Bought, on a whim, from Goodwill. Fate?
This is written and illustrated (in a comic-style) by women - hurray! - and all the elements combine. It works. It opens up possibilities and worlds-among-worlds, as books ought to do, as so few do outside the YA realm (goddamn it all).
-- Bought, on a whim, from Goodwill. Fate?
February 23, 2024
Update: finally bought it in paperback and read it tonight. Just as suspenseful and rollercoastery and fun as last time I saw it.
This is one of my most elusive in memory of actual content but greatest in feeling in regards to my favourite childhood books.
The title literally does what it says and Ive been looking for it for years. Thank you goodreads user who was also looking for it.
I just need to get my hands on this book again
This is one of my most elusive in memory of actual content but greatest in feeling in regards to my favourite childhood books.
The title literally does what it says and Ive been looking for it for years. Thank you goodreads user who was also looking for it.
I just need to get my hands on this book again
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