Spell It M-U-R-D-E-R

Author: Ivy Ruckman

Publisher: Skylark Books

Pages: 150

Price: $3.50 (paperback)

Spell It M-U-R-D-E-R is 150 pages of twists and turns, good for those who like surprises.

The story begins when the two girls, Katy Miller and Andrea Cozakis, are on kitchen duty at camp. Katy and Andrea are really starting to hate Camp Shagbark because some "misfortunes" happen to them.

First, they get whistled off the dock for running and they lose their swim period for the day. Then, someone destroys Katy and Andrea's cots and tent, but guess who gets blamed - the two girls.

They can't seem to do anything right and begin to think that no one at camp likes them. The girls just can't take anymore so they decide to run away.

Escape interrupted

That night Katy and Andrea steal one of the camp's boats and a pair of oars so they can row their way to Elkins, their hometown. The girls set off on their 8-mile trip, and one hour later they're still rowing on the lake. Then out of nowhere they hear something but don't know what it is.

Katy was just biting into a third cookie when Andrea's head came up with a jerk, "What's that?"

Katy choked on a crumb. An engine! By the time she could talk, it was obvious someone else was out on a boat.

"Why aren't they using lights?" Andrea whispered hoarsely.

"How should I know?"

Andrea mashed the cookie package back into her tote. The boat, bigger than theirs most likely, was coming at them fast. . . .

As abruptly as it started, the noise stopped. They waited, not moving, as the sound drifted eerily through the fog.

There were voices next. Men's voices, laughing. Two men, so far as Katy could tell, and she wondered if they'd been drinking.

The girls stared hard at each other, their faces inches apart.

"I'm gonna yell," croaked Andrea, "It's Morgan and they're out looking for us. I don't want to drown out here!"

"No, wait!" Katy clapped a hand over her mouth and spoke into her ear. "It's not him, can't you tell?"

The voices were older like her dad's.

". . . deep enough," came a voice through the fog.

From the other, "Let's dump 'em here and get back before we get lost."

". . . Knot that big one a couple of times," came the younger sounding voice. "I'll do the bag with the head in it."

Katy gasped, and Andrea clung even tighter.

There was a loud splash.

". . . watery grave . . ." came the words, along with more laughter. Then, from the gravelly older voice, "The lake won't tell."

A string of swear wards reached them next, followed by, "Give me a hand, would you? This one's heavy . . . Didn't die easy either."

There were scraping noises, sounds of heaving, then a louder splash. Shortly, their own boat was rocking from the disturbance.

The plot is a real eye-opener. All the dangerous, but believable adventures that Katy and Andrea dealt with, kept me right on the edge of my seat. When the girls aren't at camp, they really have dull personalities. And I do think that Katy and Andrea need to have a little more patience with the camp and everyone there. The other characters really add to the story.

I really liked this book. Spell It M-U-R-D-E-R has all the thrills of a roller coaster. I recommend this book to anyone who can read and enjoys a good "roller coaster ride" every now and then.

(ZZCPYRT)