Missing, Believed Crazy by Terence Blacker

August 2009, MacMillan Children's Books

304 pages, Paperback

Review copy

Children's, 9+

Cushions: 3/5

Smiles: 5/5

Tissues: 2/5

Yunaleska's recommended rating ♥♥♥♥♥

Missing, Believed Crazy is the headline Trix and her friends believe the newspaper should be displaying. After all, that's the truth. Trix hasn't been kidnapped, not really. Self-kidnapped more like.

Trix isn't an ordinary student at Carthcart College, a co-ed boarding school. She had dreams. Not the dreams of becoming a model which one of her soon to be friends Jade dreamt of. Trix's dreams were to change the world. To help those who need it. So when what could have been a successful, fashion fundraiser at school flopped, Trix took fund raising to the next level. She committed a crime.

Her plan for kidnapping herself was vague, I didn't see how it could be pulled off. Neither did the friends she'd roped into helping her. Yet somehow they all ended up in Wales, where Trix was hiding out at Mark's eccentric godfather Giddeon's place. Giddeon is paranoid, lives alone with as little human contact as possible. Why? Well here's a snippet of Giddeon's character

page 62: I have a telephone, but I avoid answering it. I prefer to store messages upon an answering machine. [That sounds almost normal. I rarely answer the main phone, never know who's calling.] Now and then, as in the case of my godson, there are people to whom I would like to speak. On those occasions, I return their call. Something else I learned at nineteen. I don't like human beings much.

Thankfully children are/were an exception, so he accepts Mark and co without question. He wasn't to know that a recently released killer would steal his tractor and creep around his house, hoping to catch Trix. That Mark doesn't really like living with him. That Wiki, the brains of the group will enjoy learning to hunt and skin animals. Or how much Jade a drama queen, despising everything in the country. At least Holly is more sensible.

The problem about kidnapping herself, was making sure stage two of the plan gets put into place. Trix wants any money raised to find her to go to needy children in Africa. When they see the first news bulletin about her kidnapping, the scale of what they've done hits them. It doesn't make them hand themselves in. No, they keep going.

At what point will they end the kidnap scan? Will they end it when the released killer gets hold of Jade's wayward brothers? Will the money raised - since Trix is the daughter of an actress a lot of money gets donated - reach the rightful cause?

Missing, Believed Crazy is one of those laugh out loud books. Almost every character mentioned has their own point of view, which gets referred to frequently. The far-fetched crime does more than raise money, it changes the members of the V-day gang (vanishing day) forever. Wiki will forever hide the catapult under his bed. Jade isn't the rich little princess she makes out to be. Well, she is rich, but her life isn't a bed of roses. With Wiki's help it gets a little easier. Holly gains a new sister. Mark still likes attention, but has made friend with Wiki. And Trix? Well she doesn't stay in school, but not for the reasons you'd think.

Amidst the humour the children grow emotionally, taking notice of the world which they'd never really noticed before. I don't think we all need to engage in crime to make a difference to those who need it. Where we can, we can all give a little to make someone's life easier.

Information about Terence Blacker, including books he has written, can be found on MacMillan's website.

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