Kept in the Dark

by Nina Bawden and Nina Baldwin

Book Overview

Clara and Bosie hoped Noel was right. But they all found the big, strange, isolated house and the grandparents they'd never met before rather daunting. And when David turned up and claimed he belonged... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• ISBN: 0590328484
• ISBN13: 9780590328487
• Release Date: February 1986
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Weight: 0.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A juvenile mystery of intrigue and suspense

When their father, falls ill with debilitating depression, and their mother needs to leave town to be with him, Noel , Clara and Bosie move in with their strange grandparents whom they have never met before. This is a hard enough adaptation, but real difficulties arise when their mysterious cousin,David, their grandfather's grandchild from a previous marriage comes to stay. David is clearly a sociopath, and after briefly befriending Clara and Bosie, keeps the whole family as virtual hostages, under threat, while he takes on the roll as master of the house, in a macabre game of "happy Families". His abuse of everyone grows, as things become more and more tense, towards the final climax. The children cope as best they can with this frightening ordeal as their grandparents seem unable to act, and their parents know nothing about the bizarre situation. A thrilling juvenile mystery. Touches on issues such as mental illness, control, and abuse.

The amostphere is good

The story is about 3 children namely Clara, Noel and Bosie. Since their father falls ill, their mother need to take care of their father and earn money so no people can take care of them, so they need to live with their grandmother who they never been met. Before they went to their grandma¡¦s home, they were afraid because they didn¡¦t know their grandma¡¦s personalities and also afraid she loses temper when she saw her grandson and daughter. But they have a happy life lived with grandma and granddad. Their grandma is called Elizabeth; she asked the children call her ¡§Liz¡¨. They seem enjoy living with their grandma, but when David came to their house, their live were change into worry. If you want to know who David is and what happen with him, you should read this book. At the first, when I saw this book at my school library, the book cover attracts me to pick up from the shelves. It gives me a secret and mystery impression, since I like to read this kind of books, so I borrowed it from the school library.After I read it, the story is a historical of Elizabeth¡¦s family. I am a bit disappointed. But the story seems good, so I haven¡¦t change my book and continuous to read this story. In ¡§KEPT IN THE DARK¡¨, the character are described very active and interest, the most character I like is Mrs. Battle, it is because she¡¦s outlook is funny and her personality seems like myself. Moreover, the arrangement of the story is good; it is because the peak of the story is wonderful! Since the author can make an exiting atmosphere, I was one of the characters not a reader!But the word used in the passages is differ cal, not easy to understand. Overall, I would recommend this story book to my friend and classmates; I hope they would enjoy it!

The amostphere is good

The story is about 3 children namely Clara, Noel and Bosie. Since their father falls ill, their mother need to take care of their father and earn money so no people can take care of them, so they need to live with their grandmother who they never been met. Before they went to their grandma¡¦s home, they were afraid because they didn¡¦t know their grandma¡¦s personalities and also afraid she loses temper when she saw her grandson and daughter. But they have a happy life lived with grandma and granddad. Their grandma is called Elizabeth; she asked the children call her ¡§Liz¡¨. They seem enjoy living with their grandma, but when David came to their house, their live were change into worry. If you want to know who David is and what happen with him, you should read this book. At the first, when I saw this book at my school library, the book cover attracts me to pick up from the shelves. It gives me a secret and mystery impression, since I like to read this kind of books, so I borrowed it from the school library.After I read it, the story is a historical of Elizabeth¡¦s family. I am a bit disappointed. But the story seems good, so I haven¡¦t change my book and continuous to read this story. In ¡§KEPT IN THE DARK¡¨, the character are described very active and interest, the most character I like is Mrs. Battle, it is because she¡¦s outlook is funny and her personality seems like myself. Moreover, the arrangement of the story is good; it is because the peak of the story is wonderful! Since the author can make an exiting atmosphere, I was one of the characters not a reader!But the word used in the passages is differ cal, not easy to understand. Overall, I would recommend this story book to my friend and classmates; I hope they would enjoy it!