Jennifer the Jerk Is Missing

by Carol Gorman and Gorman

Thirteen-year-old Amy is babysitting Malcolm, an eight-year-old with a reputation for making up stories. When he tells her he's witnessed the kidnapping of a schoolmate, Amy doesn't know if she should... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671865781
• ISBN13: 9780671865788
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
• Length: 135 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.8" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Fun light-hearted mystery

Jennifer-the-Jerk Is Missing wastes no time getting started. Right in the first chapter, we are introduced to the characters, and it isn't long before the mystery starts. 13 year old Amy hates babysitting Malcolm, a bratty 8-year-old who, according to his parents, has a habit of making up stories and telling lies. When Malcolm witnesses what he thinks is the kidnapping of his classmate, even brattier 8-year-old Jennifer Smith, Amy takes it in stride, considering not only Malcolm's reputation for making things up, but also the fact that what he witnessed had a perfectly logical explanation. Further investigation, along with much arguing with Malcolm, ultimately proves that he's right, and she finally jumps into action to try to set things right. This is a pretty fun little story. There's a lot of personality in the characters. Malcolm is a constant brat, first rejecting Amy and telling her that he doesn't have to do anything she tells him, and that he's going to do things on his own. Afraid of getting in trouble with Malcolm's strict parents as well as her own, she follows along, even as she tries to reign him in and keep him out of trouble. Both characters are trying to do the right thing, except for a while, both believe the right thing is something different. Malcolm believes fervently that he witnessed a kidnapping and he must stop it, while Amy thinks Malcolm made the whole thing up and it's her duty to stop him from getting out of hand. Once Malcolm's fears are proven true, however, Amy quickly leaps to his side. Since the police don't believe them (due to Malcolm's many tall tales in the past), the two take it upon themselves to rescue Jennifer. What was rather unexpected is that the mood shifts once they get there. The book starts out mostly suspenseful, with dashes of character humor sprinkled throughout the proceedings. Once they reach the kidnappers' hideout, the story changes. The suspense ramps up considerably, but the humor ramps up even more, overshadowing the suspense. Jennifer is just as bratty as Malcolm said she was. Tied to a chair and gagged, she actually laughs beneath her gag at Amy and Malcolm's first failed attempt to rescue her. She is very ungrateful, unrealistically so to the point of character comedy, but truth be told, this is part of what makes the story so fun. I liked this book a lot. I like suspense, and I don't mind humor if it doesn't necessarily get in the way of the story. Thankfully, it mostly didn't. While the characters did act rather unrealistically at times, particularly in regards to the dialog coming from the kidnappers, I felt the character humor worked pretty well. It mostly added flavor to the characters and lightened the mood, but didn't take too much away from the suspense. The solutions to problems are fairly improbable, but then again, it's just that type of story. Once you appreciate it for what it is, the story is pretty enjoyable. Overall, a pretty fun read. Recommended for anyone

Best Story in my LIFE

I LOVED Jennifer-the-Jerk Is Missing!I loved how Carol Gorman used comedy and adventure with a little bit of suspense. I finished this amazing book in two hours because it was so good. It tells the tale of a lying, rich, little boy, Malcolm, and his babysitter, Amy. When Malcolm says he sees a classmate and swears she was kidnapped. Amy and Malcolm try to save a helpless Jennifer and get more people to believe them this time! You should try Jennifer the Jerk is missing, and love it, too!