Alias [Hardcover]

Mary Elizabeth Ryan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

While researching a school report on the Vietnam War, Toby Chase discovers that his mother is a wanted fugitive, a fact that explains why they move to a new city and change their names every few months."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10. Toby Chase's life has been a series of different schools and towns. He and his mother never have a phone or credit cards, and she constantly changes her hair color, job, and their last name. Now a teenager, Toby is resentful of her refusal to respond to his questions and he begins pressing her for answers. It is while working on a research paper for his new school in rural Idaho, however, that he finally uncovers the truth, via the Internet, that his mother is wanted by the FBI for her radical activities as a college student during the Vietnam War era. This time, when she must move on, Toby refuses to go, and he is left in the care of his mother's employer and would-be sweetheart, Sam Wilder. In the end, she turns herself in. When her lawyer discovers that her group was framed by a secret government agency, the story has a happy ending and Toby gets a bright beginning. All of the characters are well developed, but Toby is especially real and likable, which makes his habit of stealing rather disconcerting, and his longing for "people" and a past heartbreaking. Plot points are passed on through unobtrusive inner musings, and the pacing will keep readers moving along. Ryan does a great job of alternating the tension of life on the run with the precious patches of normalcy and calm that Sam brings to Toby's life. She doesn't do anything clever with images or language, but she competently tells a story that puts a personal face on events that have cropped up in the news over the past few years.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. Taut and suspenseful, this is both an exciting mystery and a poignant coming-of-age story. At 15, Toby Chase doesn't ask why he and his mother are always moving. He has always accepted her restless lifestyle, crisscrossing the country. He knows she loves him, and they have a great time together as long as he follows the rules: no personal questions. Then they come to Donner, Idaho; he likes it there and begins to make friends--and to uncover his mother's history. Toby's casual, contemporary narrative voice will have readers racing to the climax, but, unfortunately, the jacket flap gives away the secret (she is a political fugitive from a 1960s antiwar conspiracy), and the final few pages are cluttered and contrived to make a happy ending. Yet the people and places are drawn with beautiful economy. As in Ehrlich's Where It Stops, Nobody Knows (1988), the child's loving bond with the fugitive parent is at the center of the story, and the excitement of the chase is infused with the longing for home. Hazel Rochman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 1st edition (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689807899
• ISBN-13: 978-0689807893
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,734,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Alias -, May 9, 2003

By 

vaughn (CA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alias (Library Binding)

For as long as he can remember, fifteen year old Toby Chase's home has been the old car his mom is driving to yet another new life in a new city. Just when Toby gets settled, they pack up and move on. After settling in the remote Idaho community of Donner, Toby's mother promises him that it will be better than any place they have ever lived, and it is. Toby's happy and his mother is too. While doing research on the Internet for a school research project about the Vietnam War, Toby discovers the truth about his mother; she is a fugitive. Will Toby reveal his knowledge? Will he again have to move? Has his dream of a real home once again been shattered?

Ryan has written a suspenseful fast paced story. The characters are well developed which makes the reader care all the more about Toby, his mother and the friends they have made in Donner. Some tense moments lead up to the story's conclusion. A few minor flaws exist, but can be easily overlooked. An enjoyable work that teens will enjoy.

4.0 out of 5 stars Thrilling and Unpredictable, January 19, 2001

By 

"vanie82" (Los Angeles , CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alias (Mass Market Paperback)

Toby has always wondered what his mom was keeping from him. Whenever he asked questions she would respond by telling him not to ask but to do as she says. Since Toby could remember, he never stayed in one place for a long time. Instead, he was always moving from one place of the country to another whenever Bad News Fred showed up. Toby's mother changed her appearance whenever they moved to a new place. In one town she had long, blond hair, and then in another city she had short, brown hair. She changed her name as often as she changed her hairstyle. On their last move Toby, discovers why his mother is so secretive-- she is a fugitive who has been running from the FBI since the Vietnam War. The heat is on, and the FBI find out where Toby and his mother are located. Fred arrives to warn Toby's mom and she leaves Toby behind. Will Toby ever see his mother again? Will his mother escape? The book is very thrilling and very unpredictable. If you think you know how the book ends you could be wrong! This book is a great way to get your mind off things and I am sure you will not put the book down towards the end because I sure did not.

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a great book for readers that like suspense!, February 24, 1999

By 

Halley Wattman ([e-mail]) (New Hartford, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Alias (Hardcover)

I read the book Alias by Elizabeth Ryan. It was about a boy named Toby and his mother who are on the run. It was a wonderful book to me because it was very mysterious. It was neat because it didn't tell you a lot in one time. It made you want to keep reading. The book's plot was easy to follow even though Toby and his mom moved around often and his mother had to change her name from being found. All together this was a good book that you will have to read, because to tell you more, would ruin the ending!