Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop [Hardcover]

Jennifer Allison (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Gilda Joyce

When Gilda lands a summer internship at Washington, D.C.?s International Spy Museum, she finds herself embroiled in both a museum haunting and a real case of espionage. While investigating a cemetery where Abraham Lincoln?s son was once buried, Gilda stumbles upon a spy?s ?dead drop? of classified information. Gilda?s efforts to decode the cryptic message lead to further intrigues: Is she on the trail of a mole operating inside the U.S. intelligence community? Aware that ?nothing is what it seems? when it comes to spies in Washington, D.C., Gilda faces the most serious challenge yet in her career as a psychic spy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

First you have to get past the fact that 14-year-old Gilda Joyce, psychic detective, has gotten herself an internship at Washington, D.C.’s International Spy Museum and shares an apartment with a twentysomething. (True, her application did say she was 15.) But this book, one of the strongest in the series, is full of excitement as it pulls together lots of plotlines (the inner workings of the International Spy Museum! Cold war spies! Psychic spies!) into a bustling, often-amusing read. Gilda is as sassy as ever, and though she doesn’t always come across as a real teen, she certainly comes across as fun. Grades 6-9. --Ilene Cooper

Review

"This is a well-told story with a tenacious, yet completely endearing heroine. Allison creates a summer anyone would envy- anyone interested in intrigue, adventure, fashion, and the truth, that is." --School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 14, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525479805
• ISBN-13: 978-0525479802
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #695,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gilda Joyce Becomes a Spy, June 2, 2009

By 

Pat Shand "Pat Shand" (Freeport, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop (Hardcover)

**NOTE**
The star-rating should be 4/5, not 5/5
**


I said it in my reviews for the previous Gilda Joyce books, and I'll say it again. This series is easily the most well-written, captivating, and all around entertaining series of "children's books" since Harry Potter. I turned the last page of the latest Gilda book, "The Dead Drop," less than five minutes ago, and I am already eagerly awaiting the next installment. Hopefully, we don't have to wait another two years for it, but when it does roll around, you better believe I'll be reading it.

So I love the series as a whole. This book on its own was also very good, but it lacked a few of the key things that elevated the first three books to a higher level. Gilda's snarky charm is still there, though I was a bit let down to see that she is a bit less disarming here than she was previously. The real change, though, is in the overall telling of the story. There is a lot more emphasis on the mystery and less on Gilda's emotional journey. In all the prior books, the Gilda's feelings (and those of the major supporting characters) were woven into the mystery, taking the reader on an emotional ride even as the mystery unfolds and things get scary. That was oddly absent in this book. While there were a few "aww" moments and one particular moment where I suspect eyes will get momentarily misty, the focus of the book is way less on Gilda's relationships and even Gilda than it was in any of the other books, including "The Ghost Sonata," in which Gilda shared the spotlight with another protagonist. Another thing that left me wanting was the role Gilda played in the mystery. She had a lot of help in cracking the case here, and while she did play an essential role in cracking it, it somehow felt like a less triumphant victory than the mysteries she has solved before. There are some cool themes at work, such as Gilda's discovery that adult's secretive nature might not be a bad thing, but it seemed like those themes were wrapped up very quickly in order for the mystery to come to a neat climax.

Readers who loved Gilda before will certainly love her in "The Dead Drop," and most will be entertained by the story. Allison's prose is the strongest its been, and there are a lot of cool moments here that make this a solid read. For any other series, this would be an out-of-the-park homerun, so I have no doubts that all readers will cherish this book and want more. The mystery is exciting, and the history and setting that surrounds it is really cool. What was cool about this book, in a strange way, was that the series has sort of been building toward this. In each book, there seems to be paranormal activity... but it can also be written off or explained. Each book seemed to make the case for paranormal involvement more obvious, building up to this book where the appearance of ghosts is outright and undeniable.

Also, the cover art, as always, is fantastic. These books have such a good look. It really takes the whole reading experience to the next level.

Overall, I wasn't let down by the book, because it was a good read. I do expect more from a Gilda Joyce mystery, and I expect Gilda's character and emotional journey to take the forefront again in the next book. I can't wait until it comes out.

8/10

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A 12 year old boy's review of THE DEAD DROP, December 5, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop (Hardcover)

I am a big fan of Jennifer Allison's books. I have read almost all of the Gilda Joyce books. But I think that THE DEAD DROP is the best. THE DEAD DROP is a really good book for kids who love spies, a good mystery, and the paranormal. THE DEAD DROP is a good book for history on the Cold War. It has a twist to it that reminded me of Alfred Hichcock's movie REAR WINDOW. THE DEAD DROP is a good book for kids of both genders. This book has kept me up 'till twelve o'clock at night because it kept me hanging on every letter. Gilda's cooking experiences with her new roommate are absolutely hilarious. I think that THE DEAD DROP is one of Jennifer Allison's best piece of work EVER.

--Nathan T.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting developments, can't wait for more!!!, October 6, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop (Hardcover)

Another great Gilda Joyce book set at The International Spy Museum!!
In Jennifer Allison's 4th book you can tell Gilda's older with more responsibilities and her skills are sharper. In the Dead Drop, Gilda is a bit more serious than she has been in the last three books. There's less stuff going on with Gilda personally too. Probably having to do with the fact that she's away from home with no friends her age in Washington DC doing an internship at the spy musuem. There were still some interesting developments having to do with family and friends though...Wendy and Gilda's brother (hint hint). Although not as many as in the last three books, there were occasions were i had to burst out laughing (and got weird looks from the other people in the book store).See,this mystery is more focused on what's happening in the plot, not so much what gilda's thinking and feeling. Don't get me wrong though it's a great book and i practically devoured it!
Gilda gets to be very independent in this book.
Having a job, living in the city with an older roommate, being a Spy Camp counseler (i learned a lot about spying myself)...I would definatly recommend this book and hope Jennifer Allison comes out with her next book VERY soon!

Ps. Isn't the cover art awesome?