Someone's Mother Is Missing [Hardcover]

Harry Mazer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1990

Sam's world turns upside down when his wealthy uncle dies and his emotionally fragile aunt walks out on his cousin. Suddenly cousins Lisa and Robyn must leave their comfortable house and move in with Sam's family. Sam's house is small and chaotic, and his mother is tough as nails. To make matter worse, Sam is attracted to the coolly beautiful Lisa, but she thinks he's a jerk.



Confronted with the common goal of finding Lisa's mother, both Sam and Lisa are forced to face reality. Sam must accept that his mother will always lack finesse, and Lisa relizes her mother isn't as strong as she wants her to be. What else will Sam and Lisa discover as they pull together to search for Lisa's missing mother?


From the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lisa Allen's world of privilege and comfort crumbles when her father dies and her mother, unable to cope with her grief and the mounting debts, abandons her. Lisa and her sister, Robyn, move in with their aunt, uncle and cousin Sam. As Sam helps Lisa search for her mother, her longstanding dislike of her cousin gives way to a grudging respect. Mazer's two-dimensional characterizations of these protagonists cause the novel to fall short of its emotional and dramatic potential. His overly brief, choppy chapters omit many details and preclude examination of the characters' motives or the impact the events have on their lives. As a result, what could have been a stirring psychological adventure ends up as unconvincing melodrama. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

When Lisa's father dies, the supposedly wealthy family is left penniless. As her mother learns the truth about their destitution, she can't cope and walks out, deserting Lisa and her younger sister, Robin. In desperation, Lisa turns to her cousin Sam's family for a needed but unwanted salvation. Sam sees Lisa as a desirable but unreachable object who is far superior to him in all aspects of life; Lisa sees Sam and his family as vulgar and uncouth. But as Sam and Lisa pull together to find Lisa's mother, they both discover their own strengths and weaknesses. In alternating chapters, Lisa and and Sam's reactions to the vicissitudes of life after this sudden reversal are delineated in a wholly reasonable and realistic style. With his usual facility, Mazer scrutinizes familial relationships and finds them wanting and comforting at the same time. Adults are not shadowy figures but fully drawn persons with both virtues and failings. Sam and Lisa are good examples of young adults facing up to their impotence but relying on one another to fill in the gaps. A book that's well done and interesting enough for reluctant readers. --Kathryn Havris, Mesa Public Library, AZ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 166 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385301618
• ISBN-13: 978-0385301619
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,333,572 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harry Mazer is the author of many books for young readers, including A Boy at War and A Boy No More, which introduced Adam Pelko; The Wild Kid; and Snow Bound. His books have won numerous honors, including the Horn Book Honor List and the ALA Best Books for Young Adults citations. He is the recipient of the ALAN Award. Harry Mazer lives in New York City and Montpelier, Vermont.

Harry Mazer says, "After I finished A Boy at War, I wanted to write about Adam Pelko again, but what was the story to be? It wasn't until after the tragedies of September eleventh that I found the focus I needed to continue his story." Periods of war and national emergency have never been kind to personal liberties. In the aftermath of September eleventh many Arab and Muslim Americans find themselves under suspicion and their rights jeopardized. In some ways this is what happened after Pearl Harbor, when Japanese Americans were demonized and their rights were trampled. I know that history never simply repeats itself, but I hope that through Adam and Davi's story readers will recognize the parallels--and the perils."