Taking Terri Mueller (Avon Flare Book) [Paperback]

Norma Fox Mazer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1981 | Series: Avon Flare Book

For as long as I can remember, It's just been Daddy and me. I can't remember my mother. I was told she died in an accident when I was four, and that's all I know about her. I don't understand why there isn't even a picture of her. The other thing I don't understand is why we're always moving -- different towns -- with no explanations. I know something is wrong. It begins with my birth certificate-- my only link to my mother. Then I overhear a conversation: "Tell terri the truth ," Why are we moving all the time? Are we running away from something or someone? What kind of secret is Daddy hiding...and why can't he share it with me.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Norma Fox Mazer, who lives in Pompey Hills of central New York State and in New York City, has written nearly thirty novels and short story collections for young adults. Her novels, including Missing Pieces, Out of Control, and the Newbery Honor Book After the Rain, are critically acclaimed and popular among young readers for their portrayal of teens in realistic and difficult problems. In her new book, Girlhearts, she brings back the memorable characters from Silver, who continue to deal with life's hardest moments through their honest and touching relationships.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 13 and up
  
• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: HarperTeen (November 1, 1981)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380790041
• ISBN-13: 978-0380790043
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,797,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

NORMA FOX MAZER is the award-winning author of many novels for young people. She has been honored with the Christopher Award, a Newbery Honor, the Edgar Allen Poe Award, and a National Book Award nomination. She and her husband, novelist Harry Mazer, divide their time between Jamesville, New York, and New York City.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars :), August 29, 2001

By 

Marisa (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Terri Mueller (Avon Flare Book) (School & Library Binding)

--Terri and her father have never stayed in the same place more than six months - after a while, they pack up and move somewhere else. Terri doesn't mind this life style, but after a while she begins to doubt that her mother, supposedly dead, ever actually died, and thinks her father kidnapped her from a divorce between them. Following this is a search for her mother, on which Terri uncovers some terrible secrets in her family's history. --This book is probably my favourite my Norma Fox Mazer; it is also her most realistic, in my opinion. --Marisa

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Touching Story, February 17, 2000

By 

S.Watkins (Antarctica) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Taking Terri Mueller (Avon Flare Book) (Paperback)

I feel that the book "Taking Terri Mueller" was an excellent book and really gives you the feel of how life is after a divorce. If your parents were divorced and you haven't seen your mom or dad in at least 8 years, don't you ever stop to think what might have happened to them? In Terri's case, she should answer this question with a "yes." She was too young at the time to realize the fact that her very own loving father had kidnapped her from her mother. He lied to her and said her mother had died in a car crash when she really was alive and well. When Terri gets older, she realizes she doesn't own one picture of her mother, her father never talks about her, and she doesn't even have her own birth certificate! This is where the tension really starts to build up in the book because then she starts asking her dad questions. She does find out that her father did lie to her and that she needs to get in touch with her mother. She gets her mother's number and goes and visits her across the country. She had never beeen happier to know that she had both of her parents alive. Her only other conflict was the fact that she had to make the choice to live either with her mother or father. She picked her father for good reasons. This book brought tears to my eyes. I enjoyed it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange and moving young adult book., April 15, 2007

By 

frumiousb "frumiousb" (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Taking Terri Mueller (Avon Flare Book) (Paperback)

I had remembered this book from when I was younger and when I saw a copy for sale second-hand, I was curious to see how it held up over time. I only had a vague memory of the plot, just a sense that it had disturbed me when I read it.

Taking Terri Mueller is a book that deals with the very adult issue of custodial kidnapping. Terri finds that her life is strange compared to other children-- constantly moving, no real family. As she gets older, she is less inclined to accept the differences, and starts pushing her father to find out the real story of what had happened to her all those years ago...

Even as an adult, I found it a disturbing book. Mazer does a good job of capturing Terri's mixed loyalties and the difficult intricacies of her situation. My only real concern is the book's refusal to judge the actions of Terri's father. It almost seemed as though Mazer was encouraging us to tacitly accept that he had a fair point of view and that his rightness had not been completely eroded by his actions. I find that very difficult to accept. I realize, however, that her audience is young people who might find themselves in a similar situation and that her purpose is to reach them without judgement.

Recommended.