They Never Came Back [Hardcover]

Caroline B. Cooney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 12, 2010

In a busy school cafeteria, a teenage girl is confronted by a classmate who questions her identity. He explains to the students who have crowded around that the girl bears an uncanny resemblance to his cousin, who was taken away by social services five years ago. Her parents abandoned her, fleeing the country after being accused of embezzling millions of dollars. The students are intrigued, but the girl shrugs off the attention as a case of mistaken identity.

As the days pass, however, the boy refuses to relent and even brings his parents in to back him up. But they are not the only adults involved. An FBI agent who has been working the case these past five years believes that whoever this girl is, she can serve as bait to help the FBI capture the fugitives. In this powerful novel that explores the possibility of mistaken identity, the evils of money and greed, and the heartfelt obligations of family and loyalty, Caroline B. Cooney has once again crafted a page-turner that will resonate with readers.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—Five years ago, 10-year-old Murielle Lyman's wealthy mother and father fled the country after being accused of embezzlement, and their plans to take her with them fell through. Now 15, going by the name Cathy Ferris and living with a kind foster family, she starts summer school in her old tony hometown of Greenwich, CT, hoping to get news of her parents and possibly reconnect with her extended family. But she never expected that her cousin Tommy would recognize her, or that the FBI agent assigned to their case would reappear and want to use her as bait to catch her parents. Cooney has crafted another thriller with a lot of appeal. With chapters alternating between Murielle's past and Cathy's present, readers will speed through the pages. The book couldn't be more relevant in light of the Bernie Madoff scandal; Cooney's adaptation of a complex fraud story for this age group is interesting if one can look beyond some weaknesses. For example, Cathy's classmates at times come across as unrealistically invested in the possibility of Cathy being Murielle. This book will appeal to the same crowd that's been reading Cooney's reluctant-reader-friendly titles for years.—Jennifer Barnes, Homewood Library, IL
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From Booklist

Cooney’s latest novel offers intrigue but isn’t quite up to the bar set by many of her previous novels. Fifteen-year-old Cathy Ferris is studying at a summer language program in Greenwich, Connecticut. During lunch hour, a boy in the program mistakes Cathy for his cousin, Murielle Lyman. Five years ago, the Lymans fled the country after stealing millions from their clients, leaving their 10-year-old daughter in foster care. Cathy’s classmates—including a girl whose mother was imprisoned because of the embezzlement—get caught up in the scandal. While the FBI plans to use Cathy to trap the Lymans, and her classmates attempt to sleuth out the real Murielle, Cathy wrestles with her own identity and betrayal. The mystery surrounding Murielle’s identity is intriguing, and readers will wonder if the evasive Lymans will ever turn up. While this novel fails to deliver the action of Code Orange (2005) or the drama of the incredibly popular Face on the Milk Carton (1990), it is an accessible read for reluctant readers, if not quite a must for devotees of suspenseful thrillers. Grades 6-9. --Kimberly Garnick

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers (January 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385738080
• ISBN-13: 978-0385738088
• Product Dimensions: 5.9 x 0.8 x 8.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,056,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 17, 2010

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Never Came Back (Hardcover)

THEY NEVER CAME BACK by Caroline B. Cooney is a great thriller for middle grade readers. There are just enough twists and turns in the plot to keep readers focused, and it offers a few thought-provoking questions to make readers consider just exactly what they would do in the same circumstances.

Chapter one is about Cathy. She is enrolled in a special accelerated summer school. The program squeezes one full year of Latin into a summer course. Her focus is Latin morning, noon, and night. One afternoon in the cafeteria, Cathy is shocked when a boy named Tommy approaches her table and calls her Murielle. He even drops to his knees before her as he insists she is his long-lost cousin. He claims she was taken from his home five years ago by social services. Then he adds that she had been abandoned by her parents, who were guilty of stealing millions of dollars from business investors. Suddenly, Cathy is the center of attention.

Chapter two begins with Murielle. Ten-year-old Murielle is a lucky girl. Her parents are in the financial investment business, and they are able to provide her with anything her heart desires. She is used to living in a fancy house, having pretty clothes, new things whenever she wants, and private lessons in just about anything she is interested in doing. Even though they are constantly working and leave her in the care of various babysitters and housekeepers, Murielle thinks her parents are terrific.

One afternoon, Murielle is with her Aunt Lois headed toward the airport. The plan is that her aunt will be dropping her off to catch a flight with her father. They will be flying to England where they will meet up with her mother. Suddenly, Aunt Lois turns the car away from the airport and begins shouting about how she won't go through with the plans. Murielle has no idea what is going on except that she is not going to be going with her parents. At that point her life changes forever.

Could Cathy and Murielle really be one and the same? Is Cathy, who lives with a struggling foster family, really the daughter of millionaire investors? It's been five years since their scandalous disappearance. Could they really have been more interested in money than in their adorable little Murielle?

THEY NEVER CAME BACK is a fast-paced novel with a unique plot. Caroline B. Cooney's smooth flowing prose will keep readers on the edge of their seats as they follow the action to see just exactly who is who in this clever mystery.

Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

3.0 out of 5 stars Do we really care?, December 13, 2011

By 

J. Grambo "Teacher" (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: They Never Came Back (Paperback)

When Murielle was 10 years old, her parents abandoned her in their flight to escape prosecution for embezzlement. With foster parents and a new name, Cathy (Murielle) has become comfortable with her new life, but still desperately misses her parents and extended family. When her cousin shows up in the school cafeteria and recognizes her, her real name and history are exposed.

Although an interesting premise, the "danger" of revealing her identity seems over-exaggerated. The drama of the other students' fascination with Murielle's parents is also overwrought, especially considering the dry nature of the explanations of the embezzlement.

Might be mildly interesting to fans of the author.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing saga, March 20, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: They Never Came Back (Hardcover)

Caroline B. Cooney's THEY NEVER CAME BACK provides an engrossing saga revolving around a girl in hiding who is discovered when she goes to a new school. When a student recognizes Cathy as a child who vanished years ago when her parents fled the country, identity, responsibility and issues of secrecy and history invade her life. Can she ever escape the shadow of her parents' actions?