Tracking Daddy Down [Hardcover]

Marybeth Kelsey (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Billie Wisher's daddy isn't a no-good bank robber . . . is he?

Billie's daddy is on the run. If the police catch him, it's off to Pendleton Penitentiary for sure. And she just got him back, after he spent years away in California. She had big plans for the summer—plans that won't be any fun without Daddy.

It must all be a mistake. Daddy didn't mean to rob that bank. If Billie finds him before the cops do, she can help him put everything right. She has an idea where he might be holed up. But Mama keeps asking what she's up to, and Billie's new stepfather, Daddy Joe, is always around, poking his nose in her business.

With her family at stake, Billie's determined to track Daddy down at all costs—but will anything turn out the way she expects?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4–7—A riveting opening sentence pulls readers into this unusual story of 11-year-old Billie Wisher, whose father and uncle have just robbed a bank. The girl adores her dad despite his pattern of abandonment. She is determined to find him before the police do and wants him to return the money. Billie convinces her cousin Tommy to go on her secret quest. As she creates a cumbersome trail of lies for her mother and stepfather and to cover her tracks with the townspeople, she weaves a labyrinthine web that becomes increasingly more difficult to manage. Kelsey has created a determined, feisty heroine whose sometimes foolish courage grows out of her love for her father and her need to believe that he is basically a good man, and even the danger involved in following him doesn't alter her resolve. The intensity of Billie's emotions causes readers to hope that she can make this dismal situation turn out happily. This multifaceted story of adventure, family, love, and trust is a testament to how strong a child's need for fatherly attention and love can be. The jarring disconnect between the book's underlying serious theme and the cartoonish art and bright red and pink on the jacket is unfortunate.—Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
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About the Author

Marybeth Kelsey is the author of Tracking Daddy Down. She has worked as a telephone operator, a hospital nurse, a scriptwriter, and a jewelry maker. She lives with her family in Bloomington, Indiana.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Greenwillow Books (September 16, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006128842X
• ISBN-13: 978-0061288425
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,398,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and Funny, January 13, 2010

By 

Karen Keyte (Cumberland, ME USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tracking Daddy Down (Hardcover)

Just a few days before Billieanne Wisher's eleventh birthday her Daddy steals $10,000 from the Henderson County Bank in Millerstown, Indiana. "He did it in broad daylight with his older brother, Warren, and from what I heard, they never even bothered to disguise themselves. All they did was tie checkered bandanas over their mouth, so of course they were recognized right off."

While everyone is Billie's tiny home town of Myron is all agog with the news, she realizes two things: first, and most importantly, she has a good idea where Daddy and Uncle Warren are hiding; and second, she has to get to them before anyone else does and convince Daddy to give the money back and turn himself in.

This is all easier said than done. Her cousin Tommy (Warren's son) is strangely reluctant to help Billie carry out her plan. On top of that, Billie's stepfather, Daddy Joe, keeps turning up at exactly the wrong moment to foil Billie's plans.

I loved this sweet funny story about a very smart young lady and her unexpected discoveries about what makes a family.

4.0 out of 5 stars Taking Daddy Down, December 11, 2009

By 

Ms. Mitchizzle "Ms. M" (KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tracking Daddy Down (Hardcover)

I read this book aloud to my awesome 7th grade English class. Most of the students really enjoyed it. Here are some of the reactions from my class.

"This book was very descriptive and I understood all of it XD" --Mar (12)

"This book kept me on the edge of my desk because I never knew what was going to happen next"--Marj (13)

"This book is a blend of mystery and charisma. It was awesome" Mimi (12)

"Awesometastic" Kylie (13)

"It was a fail :(" Blake (13)

"It reminds me of cheesecake because I really like cheesecake and it is awesome." Kylee (12)

"It was supercalifrigalisticexpialidocious" Megan (12)

"This book was different from most things I read. It had a great flow. It never left me bored." Calvin (13)

"Good book, they spoke using incorrect grammar" Natalie (12)

"This book was beast. It was not an epic fail" John (12)

"I liked it" Abby (12)

5.0 out of 5 stars I Wish Billie Was My Best Friend!, February 27, 2009

By 

K. J. Defatte "Cocoskeeper" (WI, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tracking Daddy Down (Hardcover)

I mean, if I were still in elementary school....

But as it is, all I can do is recommended to kids who read independently to get their hands on Tracking Daddy Down by Marybeth Kelsey.

This author has created the perfect female character that can be admired by both boys and girls. Billie is spunky, fun, brave, loyal, a daredevil, and vulnerable besides. She's everything I would've liked to have been at that age, and you know that the daddy she's looking for, she's much too good for. ;-)

When Billie's daddy is accused of robbery, Billie can't deny the truth behind it, but that doesn't mean she wants to see him behind bars. Having vilified her step-dad, the only dad she's got has got to get away. Unless... Unless Billie can convince her dad to turn himself in!

Now you may think you've got this story pegged, but Billie's path is far from predictable and well worth the journey!

Thanks for an excellent read, Ms. Kelsey!!!!