Snap

SNAP by Belinda Bauer is the story of a boy named Adam Bright who will stop at nothing to find his mother’s killer. Three years ago, Eileen Bright’s car broke down on the side of the road. She tells her eldest child, Jack, that he is in charge of his two younger sisters. After waiting in the squelching heat, Jack decides to walk to the call box his mother was headed to. But she is not there. At home, Jack’s father falls apart and ends up leaving the three kids without any parents at all. Jack does everything he can to keep his family together, which means breaking into houses and stealing what he can. I absolutely loved the way the book was written because it kept me engaged with both the story of Jack as well as the police investigation into Eileen’s case and a local thief they call Goldilocks. Bauer put some very small details in that brought the characters to life. For example, Jack researched nutrition and only stole healthy food. And Merry loved books and was always asking Jack to get her new ones to read. The fact that the children’s mother was killed and the father up and left them left me feeling so sad for the three children. But Jack’s don’t-give-up spirit is commendable, and he also manages to figure out what happened to his mother. This book did not have a surprise ending, however, the details and character development were enough to keep me engaged throughout the story.