Belle Prater's Boy

White, Ruth. (1996). Belle Prater’s Boy. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Books for Young Readers.

Annotation: Gypsy and Woodrow are cousins who become best friends after they are brought together by the mysterious disappearance of Woodrow’s mother, Belle Prater.

Justification for Rejection: This book did not hold my attention for long. It was in the genre of mystery or thriller, but it did not seem to have enough of a mystery to keep you wanting to come back for more. I kept reading thinking it must get better, there must be a huge plot twist at the end or something… but no. The end was very melodramatic, nothing exciting.

This book may appeal to teenagers as Gypsy and Woodrow are adolescents going through a crazy situation with Woodrow’s mother disappearing, but I think they will be disappointed and give up before the end. Or maybe just skip to the last few pages and see how it ends.

Gypsy and Woodrow display a good example of friendship. They stick up for each other in hard times, and are always there for each other. They are careful not to push each other too far… and are always there to laugh at the others’ jokes. This I think is a positive point of the book.

Genre: Mystery/Thriller