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Book Review Archives
Title: Vanished Without a Clue - The Adventures of Chris Seivers & Friends
Author: Cyndy McNaul-Nelson
Publisher: Publish America
Copyright: 2006
ISBN: 1-4241-5491-X
Genre: Teen Fiction
Book Size: 152 pages
Reviewer: Deborah Porter
Available Through:
Publish America
Barnes & Noble.com
Amazon.com
As a pre-teen and young teenager there were two types of books that invariably captured my interest. One was the type of book set in a school environment, particularly the old English boarding schools favored by much-loved children's author, Enid Blyton. The other was the adventure/mystery books, such as Trixie Beldon and Nancy Drew.
In many ways, Cyndy McNaul-Nelson has combined these two very popular story styles in her first novel, Vanished Without a Clue - The Adventures of Chris Seivers & Friends, creating something a little reminiscent of the feel and style of these old favorites.
After a near-death experience in Chris Seivers' childhood, his parents recognize God's grace and miraculous power in saving their only son's life. At that moment they commit to send Chris to live at a Christian prep school as soon as he is old enough. Their decision to do this is an act of surrendering their son back to the God who rescued him from death.
The time passes, and Mr. and Mrs. Seivers keep their vow, arranging for Chris to attend the Elijah's Double Portion High School-a boarding school specializing in academia and the prophetic. This is where the story really begins.
At 14 years of age, Chris Seivers is a special young man with the hand of God very firmly on his life. Arriving at his new school, he is met by an older student, Samuel "Beans" Gueyes, who is to become both his roommate and close friend. The boys are soon joined by another new student, the rather shy and troubled Leland Sanders.
Before long, the three boys make friends with two girls, Amelia from Russia, and her roommate Cynthia. While exploring one day, the five new friends wander into an adventure and mystery that leads them into quite sinister and dangerous territory. In fact, it results in one of the five being kidnapped.
Vanished Without a Clue is an adventure/mystery story that points the reader very clearly toward faith in God and obedience to Him. It is a message that is not only obvious from the actual story, but also in the guidance provided by the teachers at the school. The action begins fairly quickly in the book and leads to a very moving resolution in the final chapter.
The sub-title of this book, The Adventures of Chris Seivers & Friends, gives the impression that Ms. McNaul-Nelson may have a series of books in mind for the friends at Elijah's Double Portion High School. However, for this novel, that sub-title was a little misleading, as was the start of the story.
Based on the introduction and sub-title, the reader would be excused for thinking that Chris Seivers was meant to be the main character or that the story would at least be presented from his point of view. However, this was not the case. Although young Chris plays a very important part, he becomes more of a support character as the story progresses. This may not have been the author's intention, but it was due to the point of view changing constantly from character to character and the main action and storyline shifting to one of the friends.
Although some teenage readers may find the dialogue and characters a little formal by today's standards, the story has a good amount of excitement, with an unexpected twist and an uplifting ending.
In Vanished Without a Clue, Cyndy McNaul-Nelson has created a book with a lot of potential for future storylines. I hope she'll develop these characters more in the future and take us on further adventures with Chris, Beans, Leland, Amelia and Cynthia.
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