The Graham Cracker Plot

Gr 4–7—Twelve-year-old Daisy Bauer is in trouble—big trouble, but just how she and her friend Graham got in such a mess unfolds through Daisy's telling of the events interspersed with her letters to Judge Henry. The trouble begins when Daisy's mom leaves her with a neighbor, Graham's mother Keri, so she and her boyfriend can go on vacation. Keri, however, is wrapped up in her own problems, so Daisy and Graham are left on their own in a rundown trailer park. Yearning to leave that life behind, the kids decide to break Daisy's dad out of prison and escape to a new life in Canada. They need a little help, so they enlist a friend, Ashley, who can drive. Unfortunately, since Ashley's accident, she isn't quite right. Their plan goes awry almost from the beginning and they frantically regroup at every turn. In the end, Daisy learns the truth about her dad, and she and Graham have to make amends for all the trouble they caused. This book tries to take some serious situations—including a dad in prison, neglectful moms, and poverty—and make them funny as the kids try to solve their own problems and start anew. While there are some humorous moments as this rag-tag bunch tries to pull off a prison break, they are overshadowed by the not-so-humorous aspects of their lives, which will seem quite real to some readers.—Laura Fields Eason, Henry F. Moss Middle School, Bowling Green, KY