Peter Anthony Kelley

The Winters family is visiting London. The three of them are going to see their mother's cousin, Abbey Brewer, who neither sibling, Jim or Erica, has ever heard of before. But that doesn't matter anymore. All that matters now is that their mother is missing, Jim is stuck with his little sister, and their only chance to save Genevieve Winters is to find their father who left them 8 months ago. Looks like their small vacation just turned into a nightmare.
While touring the London Eye, two men in suits threaten the siblings. They came, demanding for a key and they threatened to kill their mother if the key wasn't given. Except Jim and Erica don't have the key, so the men now want their father. But how are they going to find the man after 8 months of disappearance? And they have one week to do so too. They can't even go to the authorities or else they'd be putting their mother in even more danger. Who are these men? What do they want with the key? And more importantly: What has their father gotten into?
While both siblings search high and low for these answers, they try to gather as much help as they can. But in the end, will they save their mother's life in time?

Paraglide is one of those novels where you know who the bad guys are, and yet you can't stop reading because of all the thrilling suspense built throughout the book. It's sort of a mixture between action/adventure/thriller. It kept me cemented to my seat. This book is all about 'what will happen next?'. That's the big question mark.
I didn't have a hard time figuring out what was happening or why, most of it was downright cliche. My curiosity flared because, even though I knew the ending was inevitable, there were so many ways things could go wrong and yet it would all lead to the same ending. I wanted to see how the siblings would find the solution to this problem of theirs. Plus, the atmosphere of the book was addicting. There's this growing tension that latches onto you and won't let you sit still.
The settings of Paraglide were one of the main factors that sucked me into the novel. It felt like I was on a tour to these stunning places, I now have a plan to visit them in real life. They sound amazing (if not a little scary). Kelley has this fantastic way of describing everything without boring me to death. He detailed the surroundings while all the action was happening, so it was sort intertwined and I didn't lose interest.
The characters had depth and as the story progressed, I found myself growing attached to them. Maybe I felt sorry for everything that was going on. Both Jim and Erica seriously deserve another vacation (one where no one gets kidnapped).
Jim was as responsible as any big brother should be. He deeply cared about his sister and worried often about her too. Who knows when the kidnappers could show up again and steal his little sis as well?
At the beginning of the novel, he acted just like any other teenager: sort of whiny and thinking the world revolved around him, but in the end, the development of his character was crystal clear. He was no longer that whiny teen anymore. I came to accept him as he was, and there was no disliking him either. He made some dumb decisions here and there, but I understood the guy. Especially with everything he had to face, it couldn't have been easy.
Erica was the little sister of nine who was too smart for her own good. The girl never ceased to amaze me. She knew things I didn't even know. It made her a little less realistic, but it also made her so much more adorable... if not a little know-it-all.
The plot wasn't really original or unique. It's very easy to guess at, but like I mentioned before, this novel is all about the adventure. There's countless amounts of action strewn throughout the book that will keep you at the edge of your seat. There were twists to the story line, but they were predictable so it didn't really surprise me. The pace is consistent all the way, not once slowing down.
Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The ending was nice and Kelley even added a little cliffhanger (of a sort) to keep me wondering. Paraglide is an action-packed read that had me grinning from time to time. I completely recommend it to everyone. It's an exciting adventure you don't want to miss.… (mere)

Paraglide is about a boy, Jim Winters (age 15) and his sister Erica (age 9) that are trying to find their missing father in 6 days, because their mother gets kidnapped while they are on vacation in England. The bad guys believe Jim's father has stolen some jewels, and they want them back in exchange for Mrs. Winters. I gave this book 3 stars, and found it likable, more for the 10-14 age group. I had a hard time finding it believeable, maybe because I've never met a 9 yr old as smart as what Erica seemed to be. The kids caught on to clues pretty quickly, as well as escaped captors and goons better than most adults would ever be able to. Paraglide was a fun, light read, taking you on a journey across Europe, and I found it well written, if not a little more juvenile than what I'm used to.… (mere)