How can you not love Sid Fleischman? I would like to have lunch with him - his books are so fun, the guy has got to be entertaining in real life. Two kids escape a stalker by becoming street performers in Venice Beach; adventures ensue. Funny, interesting, but with a serious undertone, this is pitch perfect for kids. ( )

*SPOILER* After their archaeologist mother's death in a Mexico earthquake, Kevin and Holly hightail it for Venice, CA, while being stalked by "the Toad." They don't know what he wants. They settle in a rooming house in Venice, surrounded by street performers and Hollywood star wannabes. They dye their hair to disguise themselves and take on the names Pep and Chickadee Gomez. While Holly auditions successfully for a beach opera production, Kevin makes money on the side as a "hat man" for juggler Bumpy Rhodes. But the Toad turns up, threatening the kids over a map to a dig location. Turns out he will never figure out where it is because their mother hid the map in Kevin's old copy of "Where the Wild Things Are" which is long gone.

After their archaeologist mother fails to return from Mexico and they discover that someone is stalking their Albuquerque house, twelve-year-old Kevin and his opera-singing older sister flee to Venice, California, where they hope that new identities will keep them safe. ( )

Student Review:
This book is about a brother and a sister who are being stalked by a person called "The Toad." They moved to California to try to escape the stalker, but he follows them there. The situation becomes chaotic as they try to escape him. If you are looking for a good mystery, this is a great choice.