Kidnapping Kevin Kowalski Author:Mary Jane Auch Two months after a near-fatal bicycle accident, Kevin returns home from a rehabilitation center to find his friends, Ryan and Mooch, uneasily waiting to see if he can still lead them in the dubiously innocent activities that normally engage 12 year olds. Kevin has a steel plate in his head, some loss of memory, and other potential physical diffi... more »culties. His most pressing handicap, however, is his mother, who is smothering her son with overprotectiveness. Ryan and Mooch assume the roles of liberators and kidnap Kevin, taking him to a familiar but well-concealed campsite near their homes. There they prod him into some initial steps toward self-sufficiency.
When they goad each other into a swim in an abandoned ore bed pit, Kevin's innate prowess leads him too far out and into trouble, but in the end, he saves his friends. Thus, he gains the inspiration he needs to believe in himself again.
Through Ryan's clear narrative, Auch defines three totally genuine and likable boys, deftly revealing their hopes, hurts, and fears. Character development runs hand in glove with the boys' understanding of the importance of one's own actions and reactions. Ryan's healthy family, Kevin's concerned one, and Mooch's nonfamily are all believable. Through this book, readers will gain a new sense of the reciprocity inherent in lasting friendship.