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Hello. My name is Katie B (#30) from Cryptics and I'm going to tell you about a great mystery book I've been reading called The Other Side of Dark by Joan Louis Lowery. You can find out about the characters, the Author, and once you think you have enough knowledge on the book, you can take a quiz to test how much you know on the book. But don't just take the easy way out-read the book! I found this book quite intriguing and I think you will too.
Plot
The book "The Other Side Of Dark" by Joan Lowery Nixon is a thrilling mystery book. The storyline is about a girl named Stacy who one day wakes up in a room that's not hers, in a body she doesn't recognize, to discover she's been in a coma for four years. Her mother is dead-murdered-and Stacy, recovering from a gun shot wound, is the only eyewitness to her mother's murder.
So far, she can only recall a shadowy face, but the killer is not about to let her reveal his identity. When she first wakes up from her coma of four years, she's surprised to realize that she was shot and that her mother is dead! Absolutely nothing is the same to her. Her father has gotten older with a beard and grey hair. Her sister is now married and pregnant, and her best friend, Jan, is now someone she doesn't even know anymore. Even though she'd found out about her mothers' death, she still hasn't gotten used to it. The only thing she does remember about the murder is the blank face of the murderer who shot her and her mother. She starts to have dreams about him. She knows who he is and what he looks like. She's so close to finding out who he is she can almost taste it! What makes her even more scared is all the publicity about her coma getting out into the public, she's worried that the murderer might come and find her! Things are getting frightening for her and her family as it gets weirder and weirder in their everyday lives.
Characters
Here are the some of main characters that make up the story:
Stacy- Stacy is the main character in the story. In this book, her mother gets shot and dies, and even though she gets shot as well, she luckily survives. She wakes up from a four year coma to find she went from a thirteen-year-old to a seventeen-year-old. She is the only living eye witness to her mother's murder.
Donna-Stacy's sister. Donna is now like the mother figure in Stacy's life. Four years ago, she was thought of as Stacy's teenage sister. Now, Donna is married to her high school sweetheart and pregnant with her 1st child. Donna cares for Stacy and worries about her health and about the murderer coming to find her.
Stacy's Father Stacy's father has never really gotten over his wife's murder. He has recently recovered from a drinking problem. He does his best to make things stay the same as Stacy remembers, but he doesn't know that that only makes Stacy more upset. He's just as scared as the rest of the family when it comes to his daughter's health and safety.
Jan-Jan is Stacy's childhood best friend. But when Jan came to visit Stacy in the hospital, Stacy noticed that Jan had put on ten times more make up and has changed a great deal. Trying to be a good friend, Jan throws a party for Stacy. Jan and her new bestfriend even give her a makeover right before the party. But when Stacy arrives, people treat her like an exhibit and not their old friend.
Jeff-Jeff is Stacy's crush. Jeff becomes a good friend to Stacy and he soon watches over her like a hawk, but little does she know that Jeff has a big secret to keep Stacy safe.
Jarrod-Stacy's creepy old neighbor who acts highly suspicious. At Stacy's party, he gives Stacy Vodka and tries to get her into his car. But Stacy soon realizes that Jarrod seems highly familiar and reminds her alot of her mothers killer. It gets even more strange when he flees town and his mother starts threatening Stacy.
Author's Bio
Joan Lowery Nixon loved to write at a very young age. She published her first book at the age of ten years old and a poem she had written appeared in a children's magazine. She sold her first magazine article at seventeen years old. Joan went to college at the University of California at Los Angeles and majored in journalism.
At the time, not many careers had to do with journalism so, for a period of time, she taught kindergarden at local city schools. She loved teaching and wanted to be better at it, so she took night classes to become more educated.
A few years later, she met and married her husband. Together they had four children. Between taking care of her children and teaching, writing became very hard for her. "I discovered that you never find time to write. You make time." she said.
In 1964 her first book was published, and thirty years later, in 1994, her 100th book was published. She has won tons of awards for all the books she has written. She has recieved Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America, two Spurs from Western Writers of America, and eighteen awards from various states that invite kids to vote for their favorite books. She has also received many letters from school students saying how much they have enjoyed her books and how she is such a great writer. But her favorite one came from a 9th grade girl who said "Thank you for the gift of reading." "That" she says "is my favorite reward."
To conclude, Joan Lowery Nixon has written loads of books and has received just as many rewards. She has enjoyed every second of her writing career, and has brought up a family that she loves and is proud of. Unfortunately, she died on June 28, 2004.
Books J.L.N. has written:
The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore (1979)
The Séance (1980)
The Spectre (1982)
A Deadly Game of Magic (1983)
The Ghosts of Now (1984)
The Stalker (1985)
The Other Side of Dark (1986)
The Dark and Deadly Pool (1987)
A Family Apart (1987)
Caught in the Act (1988)
In the Face of Danger (1988)
Secret, Silent Screams (1988)
The Island of Dangerous Dreams (1989)
A Place to Belong (1989)
Star Baby (1989)
Whispers from the Dead (1989)
Encore (1990)
Overnight Sensation (1990)
Candidate for Murder (1991)
High Trail to Danger (1991)
A Deadly Promise (1992)
Land of Hope (1992)
The Weekend Was Murder! (1992)
Land of Promise (1993)
The Name of the Game Was Murder (1993)
Land of Dreams (1994)
Shadowmaker (1994)
A Dangerous Promise (1994)
Keeping Secrets (1995)
Spirit Seeker (1995)
Don't Scream (1996)
Search for the Shadowman (1996)
Murdered, My Sweet (1997)
A Circle of Love (1997)
The Haunting (1998)
Who Are You? (1999)
Nobody's There (2000)
Playing for Keeps (2001)
The Trap (2002)
Nightmare (2003)
Recent Books for Children and Middle Grade Readers
The Haunted House on Honeycutt Street (1991)
Honeycutt Street Celebrities (1991)
Mystery Box (1991)
Watch Out for Dinosaurs (1991)
That's the Spirit, Claude (1992)
Will you Give Me a Dream? (1994)
When I Am Eight (1994)
The Statue That Walks at Night (1995)
The Legend of the Lost Mine (1995)
Backstage with a Ghost (1995)
Check in to Danger (1995)
The House Has Eyes (1996)
No Time for Danger (1996)
Beware of the Pirate Ghost (1996)
Catch a Crooked Clown (1996)
Fear Stalks Grizzly Hill (1996)
Sabotage on the Set (1996)
Search for the Shadowman (1996)
The Internet Escapade (1997)
Bait for a Burglar (1997)
Lucy's Wish (1998)
Will's Choice (1998)
Aggie's Home (1998)
David's Search (1998)
Ann's Story, 1747 (2000)
Caesar's Story, 1759 (2000)
Nancy's Story, 1765 (2000)
Gus and Gertie and the Missing Pearl (2000)
Maria's Story, 1773 (2001)
Gus and Gertie and the Lucky Charms (2001)
John's Story: 1775 (2001)
Nonfiction
Writing Mysteries for Young People (1977)
Oil and Gas: From Fossils to Fuels (1977)
Volcanoes: Nature's Fireworks (1978)
The Grandmother's Book (1979)
Glaciers: Nature's Frozen Rivers (1980)
Earthquakes: Nature in Motion (1981)
Land Under the Sea (1985)
The Making of a Writer (2002)
Short Stories
There's a Tomb Waiting for You (1992)
Hannah's Promise (1994)
The Disappearance of Gavin McCann (1996)
The Dark Beast of Death (1997)
No Matter What (1997)
Try to Survive (1998)
Ghost Town: Seven Ghostly Stories (2000)
Essays for Educators
A Link Between Young People of the Past and Present: Providing the Common Ground (1989)
Writing for the Reluctant Reader (1993)
When Is a Series Not a Series? Ask the Author (1996)
Forward: We Have the Power (1996)
Creating Believable Teen-Age Sleuths (2001)
Dear Teachers (2001)
General Awards
Building Block Award for Community Service for Children (2001)
St. Katherine Drexel Award, Catholic Library Association (2002)
Kerlan Award for Excellence in Children's Literature (2002)
Author of the Year, The Writers' Harvest, Houston Barnes & Noble (2002
Quiz!
A-Matching- choose from the words below
1. Jan's new bestfriend
2. Doctor that helped Stacy
3. One of the detectives that helped Stacy
A. Peterson
B. Markowitz
C. BJ
B-Fill In The Blank-choose the best answer
4.BLANK is the guy Jan invited over to meet Stacy.
C-True or False-Put a T for true or an F for false.
5. Jeff saw Stacy's picture in the newspaper and thought she was cute
D-Inferencing
6. What happend to Stacy's dog?
A. He died of old age.
B. He was given away.
C. He ran away.
D. He was food poisoned.
7.At the end of the book, how does Jeff feel about Stacy?
A. He feels that she is mentally disabled and needs help.
B. He loves her.
C. He dislikes her.
D. He thinks of her as his sister.
8. What do Jan and her friend plan to do to Stacy before the party?
A. Embarrass her.
B. Make reporters visit her.
C. Give her a makeover.
D. Get her drunk.
E-Short Essay answers
9. What did Jeff do for a living?
10. What drove Stacy's father to have a drinking problem?
Answers:
1) C
2) A
3) B
4) Jeff
5) False
6) C
7) B
8) C
9) He was an under cover private investigator.
10)He was so depressed about Stacy's mother and Stacy.
