Cry blue murder by Kim Kane and Marion Roberts
University of Queensland Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780702239267.
(Age: Middle school) Recommended. Cry blue murder is a very
inventive young adult novel told in a very non-traditional way, the
story unfolds through a series of emails and documents which might
be found in a lawyer's brief. Main characters Celia and Alice meet
online after the disappearance of one of Celia's fellow students,
Hallie Knight, and become quick friends in their shared speculation
of the serial killer targeting a string of missing girls. Before
long Hallie is found and becomes the only known survivor of a man
dubbed 'The Cocoon Killer', unfortunately she also begins to loose
her mind and is not able to assist the police in finding her captor.
Meanwhile another girl is missing, soon to be found dead. This new
tragedy draws the girls closer than ever - each fearing that they
might be the next victim of 'The Cocoon Killer'.
Despite the chilling title this novel quickly looses its eeriness
and falls into a lull while focusing on the dramas of every day life
and the development of a close friendship between the girls. I found
this novel to be an easy read, sharing important cyber safety
messages in a very subtle way. I found myself mentally screaming at
Celia as I read - unable to believe that she would ignore the most
basic cyber-safety lessons all children today are taught at home and
school.
I would recommend this novel for middle school students who don't
like to read traditional novels. Its simple presentation of evidence
motivates readers to draw their own conclusions about the serial
killings of private school-girls.
Kayla Gaskell (Student)