The Man with the Red Bag

September 3, 2007
Bunting (The Lambkins) turns her attention to racial prejudice and suspicion in post 9/11 America in this gripping story. Twelve-year-old mystery enthusiast Kevin agrees to accompany his grandmother on a 10-day bus tour of national parks, culminating with Mount Rushmore. But when Charles Stavros, a man who looks "Saudi Arabian or Iraqian" to Kevin joins the tour, Kevin and other passengers become nervous ("He was dark skinned, with bushy black eyebrows and a bushier mustache. So maybe it was natural for me to be on the alert.... I think that little 9/11 bell alarm bell was ringing for all of us,"). The passengers' preoccupation with terrorists is believable, as are the elaborate scenarios and possibilities that Kevin and several kids on the bus concoct to convince themselves that Stavros, who has a red bag he carries everywhere, is one. Bunting avoids moralistic judgments or delivering her message with a heavy hand, and readers will find themselves drawn in to (and possibly sharing) Kevin's suspicions, making the revelation of the truth about Stavros all the more powerful. Ages 10-up.

September 1, 2007
Gr 5-8-Kevin Sanders, aspiring mystery writer, accompanies his grandmother on a bus tour of Wyoming and South Dakota in March, 2002. Since it's just months after 9/11, the 12-year-old's terrorist radar is on red alert, especially when swarthy tour member Charles Stavros carries a red duffel everywhere he goes. Kevin and another kid, Geneva, set out to surveil Stavros, becoming ultimately convinced that he plans to bomb Mount Rushmore. While it may be obvious to readers fairly soon that Stavros is not a terrorist, the premise is a worthy one. Few books investigate the aftermath of 9/11 on children's psyches, and Bunting does a credible job of exploring the panic and patriotism that filled our society. However, the book ends abruptly after Stavros's final revelation. While Kevin does periodically ponder the fact that he jumps to conclusions and judges others, no attempt is made to digest this information after the mystery has unfolded. Readers will find this lack of conclusion dissatisfying and shallow, given the gravity of the issues at stake. However, the book is full of memorable settings, and it presents opportunities for classroom and family dialogue, making it worth considering as an additional purchase."Caitlin Augusta, The Darien Library, CT"

Copyright 2007 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2008
Bunting (The Lambkins) turns her attention to racial prejudice and suspicion in post 9/11 America in this gripping story. Twelve-year-old mystery enthusiast Kevin agrees to accompany his grandmother on a 10-day bus tour of national parks, culminating with Mount Rushmore. But when Charles Stavros, a man who looks "Saudi Arabian or Iraqian" to Kevin joins the tour, Kevin and other passengers become nervous ("He was dark skinned, with bushy black eyebrows and a bushier mustache. So maybe it was natural for me to be on the alert.... I think that little 9/11 bell alarm bell was ringing for all of us,"). The passengers' preoccupation with terrorists is believable, as are the elaborate scenarios and possibilities that Kevin and several kids on the bus concoct to convince themselves that Stavros, who has a red bag he carries everywhere, is one. Bunting avoids moralistic judgments or delivering her message with a heavy hand, and readers will find themselves drawn in to (and possibly sharing) Kevin's suspicions, making the revelation of the truth about Stavros all the more powerful. Ages 10-up.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2008
When Charles Stavros joins his tour group, Kevin, a twelve-year-old aspiring writer, becomes suspicious that the red bag Stavros carries contains something dangerous. Kevin decides to make it his mission to see what Stavros is really up to. The story raises interesting questions about post-9/11 stereotypes, but with an anticlimactic ending, it fails to leave a lasting impression.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)