Paris Pan Takes the Dare

This book really surprised me! I loved it! It's cute, funny, a little scary at times and an altogether entertaining coming-of-age story. The mystery keeps you guessing all the way up to the end, but it's not so complicated that young readers wouldn't be able to follow the clues. The book its self is beautiful. I love the cover design and the colors. It's a perfect scary-starter book for young readers, but its sure to be enjoyed by adults (such as myself) as well. [...]

For the first time Cynthea Liu takes flight without the restrictions (or the support) of an established series format. So how does she do? Well, Writing for Children and Teens: A Crash Course (How to Write, Revise, and Publish a Kid's or Teen Book with Children's Book Publishers) will be studied by would-be children and teen book authors until the process changes all out of recognition, and The Great Call of China (S.A.S.S.) is and will remain one of the better books in the Students Across the Seven Seas series as long as that series stays in print. "Paris Pan Takes the Dare" is a masterpiece. Child readers will grow up and present battered copies to their children who will wonder what all the fuss is about,... then present even more battered copies to their children. If Penguin is ever stupid enough to let it go out of print, it will be snatched up by the likes of Purple House Press, reprint publisher of classic OOP children's books like The Mad Scientists' Club series, Night of the Moonjellies, The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek, The Space Child's Mother Goose, David and the Phoenix, and (of course) Mr. Pine's Purple House,... and they'll even like the color. On the surface "Paris Pan Takes the Dare" is a simple story of a new kid in town trying to fit in and trying to survive a stupid local custom that proposes to put her into close personal contact with a vengeful ghost, a murderer,... or both. But deeper down this is a story of how families grow apart and how to fix that, a cautionary tale of the importance of choosing wisely the friends you so desperately want. This book has "timeless classic" written all over it, but that doesn't stop it from being uproariously funny and touchingly poignant. Don't miss it,... for your children's sake... and yours. Note: a surprising number of professional reviewers have made an issue out of the Pan parents' "broken English". To them I would say, notice the author's last name. Now, take a good look at the author's jacket photo. That's right, she's second generation Chinese American, and her parents on whom the Pans are based, like so many adult emigrants from non-English-speaking countries, didn't speak perfect English either, especially in the author's youth. On the one hand there is merit in being more sensitive to the kind of careless ethnic stereotyping that makes reading old unexpurgated children's books today something of a cringe-fest. On the other hand there is merit in avoiding the appearance of blithering idiocy.

If you like books that... give you goosebumps, keep you guessing and make you laugh, THIS is the book for you! Each character in this book has a unique personality, from junk-food-sneaking Papa Pan to stuttering-cute-boy Tom to sharp-witted Paris who just wants a friend. Kids of all ages will relate to the situation of taking a dare, just to fit in. But what a dare this is! Read at night, with your windows locked. And don't forget your flashlight!

Actually, this book is not super scary, but it does have the right ingredients of a thriller for young people mixed up with a little romance, some middle school politics, and a touching family drama.

Paris Pan (along with sister Verona, and brother Athens,) have been shuttled from house to house and town to town for so long, that ending up in a tiny school without only 97 people, several freaks, and a couple of mean girls as possible friends, Paris is just glad to be on the friend side, not the freak side. But when she gets embroiled in a Dare- to spend the night in the woods where Beth Conlon went missing 20 years before- Paris struggles to figure out how to get out of it, which friends are...more Paris Pan (along with sister Verona, and brother Athens,) have been shuttled from house to house and town to town for so long, that ending up in a tiny school without only 97 people, several freaks, and a couple of mean girls as possible friends, Paris is just glad to be on the friend side, not the freak side. But when she gets embroiled in a Dare- to spend the night in the woods where Beth Conlon went missing 20 years before- Paris struggles to figure out how to get out of it, which friends are worth it, and what it means to really belong. Surprisingly creepy in parts, and freshly genuine throughout all, Paris Pan Takes the Dare is the perfect starter scary story for the 10 and up set, and a charming addition to any Coming Of Age collection