Type of bind: Audio Cassette
EAN num: 9780307207326
ISBN number: 0307207323
Label: Listening Library
Manufacturer: Listening Library
Quantity: 4
Printing Date: 2005-08
Publishing house: Listening Library
Age index: Young Adult
Sale Popularity Level: 2517159
Studio: Listening Library
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
There's a heatwave in Toronto, and Duncan has a summer job in the lost property office for the subway, in room he calls the dungeon, far, far below the city. It's the most boring summer job in the world. Until he finds the little brown book. The book is a diary filled with the dark secrets of an anonymous serial killer stalking his prey. Duncan can't stop reading; he can't stop thinking. He's got to stop this man before he finds his subsequent victim. He must anticipate the killer's subsequent move. Stalk the stalker.
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Rated by buyers -
As ACCELERATION won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery, you'd expect its strength to be plot. Instead, I submit that characterization carries the day in this book. The plot is a bit too convenient at times and takes too long to bring protagonist and antagonist together. In addition, once that happens, the climax is summarily (and rather conveniently) wrapped up, leaving a slight aftertaste of letdown.
Graham McNamee's 17-year-old first-person narrator is Duncan and his summer job is in the lost and found department of the Toronto subway. Here he finds the lost "diary" of a serial killer-in-training. Duncan decides to track this guy down on his own after a brief visit to the police shows that they're too busy (or foolish) to care about the document. The rather caricatured portrayal of the police is one of two reasons to explain Duncan's decision. The other is a drowning girl he couldn't quite save who haunts his dreams. Duncan wants to make amends by saving possible victims of the would-be serial killer. Building your suspension bridge of disbelief from these two details, you cross over only to find an extended build-up to the aforementioned climax that introduces the antagonist a bit too late.
What saves the day for this book is the characterization. McNamee has a fine ear for the badinage that goes on between teenage boys who show their affection for each other through humour and put downs. Reluctant reading boys, especially, will enjoy the back and forth jokes between Duncan and his two friends Vinnie and Wayne (well-drawn characters in their own right). With secondary characters like this, readers are more than willing to forgive any plot peccadilloes as McNamee works his way to a somewhat predictable conclusion. Despite the minor plot concerns, I recommend the book for kids in Grades 8 and up.
Rated by buyers -
This story is gripping from beginning to the end. It starts out with a teenage boy named Duncan at his summer job. He works at a transit lost & found and comes across many weird things. Duncan is currently sucked into his own world of terror because of past horrors and failures. Duncan is determined to redeem himself. At his terrible job he comes across this diary, the diary of a killer. It sucks you into the killers mind and makes you listen to the sick thoughts of the man Duncan calls "Roach". Duncan becomes obsessed with the diary and is determined to find the man behind the literature. In the diary Roach has a list of victims that he is getting ready to hunt down and kill. Duncan wants to stop the mystery man before he takes out his pre mediatated actions. Duncan and his friends go to all links to track Roach down and stop him before it goes to far. In the end Duncan and Roach go head to head. This book sends a chill up your spine and keeps you reading till the end.
Rated by buyers 
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This book was a great "short" read. It was very well written and the ending was perfect. I enjoyed this book.
Rated by buyers -
Acceleration was written by Graham McNamee it is a mystery book. It is about a few boys that have a summer job working in the lost and found of a subway. They find many interesting things while working there. The most exotic thing they found was a little grey book that was written by a anonymous man who is a serial killer and writes a dairy of dark and dirty secrets about crazy ideas. The boys are very scared and dont know what to do about it.I really liked this book! It kept me on my toes wondering what was going to happen next.I would recomend this book to older teenagers because it can be confusing to follow.
Rated by buyers -
As a high school teacher of a class full of reading haters, I highly recommend this book. My students were sad when it was over, they couldn't wait to get to class to read this suspenseful thriller.
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