What Happened to Cass McBride?

Reader reviewed by Tianna

Cass McBride is a girl who does anything to be popular. That means putting other people down. When David, a boy who's basically a loner, commits suicide his brother Kyle is out for revenge against the person he thinks is responsible. Cass McBride. Kyle drugs Cass, kidnaps her and buries her in a wooden box underground with only a plastic tube for oxygen. He sits above where shes buried and waits for her to talk.

Reader reviewed by wheates

This book is very intense due to the mentality of the main character, Kyle. His distraught  reaction to his brother's suicide brings out some intense hatred towards others, mainly Cass. Throughout the book you learn that the path he most recently takes is actually an outward reaction to many dark intense feelings Kyle has had about his family life. It wasn't exactly the best home to be raised in. However, that is no excuse for what he does to Cass.

I really enjoyed this book because it talks about some issues dealt with during adolescents that not many people care to talk about. They aren't issues every teenager will go through, but they are issues that need to be addressed if an adolescent is going through the same experience as Cass and Kyle.

I do advise parents to read it before their teenager reads it to see if their child is mentally ready for the book. Some teenagers are, while others aren't. However, I also suggest to parents to not prohibit your teen from reading this book just because you don't like the issue. Maybe your teen wants to read it to gain some insight. However, just because a teen wants to read it also doesn't mean they are going through a tragic experience at that moment. Maybe they are just curious.

Reader reviewed by Vicki

Creepy Creepy Creepy! What Happened to Cass McBride is a disturbing book about popular vs. un-popular kids in high school. I read this book in less than a day, beacuse I could not put it down, yet it was so disturbing. Kyle Kirby is emotionally distraught after his younger brother's suicide. He wants the person who caused David's suffering to die too. He kidnaps Cass McBride and buries her alive in a tortuous attempt to make her admit she caused David to hang himself

Reader reviewed by BooksObsession

After just seeing the cover and reading the back summary/excerpts, I was dying to read this book. It was original because it's written from the viewpoint of a girl...buried alive! This was a past-faced, intense read that I was able to finish in a day. Because of the narrator's circumstance, there isn't really a change in setting, which can lose the interest for some readers. I enjoyed this book, and the secrets about why someone wanted her dead. I recommend this book!

Reader reviewed by Ash

This is a great book. I was only 13 when I started reading it, but it caught my eye. I have anger management problems and this just took all my anger away. I would reccomend if you are into reading you should read it. I rated it a five. It is my favorite book so far.

Reader reviewed by Jessica

Once you pick up this book, it is impossible to stop reading. The plot moves forward at such a quick pace and stopping is not an option. It's a short read, but a great one. I found myself flipping through the pages quickly without realizing I was almost finished. The entire story line is filled with twists and the author keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very last page of the book. Amazingly written and one of the best books I have read in a long time.

Reader reviewed by CAITLYN

THIS BOOK WAS REALLY GOOD. IT KEPT ME TO THE EDGE OF MY SEAT THREW THE WHOLE BOOK. IT MADE ME WANT TOO KEEP READING. AT FIRST I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED TO WHYYY SHE WAS BURIED ALIVE. I WANSENT SURE FOR THE EXACT REASON WAS. WHEN I GOT FURTHER IN THE BOOK IT MADE MORE SENSE AND I LIKED. I WAS SOO SHOCKED SHE ACUALLLY LIVED. I WAS CERTAIN SHE WAS GOING TO DIE. WELL REALLLY READ THIS BOOOK ITS GREAT!

Reader reviewed by Stephanie

Kyle Kirby blames the popular, wholesome Cass McBride for his younger brother Davids suicide. To retaliate, he kidnaps her and buries her&alive. Now, Cass is hanging onto life by a thread, a small hose of an opening in which she breathes and tries (without desperation) to wrangle her freedom with Kyle, and to understand why he blames her.

Both teenagers histories are revealed through multiple POVs non-chronologically. We discover that Kyle and Davids mom is verbally abusive, believing David to be the cause of her misfortunes. On the other hand, Cass fathers love for her is conditional, so she feels like she must always strive to please him by being smart, popular, and tactical in her (usually successful) attempts to get what she wantsjust like her father.

The ending crashes into you with the force of a 40-mile-per-hour gale. Kyle realizes who is really responsible for Davids death, detective Ben Gray scrambles to find the missing girl before 48 hours are up, and Cass brushes against death with fingers and toes scraped down to the bone.

This novel is really an exploration of the characters psyches, motivations, and personalities. It has less suspense than I expected, which was sort of disappointing, but the concept is certainly very interesting. Overall, Gail Giles does an excellent job of portraying the complexities of family lives.