SPOOK
Mary Ann Nelson has never been to school. She is fifteen years old. Her and her
mother, Muriel live in an old house. No one has ever seen what Mary Ann looks like in
years because she always wears a hood to cover her face. The other children used to make
fun of her. They called her the "Spook".
An educator comes to town. Her name is Lola Aragon. She hears of Mary Ann and wants to
help her. Lola wants to get Mary Ann into school. But she has to hurry because by law
after Mary Ann turns sixteen she can't be forced to go to school.
Lola and Her friend, Deputy Ross Walker, go to Mary Ann's house to see if she is alright
and also to see if she is educated. when they arrive at the house Muriel comes out with
a shotgun and asks them what they want. They tell her that they just want to check on
her daughter. Muriel insists that Mary Ann is fine. After a lot of arguing Muriel lets
Lola and Ross in. The house is a mess, there are boxes of books everywhere and
everything is covered in dust. Mary Ann is locked in her room. Muriel will not let Mary
Ann come out to talk to Lola and Ross. But Muriel asks Mary Ann a few questions to prove
that she is educated. Mary Ann answers all of the questions successfully. then Lola and
Muriel get into an argument about what is fair for Mary Ann. Muriel tells Lola and Ross
to leave. They do so with no argument.
That night when Muriel left to go shopping Mary Ann went out for a walk. She came
across a camp and went in. While she was in there a teenaged boy saw her and called all
of his friends over to see her. Mary ann ran. When she returned home her mother was
still not home. Later that night two men came to see Mary Ann. They shot the Nelson's
dogs. Then they walked down the long driveway. Mary Ann saw them and told them to go
away or she would call the dogs. They told her that the dogs were all dead. The men
entered the house through the basement. One thing they didn't know is that there was
another dog in the basement. the dog killed one of the men. The other man managed to
escape. He ran down the driveway and into the van. he started the van and sped down the
road to the nearest house. he turned towards the driveway but missed and went into the
ditch and flipped upside down. The van collided with a parked car in the driveway. The
owner of the car came out and told his wife to call an ambulance and the police.
On Muriel's way home she passed the crash on her bicycle. She saw the dead dogs on her
way up the driveway, but she didn't stop because she was worried about Mary Ann. When
Muriel arrived home Mary Ann came out and told her the whole story and showed her the
dead body. When Muriel heard the police sirens she ordered her daughter to go into the
woods and run. When the police arrived at the house they ordered Muriel to come out of
the house with her hands up. As she was coming out of the house one of the police
officers spotted a gun and began shotting at Muriel, she died soon after.
Some of the police Officers went after Mary Ann into the woods. They didn't spot her
until the next morning, the helicopter piolet spotted her. The policemen in the
helicopter told her to surrender and they would not harm her. Mary Ann ran again, she
ran as fast as she could. They lost sight of her. Then not much long after they found
her trail again, but lost it again.
Later that night Lola convinced Ross to sleep over with her in the Nelson's barn. Mary
Ann came to the barn when Lola and Ross were sleeping. Lola woke up because she heard
something moving. She woke Ross up and handed him the pistol without saying a word. A
shadow drew nearer to them. Lola called out Mary Ann's name, there was no response.
Lola then told Mary Ann that her and Ross have been waiting for her because they were
worried about her. Finally Mary Ann spoke, she asked where her mama was. Lola didn't
answer. Then Mary Ann asked what her name was. Lola told her and she also told her that
her mother had been shot. Lola asked Mary Ann how they could help her. She told them
that they could kill her so that she could be with her mother again. Lola and Ross told
her that they would not kill her. Lola hugged Mary Ann and rocked her in her arms. Ross
turned on the lantern. He was surprised at the sight of Mary Ann, she was beautiful.
Mary Ann went to live with her father, a doctor in the town. Mary Ann went to school
and was very happy living there.
Lola and Ross go to Mary Ann's house to see if she is alright and to see if she is
educated. They finally get inside after a lot of arguing with Muriel. Mary Ann is in
her room and Muriel will not let Ross and Lola go in. But Muriel asks Mary Ann a few
questions, like say and spell all the months of the year. Mary Ann answers all of the
questions successfully. Muriel and Lola get into an argument about what is fair for Mary
Ann. This conflict is finally resolved when Lola and Ross leave the Nelson house.
Another conflict is when two men break into the Nelson house when Mary Ann is home
alone. They kill the dogs. Then they go into the basement where they are attacked by
another dog that they didn't know was there. This conflict is resolved when the dog
kills one of the men and the other man manages to get away alive, but injured badly.
The last conflict is when Lola and Ross finally meet Mary Ann. Mary Ann returns home
after along night of being chased by the police. Lola and Ross are sleeping in the
Nelson's barn when Mary Ann comes in. They told Mary Ann that they were there to help
her. This conflict is finally resolved when Mary Ann agrees to let Lola and Ross help
her. They take her to live with her father, Dr. Endicott. Mary Ann is very happy living
here.
One event which is of major importance is when Lola comes to town and hears of Mary Ann
and wants to help her. This is important because Mary Ann did need help. If Lola didn't
come to town Mary Ann might be dead because Muriel was very abusive towards her. Nobody
else seemed to care about Mary Ann other than Lola.
Another event in the story that is important is when the men break into the Nelson
house. This is important because if they hadn't broke in then the police would have
never cared about Muriel and Mary Ann. Muriel would still be alive and she would still
be abusing Mary Ann.
The third and last important event in the story is when Ross and Lola slept overnight in
the Nelson's barn. This is important because Lola got to help Mary Ann. Now Mary Ann is
living in a safe and secure environment. Also she has a future to look forward to
because now she is going to school. If it wasn't for Lola, Mary Ann could possibly be
dead.
I would recommend this book for others to read. But only if you like books full of
suspense and mystery. This book was scary and it has many surprises. The end is not
what you would expect at all. In my opinion this book was one of the best books that I've
ever read. When I was reading it I couldn't put it down. Before reading this book I had
never read any of Steve Vance's books, but later in the future I hope to read more.
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