Agosti 1

Matt Agosti

English 11

4 Jan. 2016

Summary

Exposition: In the beginning book one of the Gordon Korman, Kidnapped series, The

Abduction, Aiden and his sister Meg Falconer it gives a brief summary of what they and their

parents have been through earlier in their life. It says how the parents John and Louise Falconer

were falsely accused of aiding foreign terrorists. It says, Fourteen Months into life sentence for

aiding foreign terrorists, shocking new evidence proved they had been framed (Korman1). Meg

and Aiden were also fugitives when their parents were accused of aiding terrorists. She and

Aiden had been hunted like animals by the police, and not to mention a professional killer

(Korman 3).

In the book, The Abduction, the protagonist is Meg. She is the one that is the center of

the main conflict of the book. The setting of the book changes many times through the story. It

travels from place to place as the story of the book goes on. The type of conflict Meg faces is

mainly man-to-man because she is kidnapped and that it the conflict of the story.

Rising Action: The Rising action in the first book of this exciting story is when Meg and Aiden

were walking together down the path. Aiden and Meg were alone as they followed the path that

led past the condo development to the older part of the neighborhood(Korman 16). There is

much evidence of the man vs. man conflict when Meg and Aiden are in the struggle of being

kidnapped. It happened with such astonishing speed that Aiden could only gape, He was
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Upon Meg in and instant. Roughly, he took ahold of her shirt collar. A huge gloved hand covered

her nose and mouth with a handkerchief. Meg struggled for a moment before her body went

limp, and she sagged in her attackers arms (Korman 16-17). This is evidence of man vs. man

conflict because it is two characters in the story that are in conflict. Aiden was also being

kidnapped but he managed to get away but with our Meg. Aiden was still ducking and weaving

when the two assailants piled into the van and pulled the door shut. With a screech of tires, the

vehicle roared down the street. The Attack was over. Aiden was free, but they had Meg

(Korman 19). Aiden chased the fan trying to save his sister, Aiden flew down the street in a full

sprint chasing after the exterminators van that held his little sister (Korman 20).

Climax: The climax of this book is when the kidnappers call the family and the FBI agents, who

are helping the family and trying to get Meg back, for ransom money for Meg back. The

kidnappers sent a note that read, Doctors J. & L. Falconer- We have your daughter. These

instructions must be followed to the letter if you want her back. Place two million dollars in

unmarked bills in a duffel bag. The money is to be carried by your son, Aiden. Tomorrow

Afternoon, he will bring it to the phone both at the corner of Ninth St. and University Ave. in

Baltimore. At exactly two P.M. The phone will ring, and he will receive further instructions. If

he is watched by police, there will be CONSEQUENCES. If he is not alone, there will be

CONSEQUENCES. If the courier is anyone but Aiden there will be CONSEQUENCES

(Korman 94). Aidens parents are extremely against Aiden carrying the money because they

know there's a chance Aiden could be abducted or hurt. The FBI agent in charge wants to set a

trap for the kidnappers but Louise highly disagrees with her daughter's life in danger. No! If the

kidnappers find out, theyll kill her! (Korman 96). I'm doing it (Korman 97). Aiden said. This

might be their only shot at getting Meg back. Aiden has to do it. Don't talk about this like we
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have a choice. We may never get another shot to bring home alive (Korman 97). The FBI put a

transmitter in Aiden ear so they could hear what was going on and they could talk to him. He

finally made his way to the phone booth when the phone rang, it was the kidnappers. The

kidnappers gave Aiden instructions, Cross the street and keep walking, theres an open garbage

can with a red shoe-box on top (Korman 109). The instructions led Aiden directly to a crowded

parade full of ruckus and confusion. There was a woman figured clown from the parade that

came up to Aiden and BAM snatched the duffle bag with two million dollars of ransom. The

clown snatched the bag and sped away with it(Korman 125). Aiden tried to catch the kidnapper

dressed as a clown in the parade but as soon as he broke through the crowd and onto the street

where the parade was being held, The sight that greeted him made his heart sink into his

sneakers. There must have been fifty clowns over the length of the parade- a sea of white faces

and red noses , all in full flight on their rollerblades (Korman 126). Aiden caught the kidnapper

with the clown suit and pulled the bag off of her but And suddenly he was staring down the

barrel of a snub-nosed pistol (Korman 129). As the kidnapper demanded the money, Aiden

leaped forward and went for the gun. The kidnapper held on, even as she swatted at she swatted

at the animal that was blinding her. Aiden ordered his friend to go find help but he ran into a

police officer who saw the money he was carrying and threw him in handcuffs (Korman 130).

The kidnapper had got away without the money.

Falling Action/ Resolution: In this book series there is no resolution because it is a series. The

story will continue in the next book and will proceed with the story line and continue to try to

resolve the conflict.

Connections:
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1. One of the connections I made is that the author, Gordon Korman, didn't play school

sports while his friends did. In the seventh grade when he wrote and published his first

book, most of his friends thought he was weird because he was writing books while they

were participating in school sports and outdoor activities(Nelson). I made this

connection to the author because I play school sports and i had friends who didnt play

school sports and instead spent time on academic activities. This is helpful to me to

understand part of the mindset of the author. This is helpful to me to understand the

author and how his childhood was and how that affected his life of writing.

2. Another connection I made to the text is on page 72. It is when Aiden was trying to tell

the FBI agent where he thought his sister was and the agent wouldnt listen to him. Aiden

saw a flag was vandalized on the news in some other bordering state and Aiden had a

strong feeling that his sister was trying to send a signal for her whereabouts. The FBI

agent said, I hear what you're saying. But you have to admit its pretty flimsy. Ever been

to Quincy? It goes on for miles- hundreds of buildings, half of them abandoned. It takes

manpower to search an area like that- manpower I cant get if I asked for it. Not on a

hunch (Korman 72). I know how Aiden feels because when I try to make a suggestion to

try to make a job me and my dad are on he just ignores me like it's a dumb idea and that

he thinks there's only one way to do something, his way.

3. Another connection I made is to Aiden and how he feels when he figures out that it is all

up to him to try to get Meg back. Aiden was aware of the physical force, crushing down

on him, pinning him to his bed. He couldnt explain it, but somehow he had always

known that the quest to bring Meg home would ultimately fall upon him (Korman 98). I

kind of know how he feels with the pressure on him to get something achieved. I
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sometimes get under pressure in baseball when I go up to bat with 2 outs, winning run on

third, bottom of the last inning. Its all on my shoulders to score the run. it is a ton of

pressure but not as much as Aiden has to save his sister.

4. Another connection i made is when Aiden is meeting one of the kidnappers to trade the

ransom money for Meg and they fail to do so. The Kidnapper clown, She slipped the

pistol back into a hidden pocket and gilded off (Korman 131). Aiden, Aiden doubled

over in pain, and she slammed the gun butt down on the top of his head. A firestorm went

off between his ears. He dropped to the street, out cold (Korman 130). Both Aiden and

the kidnapper failed to do what they were promising each other, the money for Megs

safety back to her family. I know what its like to fail something really important. In

baseball it is hard to get a hit every at bat. But when you can't clutch a hit in a game

winning situation it sinks your heart to your feet. The crowd is silent, your teammates are

just sitting there in disgust saying, good try man. I know what Aiden feels like when he

fails to do his job.

5. I made another connection to The FBI agent when he got embarrassed when people got

on his case about his undercover agents when they couldn't keep an eye in Aiden when he

was going to meet the kidnapper to try to get Meg back. Aiden said to the FBI agent, I

might have gotten shot if he hadn't been there to help me. And you've got him to thank

for saving your ransom money. Remember, he stayed on my trail when all your agents

got left in the dust (Korman 134). It is hurtful for the FBI agent to hear that over and

over again. i know what it's like to be embarrassed. One time i got walked in a baseball

game, so i was jogging to first base when i tripped and fell. The whole crowd started

laughing. It was so embarrassing for me.

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Embarrassed by Marianne English

1. The One Visual I had was when the FBI agent who got embarrassed because he lost track

of Aiden when he was meeting the kidnapper. This picture seems like it would be how

the FBI agent who messed up would look while he was thinking about what he did

wrong. It says in the text, Harris... who is the FBI agent in charge, ... had the grace to

look embarrassed (Korman 134). He made a huge, foolish mistake which caused him to

become embarrassed. He is embarrassed because if the mistake wouldn't have happened,

they might have caught one of the kidnappers. Agent Harriss mistake is a huge part of

the story.

Clown by N/A.
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3. Another visual I had was when Aiden was face to face with the kidnapper who

was dressed as a clown. This is important because it shows how well of a disguise

it was for the time and place where they met and the kidnapper could blend in so

easily and not been recognized. The book says, A clown with a white face and a

cherry-red nose glided up and held out a lollipop- a woman, he thought

(Korman 125). It shows the intelligence of the kidnappers and how well they plan

things out ahead of time. The disguise helped the kidnapper escape the area with

ease.

1. No, Jeremy Clarkson Is Not Stuffed Inside This Car Trunk. by Raphael Orlove

I made another visual to the book when the girl, Meg, was kidnapped and put in a car

trunk. The larger of them lifted her bodily, tossed her into the trunk of a dark sedan, and

slammed the lid shut (Korman 122). I remember playing in my dads old car. I would get in the
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trunk of the car while my sister would stay outside until i was ready to come out. It was really

dark in there but i remember a little glow in the dark latch which would open the trunk from the

inside. This visual is important because it is important to see what the character is experiencing

in the story.

1. A Monkey Escaped. Emily Kirschenhieuter

I made a visual in the book when Aiden was chasing the kidnapper who was dressed as a

clown at the circus parade. This visual was made when Aiden was trying to stop the parade to

catch the kidnapper. Aiden, to stop the parade, freed a cage full of monkeys. Without thinking,

Aiden heaved himself up on the flatbed, sidled around to the door of the enclosure, and released

the snap lock. When the door swung wide, the monkeys, chattering their approval, streamed out

at light speed, scattering over the parade and its spectators (korman 127). This was a great

visual to understand how chaotic the scene at the parade was.

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1.

Abandoned Building in Central Kurchatov. Carl Willis

Another visualization I made was on the abandoned building the kidnappers were hiding

in with Meg. my name is Margaret Falconer, and i have been kidnapped by two men and a

women. I'm being held in an abandoned warehouse. I don't know where, except that it's in

Virginia. If you are reading this note, you are very close. Look for an electrical cable coming in

through a first floor window. That's how we get power here (Korman 75). This is an important

visual because it is important throughout the story. The visual of the warehouse is helpful in

understanding the setting that Meg is being kept in.

Review: The Book Kidnapped by Gordon Korman is an excellent book as it is also part

of an excellent book series. I would highly recommend this book to just about anyone. Especially

people who like action and adventure books. I thought the book was very realistic and exciting

all the way to the end. And it left me in awe wondering what was going to happen in the next

book. I'd recommend this book to people who love action and adventure because it is full of

action and thrill. The book is an excellent story and a great story line along with characters that
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fit the parts amazingly. The book is just an all-around great book filled with excitement. Gordon

Korman is an excellent author.

Works Cited
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Clown. Photograph. Daily Mail.com. Associated Newspapers Ltd, 3 Jan. 2016. Web. 7 Jan.

2016.

English, Marianne. Embarrassed. Photograph. Static.ddmcd.com. n.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.

Kirschenhieuter, Emily. A Monkey Escaped. Photograph. Kron4. Young Broadcasting of San

Francisco Inc., 25 Sept. 2015. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.

Korman, Gordon. Kidnapped: The Abduction. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2006. Print

Nelson, Ken. Kids Books Authors: Gordon Korman. Ducksters. Technological Solutions Inc.,

Sept. 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2015.

No, Jeremy Clarkson Is Not Stuffed Inside This Car Trunk. Photograph. Jalopnik. n.p., n.d. 17

April 2012. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.

Willis, Carl. Abandoned Building in Central Kurchatov. Photograph. Special Nuclear

Material. n.p., n.d. Web. 7 Jan. 2016.