kidnapping

A ransom note received at Dragon Slayers' Academy sends Wiglaf and Angus to the rescue of the supposed victims.

Kidnapped by amateur thieves and taken to a remote shed, Suzie Quinn makes a brave effort to escape.

In the middle of a small and largely unnoticed nervous breakdown, fifteen-year-old Joel tries to cope with the complications caused by his brother's sudden fame as a novelist, a devoted dog, and the kidnapping of his brother's former girlfriend.

Sixteen-year-old Angie finds herself in her neighborhood with no recollection of her abduction or the three years that have passed since, until alternate personalities start telling her their stories through letters and recordings.

As Wild Chalklings threaten the American Isles and Rithmatists are humanity's only defense, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice.

Two kidnappers anticipate getting a large ransom for the young boy of a banker, but in the end they pay the father to take the troublesome child back.

When Clara vanishes after the puppeteer Grisini and two orphaned assistants were at her twelfth birthday party, suspicion of kidnapping chases the trio away from London and soon the two orphans are caught in a trap set by Grisini's ancient rival, a witch with a deadly inheritance to shed before it is too late.

An illustrated overview of acts of piracy in the shipping industry in the twenty-first century, discussing motives for kidnapping and taking hostages, and describing the efforts and tactics of law enforcement agencies to rescue victims and prevent the crime.

"In the ancient city of Itzamna, Lord Six-Rabbit wakes up screaming. A great warrior king of the mighty Maya, he has dreamed he was a lowly, flea-bitten monkey. How could this be? Was this some sorcery sent by his half-brother, Tzelok, the evil priest? 1200 years later, in Boston, Massachusetts, 14-year-old Max Murphy is looking forward to a family vacation. But his parents, both archaeologists and Maya experts, announce a change in plan. They must leave immediately for a dig in San Xavier, the tiny Central American country where his father grew up. Max will go to summer camp. Max is furious. He's always suspected that his parents cared more about the Ancient Maya than about him and this proves it. When he's mysteriously summoned to San Xavier, he thinks they've had a change of heart. But he's met at the airport by one of their colleagues, who explains that his parents have gone missing at the remote Maya temple of Ix Chel. He also tells Max the legend of The Jaguar Stones, the five sacred stones of Middleworld (the Maya name for the world of men) which enabled Ancient Maya kings to wield the powers of living gods. And so begins Max Murphy's wild adventure in the tropical rainforests of San Xavier. During his journey, he will unlock ancient secrets and meet strangers who are connected to him in ways he could never have imagined. For fate has delivered a challenge of epic proportions to this pampered teenager. Can Max rescue his parents from the Maya Underworld and save the world from the Lords of Death, who now control the power of the Jaguar Stones in their villainous hands? The scene is set for a roller-coaster ride of suspense and terror, as the good guys and the bad guys face off against a background of haunted temples, zombie armies and human sacrifice" -- from author's web site.

A series of burglaries in their quiet community upsets Alex's family, particularly his younger brother Benjie, but the bad guys are no match for the very protective family cat and Benjie's "spy" skills.