Would you want to come home from a trip and not know where your dad or mom was? Well, that’s what happened to Katie when she came to the airport with her brother and cousin in Curse of the Ruins by Gary Paulsen.

     Curse of the Ruins takes place in San Marcos, New Mexico.   It is also present time. New Mexico is a very crime-ridden place because Katie’s bag gets stolen and people steal a lot because the police are not doing what they are supposed to do be doing. New Mexico is a mysterious place because Katie, San, and Shala saw an old Indian, also Katie’s bag got stolen and they couldn’t find Katie’s dad. New Mexico is a hot place because there is not a lot of shade, and also it's close to the equator, and the sun is hot and out a lot. New Mexico is a dry place, too, because there are dry deserts, there is not a lot of prêt, and in New Mexico the sun is out a lot. San Marcos is not really a safe place to live. Katie, Sam, and Shala don’t really like New Mexico because there is a lot crime. 
Katie came to New Mexico with her brother and her cousin. 

     Katie is about thirteen years old.  She is tall. Katie is smart because she has good ideas for doing things, and she doesn't give up the map that could find the gold.  She also thinks a lot when they have a clue of what might have happened. Katie is also a very angry person because her dad didn’t show up at the airport and her bag gets stolen.  She was also angry when the man kidnapped her. Katie is sad when she can’t find her dad, when she can't find her uncle, and when she can’t find the map in the beginning. Katie is a very brave person for her age because she was able to lie to the man that kidnapped her, and she was trying to get away from the criminals. Katie was brave when the men were going to kill her. Katie is a very smart and brave person. 

     The main problem in the story is that Katie has to find her dad.   First, Katie’s dad doesn’t show up at the airport; then Katie’s bag gets stolen;  finally Katie is kidnapped. Katie learns to be really brave in order to find her dad. One of the brave things that Katie did was to lie to the kidnappers about where the map was. It was brave because if the kidnappers found out than they might have hurt her or even killed her. 

     The book Curse of the Ruins is a good book, and it is very interesting. The book made me want to keep reading, because I wanted to know how they would find Katie’s dad. The author gave a lot of details in the book. The author also wrote the book very well and interesting and I wouldn’t make any changes in the book.  I would recommend this book to everyone because it is a good book and they will like it.