[In The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case] Amanda, although less hostile [than in The Headless Cupid], is still causing trouble; it's her boasting about her rich father in the U.S. that causes the kidnapping. The family is in Italy, where Amanda's mother has inherited property she can have only if they live there a year. What the kidnappers don't bargain for is holding five children captive, and Snyder makes the whole affair believable and very funny. The story would be enjoyable in any case for the action, the humor, and the colorful setting, but Snyder gives it substance by good dialogue and characterization, by a fluid narrative style, and by the perceptively seen intricacies of the relationships among the children and the changes in Amanda.

Zena Sutherland, "New Titles for Children and Young People: 'The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case'," in Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (© 1979 by...