Hush Little Baby (novel)

Hush Little Baby is a novel written for teenagers by Caroline B. Cooney. It was published in 1998.

Plot

Kit is a high school student living with her mother and her stepfather. As she retrieves her sweatshirt from her father's house, she is approached by her disheveled ex-stepmother, Dusty Innes. Kit is stunned when Dusty hands Kit a newborn baby and a diaper bag before driving away, not even bothering to tell Kit his name.

To the best of her ability, Kit tries to care for the baby, who she names Sam. After putting Sam down the doorbell rings. She opens the door, only to find a shabby looking man standing before her, looking for Dusty. Kit denies any knowledge of Dusty's baby and claims that she hasn't seen Dusty in a while, since she is no longer her stepmother. Kit shuts the door but suspects that the man is trying to look into the windows. Feeling threatened, she grabs one of her dad's disposable cameras and takes a picture of his license plate. Finding nothing, the man leaves.

Kit has decided to bring Sam back to her mother's house when Rowen Mason, Kit's potential boyfriend, arrives in tow with his 9 year old sister, Muffin. Kit then receives a call from a lady called Cynthia, who explains the whole situation. Apparently, Cinda and her husband, Burt, were supposed to adopt Dusty's baby, and that the man who came to Kit's house earlier was, in fact, Dusty's cousin. Kit is reassured by Cinda and promises to deliver Sam to her.

Cinda and Burt's house is located in a wooded area, with no neighbors. Burt tries to grab the camera out of Kit's hand when she starts taking pictures. Meanwhile, Muffin has to go to the bathroom really badly. With all the adults so preoccupied with baby Sam, she ventures into the house and is shocked to find the house in a mess, with pizza boxes on the floor and no soap in the bathroom. Muffin accuses Cinda of not knowing how to properly care for a baby. Kit also senses that something isn't right and, taking Sam from Cynthia, she tells them that they should all wait for Dusty to get back before doing anything.

Kit, at her father's house, leaves a voice message for her father about Dusty. Dusty and her cousin, Ed, enter the house and agree to spend a night here before sorting things out in the morning. As Kit runs upstairs to grab a flannel blanket, Dusty and her cousin run out with Sam. Rowen and Muffin follow their car. Dusty and her cousin both stop at a house, and Muffin tries to rescue Sam. Ed catches Muffin and instructs Rowen to throw his car keys into the woods. He then takes off with Muffin and Sam.

In the meantime, Kit unknowingly opens the door to Burt and Cynthia, who imitated Muffin's high-pitch voice. At home, the answering machine goes off with Kit's father telling her that he called the police. Burt and Cynthia freak out at the mention of the police and Cynthia grabs a kitchen knife. They put Kit in a car, where Cinda tells Kit of her mastermind plan. She, Burt, Dusty, and Ed were part of an ATM scam. They would use fake ATMs to collect the bank card numbers, and then Dusty would redraw money from the bank accounts. Kit is rescued by a policeman, but Cynthia refuses to tell them where Sam is.

Rowen, without his car, runs to the nearest truck and tells them everything. Muffin, stuck in the car with Ed, carefully uses Morse code to signal SOS to the other car. In the end, Dusty, Burt, Ed, and Cynthia are all under arrest, and Sam is put under foster care.

Characters

Kit Innes is a high school student who alternates homes between her stepfather and mom and her biological father. She is level-headed and is friends with Rowen and Muffin's cousin, Shea. Kit also plays the flute in the school band.

Rowen Mason is a preppy high school student who lives with his 9 year old sister and his strict parents.

Margaret "Muffin" Mason is the sister of Rowen. She craves the laidback lifestyle of her cousin, Shea.

Dusty Innes it is the ex-stepmother of Kit, whom she depended on for moral support, especially during her divorce. Dusty is often regarded as ditzy, even having known for having a doll collection.