---
product_id: 190869821
title: "Let's Go Play at the Adams'"
brand: "mendal w johnsonmatt godfreyvalancourt books, llc"
price: "€ 78.88"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/190869821-lets-go-play-at-the-adams
store_origin: CY
region: Cyprus
---

# Let's Go Play at the Adams'

**Brand:** mendal w johnsonmatt godfreyvalancourt books, llc
**Price:** € 78.88
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** Let's Go Play at the Adams' by mendal w johnsonmatt godfreyvalancourt books, llc
- **How much does it cost?** € 78.88 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.cy](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/190869821-lets-go-play-at-the-adams)

## Best For

- mendal w johnsonmatt godfreyvalancourt books, llc enthusiasts

## Why This Product

- Trusted mendal w johnsonmatt godfreyvalancourt books, llc brand quality
- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

Full description not available

## Images

![Let's Go Play at the Adams' - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91TrbkI4bIL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Suspenseful and morbidly delightful
  

*by A***H on Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024*

What thoughts dwell in the minds of children? Brains that are still forming. Ethos. Pathos. How far will humans go when singular responsibility is spread thinner amongst a group? Is there a moment of reflection beyond the point of no return? Mendel W. Johnson’s only published work asks these questions. Do you truly want to know the answers?

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    The Dark Heart of Humanity
  

*by K***M on Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2009*

Mendal Johnson's "Let's Go Play at the Adams'" is a disturbing and truly horrifying study of human nature.  The plot revolves around a group of five Maryland children/teens (the youngest ten, the oldest seventeen) who, as part of a "game," capture a twenty-year-old young woman named Barbara and hold her prisoner for almost a week.  Barbara is the baby-sitter, Mom and Dad are in Europe, and the kids get a big kick out of flipping the power structure, even if it's just for a week.  Barbara is chloroformed, bound, gagged, and held prisoner in the guest room.  The kids manage the house, stay up late, eat ice cream, and go swimming whenever they want.  That's how it starts.  Later, things get much darker.Some have suggested the Johnson's novel was inspired by the real-life murder of sixteen-year-old Sylvia Likens (the inspiration for the film "An American Crime," as well as Jack Ketchum's horror-porn novel, "The Girl Next Door").  I reject this, however - "Adams'" really has nothing at all to do with the Likens case. Likens was the victim of poverty, parental neglect, madness, and mob rule - nothing could be farther from the upscale professional world of Johnson's novel.  The only connection between this novel and the Likens case is that the victim in both is a young girl (Likens was 16, Barbara is 20) and that most of the abusers are children/teens. Likens' abuse was begun by her foster mother - the children simply followed-the-leader; they felt that their cruelty was somehow sanctioned because "permission" had been granted. There was never any intent to murder Sylvia Likens - in fact, there was never any intent at all.  "Adams'" is about something very different. The five children/teens involved have a club, play a game, and kidnap/abuse Barbara as part of it.  In the beginning, they are doing it "because we can."  Later, the decisions they make are logical, carefully orchestrated, and democratically enacted.  They vote on whether or not to kill Barbara.  They have meetings to decide how to kill her.  Interestingly, Ketchum's novel ("The Girl Next Door"), which was admittedly inspired by the Likens case, was also heavily influenced by "Adams'."  Ketchum uses the idea of a perverse "game" among children as part of the background for his story - this was not part of the Likens case, but is certainly at the core of "Adams'.""Adams'" actually has a lot more in common with such films as "Last Summer," in which a group of teens (including a young Barbara Hershey) end up brutally abusing one of their so-called friends, or "The Sailor who Fell From Grace With the Sea," in which a young boy ends up murdering (and dissecting) his mother's lover.  These are stories about children untamed (or what children can do before they are "broken" by adult rules and society - this is a phrase specifically used in "Adams'").  The novel is horrific not because of what these five children do to this young woman, but because of how little it bothers them and how easily they begin to see her as outside of humanity.  Actually, the descriptions of abuse are quite tame, especially by current standards (fans of Ketchum's work, for instance, are likely to be disappointed).  This is a very literary novel, with a detached omniscient narrator who is not after a prurient response from his readers.  We hear few details of Barbara's rape, and even the final murder scene is told in such matter-of-fact language that the horror of it seems almost commonplace (which of course makes it all the more horrible).  What never seems commonplace is the children's easy acceptance of murder as part of the game they call life.  As Dianne, one of Barbara's tormentors explains, it's "the game that everyone plays.  The game of who wins the game.  People kill people.  Losers lose."  In a way, this is what we really do believe.  But, as adults, as functioning members of a social world, we can't admit it.William Golding, in "Lord of the Flies," tells us what schoolchildren are capable of without the influence of adults and rules and laws and police.  Mendal Johnson's view of human nature is even darker than Golding's.  His schoolchildren don't need to be stranded on a desert island to see their inner beast released - they need only the opportunity, the means, and the courage.  This, says Johnson, is what we all are - we're little demons who want nothing more than to win; which means making sure someone else is going to lose.  It's not an easy novel to read.  And if it leaves you feeling torn apart when you finally finish it, maybe that's a good thing.

### ⭐⭐⭐ 3.0 out of 5 stars







  
  
    Still bothered the next day
  

*by A***R on Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2023*

*SPOILERS* This book had such an unsatisfying ending. I've never wished so much for a group of kids to get what was coming to them. It was disturbing for the sake of being disturbing with no bit justice at the end. Also the book was just too long. Way too much pointless exposition. A lot could have all been cut out and it would've made no difference to the story.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/190869821-lets-go-play-at-the-adams](https://www.desertcart.com.cy/products/190869821-lets-go-play-at-the-adams)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Cyprus*
*Store origin: CY*
*Last updated: 2026-02-20*