It was about a young girl who lived in Manhattan. Her family was wealthy and she was kidnapped and held for ransom. Her family was very quirky and eccentric and the book was very funny - kind of madcap. Anyone have any ideas? I think the title started with "The kidnapping of......" or "The ransom of......" (And no, it's not "The Kidnapping of Christina Lattimore" - this had a very different tone.)

In the morning, call or visit your public library, YP or YA department. They will have reader's advisory databases and print reference to help you track down the title of this book.

Thanks for your quick reply, Wondergirl. I've already gone that route (even going to the library where I checked out the book 20+ years ago) and came up dry. The book was no longer in the catalog and we (the reference Librarian) couldn't find anything with a similar title to my memory or a similar description in the databases. I thought posting on a forum like this might jog someone's memory - hopefully your response won't prevent someone from replying.

Maybe "The Kidnapping of Courtney Van Allen and What's-Her-Name" by Joyce Cool:

When 12-year-old Jan Travis is kidnapped along with her world-famous, wealthy friend, the kidnappers demand something other than money.