Tag: middle grade mystery

REVIEW: The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

REVIEW: The Sherlock Society by James Ponti

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Aladdin in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Alex and Zoe Sherlock have decided to live up to their last name. Instead of babysitting or mowing lawns for money, they start a detective agency. With their friends, Lina and Yadi, and their grandfather serving as Director of Transportation and Logistics, they are ready to take on their first case.

After a couple of false starts, the Sherlock Society stumbles onto an environmental case. The kids use the reporting skills they learn from Alex and Zoe’s grandfather to start looking for a suspect. They also use Yadi’s film experience and drone skills to look for clues. Zoe’s understanding of people comes in handy, as does Alex’s understanding of the law and Lina’s grasp of the big picture, when their case literally explodes out of control.

Review

This is so fun! There’s great balance between the kid pieces – friendships, family conflict, learning to investigate – with  the case pieces. There’s tons for readers to learn – about investigating, about Al Capone, about Florida, about videography – and it’s all modeled by the characters in the book. It’s “showing, not telling” at it’s best.

The kids and the family feel authentic – conflict, confrontation, support, teasing, and teaching, all on a foundation of love. And the case is grounded in some details real middle schoolers would or could do. This is a terrific series kick off from a tried and true middle grade mystery author, James Ponti. His fans should not miss this one. Mystery lovers, kids who care about the environment, and readers who like ensemble stories should pick this one up, too!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland

REVIEW: Moon Rising by Tui T. Sutherland

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

The War of Sandwing Succession is over and the Dragonets of Destiny have started a school so other dragons can learn about one another and old animosity might someday be overcome. But someone seems to be trying to cause trouble at the school – and commit murder. One Nightwing, Moon, has the legendary mindreading and prophecy gifts of her ancestors, so she’s getting clues about the culprit. But she’s afraid everyone will hate her if they find out what she can do.

Review

This is the graphic novel adaptation of the 6th novel in the Wings of Fire series. This kicks off my favorite arc of the series, and I was pleased with how this turned out. The artwork is gorgeous and does a great job with the story. But it’s still an adaptation of a larger story. This really whet my appetite to revisit the series again so I can enjoy the full experience.

Newcomers should probably start with book 1 to understand the references to the first arc, but I think this can stand alone. But to truly experience the story, I still think the full middle grade novel is the best bet. This graphic novel can be a great introduction for newcomers to the story, and it can also be a great visual experience for readers who already love the novel.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels, Book 1 by Serena Blasco

REVIEW: Enola Holmes: The Graphic Novels, Book 1 by Serena Blasco

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The first three Enola Holmes novels by Nancy Springer have been adapted into graphic novels – The Case of the Missing Marquess, The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, and The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets.

Enola is on the run from her older brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock, as she looks for their missing mother. Along the way, Enola dodges her brothers and solves mysteries.

Review

This is a fun, colorful adaptation of the first three novels in this middle grade mystery series. Fans of the books will enjoy the visual delivery of familiar stories. Fans of the Netflix movie will see a few points of similarity as well as many changes for the movie’s purposes. Newcomers should absolutely check this out as a teaser to the full books.

Book 2 in the graphic novel adaptation will release in October. You can read my review of the latest Enola Holmes novel for young adults here; a second book in that series, Enola Holmes and the Elegant Escapade, will release in September.

REVIEW: Hide and Geek by T. P. Jagger

REVIEW: Hide and Geek by T. P. Jagger

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Random House Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

The town of Elmwood is in trouble. The family that helped build the town is mostly gone. The matriarch who promised to leave her money to Elmwood didn’t. And her children destroyed the family business with their irresponsible choices.

Gina, Elena, Edgar, and Kevin stumble across a chance to save Elmwood – and their families’ livelihoods – when they meet the final member of the VanHouten family. Max found a speech his grandmother wrote – but never gave – announcing a hidden treasure in the town. So the GEEKs are going to find it!

Review

This is a fun mystery/treasure hunt story with solid characters and real stakes. It has a familiar feeling to it – like The Parker Inheritance or The Westing Game, The Amelia Six, Capture the Flag, the 39 Clues series, etc.. But it was still a fun read. I enjoy books like this, and I think kids who enjoy similar treasure hunting tales will enjoy this too.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Alice Fleck's Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

REVIEW: Alice Fleck’s Recipes for Disaster by Rachelle Delaney

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

To celebrate her last day of elementary school, Alice’s father gives her a phone. Sure, it’s a hand-me-down from his girlfriend, Hana, but a phone is a phone when you are about to start middle school.

Hana also has a gift for Alice. She entered Alice and her dad into a contest to win a spot on Culinary Chronicles, a TV cooking show. And they won.

Alice has learned the hard way that kids her age aren’t interested in the history of food and cooking, Victorian recipes, and the other things Alice and her dad love. But she doesn’t feel like she can say no to her dad or to Hana. Thankfully, Culinary Chronicles is on an obscure network, so no one will see her on TV. And it’s the nicest of the reality cooking shows with a lot of comradery on set. That’s the saving grace of this whole thing.

But when Alice and her dad get to the set, they discover Culinary Chronicles has been bought out by the most popular reality TV station. And they’ve changed the sweet format to something more cut throat. The judge is awful, and none of the contestants are having any fun. And it starts to look like someone is deliberately sabotaging the show. Alice and some new friends are determined to figure out what is really going on.

Review

This was fun. I wish the mystery elements and Alice’s team up with the other sleuths had started sooner and carried through the book. That was my favorite part of the story, but it cropped up late making the story feel a little uneven for me. The story begins with a focus on Alice and the drama of her dad having a girlfriend as well as her mixed feelings about her passions since it made finding friends at school so difficult. And those threads run from start to finish, but the mystery takes over for the last third or so.

I enjoyed all the ways Alice grows during the book – from her relationship with her dad and Hana to her shame over loving the things she loves. There’s a nice piece here about finding your people and embracing who you are rather than being ashamed of it. I loved that piece of the story.

Kids who love cooking shows and books about cooking (A Place at the Table, The Donut Fix and The Donut King, The World’s Greatest Chocolate-Covered Pork Chops, Summer of a Thousand Pies, From the Desk of Zoe Washington, etc.) should definitely pick this one up! The publisher’s information says this is for readers 10 and up.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good+

REVIEW: Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery by Ally Carter

REVIEW: Winterborne Home for Mayhem and Mystery by Ally Carter

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this from Netgalley, but by the time I was approved, I had already bought a print copy of the published book. I read the print version for this review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

April and her friends are settled in at Winterborne House. Gabriel Winterborne has been “found” and is famous again. April and the other kids thwarted a lot of dark, ugly schemes that could have hurt a lot of people (Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor) and lived to tell the tale.

But Izzy has disappeared and Smithers, the butler, is away, leaving Gabriel in charge of five kids and the house. Things are pretty chaotic when the case worker arrives. Then, a swordsman breaks into the house. And Gabriel goes missing.

Now the kids are dodging the case worker who wants to take them away from their home and from each other. They are searching for Gabriel, afraid he’s hurt or dying – or that he’s just abandoned them. And they are running from guys with guns, desperate to preserve their found family.

Review

WOW! This was fantastic! I squeezed in a quick re-read of book one so the story was fresh in my mind when I started this. And I am so glad. I was able to pick up the action and the characters right away, which was important. This book jumps right into the action! This is definitely a read-in-order series.

While this is April’s story, I adore the full ensemble cast. The kids have really gelled into a team – and a family – by this book. I love them even more this time around.

The story was captivating from start to end. There are a ton of things going on here, but the author never loses the reigns on her story. I flew through this in one breathless sitting because I had to know what happens for everyone. I have my fingers crossed that there will be more stories for these characters in the future. But this book ends solidly with no major cliffhangers.

Fans of book 1, fans of Ally Carter, and fans of middle grade mysteries should NOT miss this excellent series. I’d say the target audience would be older middle grade readers – 10 and up – due to the violence of the story. While not at all graphic, there are sword fights and bullet wounds and stabbings and peril that might not be a good fit for some young readers.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥♥ = Outstanding!

REVIEW: Sherlock Bones and the Sea-Creature Feature by Renée Treml

REVIEW: Sherlock Bones and the Sea-Creature Feature by Renée Treml

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Sherlock Bones is a mystery-solving superstar at the Natural History Museum. Sherlock, the skeleton of a tawny frogmouth, along with his helpers Watts, a stuffed parrot from an exhibit, and Grace, a raccoon, takes on the case of a swamp monster stalking around the museum.

Review

This is book 2 in the Sherlock Bones graphic novel series for kids. As I was reading this, I imagined this was for kids in the 6-9 age range, but the range from the publisher is 8-12. I think any elementary school reader who loves mysteries, quirky characters, and animal facts will enjoy this one. The characters are punny, and the animal facts were interesting. Readers can follow along with the detectives and work out the solutions on their own.

I got a kick out of this! It’s a funny story with unusual characters in a fascinating setting. I would like to go back and read the first one to see how the author sets up this unique team of sleuths. I would happily hand this to a young reader – I think kids will enjoy this one!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron Hicks

REVIEW: The Rembrandt Conspiracy by Deron Hicks

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children’s Book Group in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

An iced mocha and 42 steps.

Those were the things that convinced Art that something was wrong and the National Portrait Gallery was going to be robbed. Art had grown up around and in art museums. His dad worked at the Portrait Gallery. And after a week of watching, Art knew something was up. But his hunch was going to be hard to prove.

Art remembered another robbery – one from before he was born. The Gardner Museum. The thieves had explicit inside information. Major pieces of art were stolen – and never seen again. This could be something similar. And it would be devastating – to the art world and to Art’s dad and his co-workers at the Gallery.

So Art and his best friend Camille team up to track down the would-be thieves.

Review

Another fun art-based mystery in the Lost Art Mystery series after The Van Gogh Deception.

Art is brilliant, and Camille is clever and bold, making them a good team to work together and try to thwart a heist. Their parents are appropriately involved and typical parents. There’s an interesting epilogue to this one. I am curious to see where it leads for a third book.

Once again, the use of QR codes that take readers to pictures of the art being discussed is brilliant. My QR reader didn’t care for the ARC on my tablet, but when it worked, it was great. I think this feature will be perfect in print versions of the book.

The mystery here – with ties to an actual real-life heist – was twisty and engaging. Mystery fans and art lovers should be sure to check this series out.

Rating: ♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥½ = Good +

REVIEW: Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

REVIEW: Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Truly Lovejoy was devastated by her family’s move to Pumpkin Falls, NH. It’s January, so the weather is awful. It’s so cold, a waterfall is freezing, and it snows all the time. They were supposed to be living in their very own house in Texas, down the road from Truly’s cousin/best friend after years of military housing. After her father’s accident, days before he was supposed to come home and retire, though, everything changed.

Now, Truly’s father and his sister are running the family bookstore for their parents who have joined the peace corps. That means a mid-year school change for Truly and her siblings. A new town, a new school, and tons of new people.

Truly usually tries to blend into the background. It’s been pretty easy at home since she’s the middle kid of five. It’s harder in public when she’s almost 6 feet tall and not quite 13 years old yet. Usually she can manage to fade into the woodwork anyway. But when she finds a letter with a scavenger hunt clue tucked into a rare book at the store, Truly will need the help of her new classmates to solve the mystery.

Review

I had heard great things about the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series for years, but this was my first chance to try it out. What a delight!

The mysteries are fun. The 20 year old scavenger hunt pushes Truly to get to know her new home town and her classmates. There are also some fun references to Much Ado About Nothing, one of my favorite Shakespeare plays.

The family bookstore is a great place for characters to meet, story elements to unfold, and Truly’s family to start to heal. I adored the shop and all of the activities centered there. And Truly’s family (and her friends) are a treat.

The characters are what makes this book special. From Truly’s dad who is adjusting to a disability and the change in all of his ideas of what his retirement would look like to each of Truly’s friends who are distinct and delightful, there are tons of great characters in this. But Truly is my favorite of them all. She may not tell the adults in her life everything she is thinking and feeling, but she is very clear in her own mind. I loved watching her process the changes in her family, the transition to her new school, and the mysteries she stumbles into. I can’t wait to read the other books in this series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = Loved it! Would re-read.

REVIEW: Finally Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

REVIEW: Finally Something Mysterious by Doug Cornett

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Duckies. A yard full of rubber duckies.

That’s what launches Paul, “Shank,” and “Peephole” on their latest mystery investigation. Someone dumped a ridiculous number of bath toys in Mr. Babbage’s yard. Who would do that? And why?

Could it be one of his competitors from the big bratwurst competition? Or maybe it’s his grouchy neighbor? Then there’s a teen from the neighborhood who’s acting strangely and sneaking out of the house.

The One and Onlys are on the case. That’s the name of their detective agency, because the three of them are only children. Or at least, they were. Now Peephole’s parents are having another baby which is really going to shake things up. As if Peephole wasn’t already afraid and paranoid all the time. Everything for the One and Onlys could be changing this summer – especially if they can crack their first case.

Review

This was so fun! I love middle grade mysteries. The silly duckies are only the starting point for a low stakes case that pushes the kids to use their skills – Peephole’s photographic memory, Shank’s confidence and daring, and Paul’s problem solving. There’s a lot going on in town with the bratwurst competition as well as a big box store coming in that could dramatically change life for Paul’s family. There’s plenty to engage readers and keep pages turning.

The clues for the mystery are all there for clever readers to notice and fit together. The wrap up of the case was terrific and satisfying.

I would love to see more mysteries for the One and Onlys to solve. Their relationship with local law enforcement was great – I’d love to see where that could go in the future.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥= Great! Might re-read