Ipso facto calamari: another ridiculously clever mystery in the series.
When Bonnie Montgomery’s mother, Liz, becomes a murder suspect, Bonnie, in her guise as detective Montgomery Bonbon, rushes to find the real culprit.
Bonnie is excited about the annual Grimmfire Night celebration on the Widdlington Historic Quay. She’ll get to watch a fireworks display orchestrated by Liz and launched from the “REAL pirate ship” the Dreadnowt, which is under the command of the syrupy Captain Roger Valancourt. But things go haywire: The show is sabotaged, and the fireworks all go off simultaneously. When the smoke clears, an injured Valancourt falls dead onto the deck—and police inspector Prashanti Sands arrests Liz. Bonnie dons the beret, raincoat, and mustache of her alter ego, the renowned detective with a “mysterious foreign accent” whose true identity even her mother doesn’t know. Assisted by loyal Grampa Banks and friend Dana Hornville, she hunts for the person who wanted Valancourt dead. The descriptions—of the ship, characters, mishaps and more—are laugh-out-loud funny. Action abounds as the trio clamber over the ship and quayside in their investigation. Liz begins her own inquiry and proves surprisingly astute; might she also discover the true identity of Montgomery Bonbon? Powell’s scribbly black-and-white illustrations capture the frenetic energy as Bonnie races to reveal the full scope of the intrigue. Bonnie and her family present white; the supporting cast contains racial diversity.
Ipso facto calamari: another ridiculously clever mystery in the series. (diagram, cast of characters, author’s note) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781536241709
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Contagiously goofy and fun.
Area 51 gets its first new resident in 5 years—and a new mystery.
When her grandma moves into a kid-free retirement home, 12-year-old orphan Priya “Sky” Patel-Baum and Spike, her pet hedgehog, relocate to Area 51 to live with Sky’s eccentric Uncle Anish. At 51, humans and Break Throughs (government-speak for aliens) live together off-grid in harmony. Unfortunately, several Zdstrammars (one of many Break Through species) mysteriously disappear, disrupting the base’s harmony and contributing to feelings of suspicion. Despite being deputy head of the Federal Bureau of Alien Investigations, Uncle Anish becomes a prime suspect. Can Sky and Elvis, her alien classmate, prove Uncle Anish’s innocence and find the missing Zdstrammars before it’s too late? YA author Buxbaum’s middle-grade debut is a rip-roaring series opener complete with over-the-top characters and jokes galore. Naidu’s black-and-white cartoon illustrations extend the comedy with ongoing commentary that smartly interacts with the prose. The cast of Break Through species—like Audiotooters, Galzorian, and Sanitizoria—have hilariously creative on-the-nose names with illustrations to match. Sky is coded biracial, with a White dad and Indian mom. Aliens appear in a variety of shapes, sizes, and colors; Elvis shape-shifts but looks like a brown-skinned boy to Sky. Though the main mystery is neatly wrapped up, the cliffhanger ending promises more laughs.
Contagiously goofy and fun. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-42946-4
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans.
Only children, rejoice! A cozy mystery just for you! (People with siblings will probably enjoy it too.)
Debut novelist Cornett introduces the One and Onlys, a trio of mystery-solving only kids: Gloria Longshanks “Shanks” Hill, Alexander “Peephole” Calloway, and narrator Paul (alas, no nickname) Marconi. The trio has a knack for finding and solving low-level mysteries, but they come up against a true head-scratcher when the yard of a resident of their small town is covered in rubber ducks overnight. Working ahead of Officer Portnoy, who’s a little on the slow side, can Paul, Shanks, and Peephole solve the mystery? Cornett has a lot of fun with this adventure, dropping additional side mysteries, a subplot about small businesses, big corporations, and economics, and a town’s love of bratwurst into the mix. Most importantly, he plays fair with the clues throughout, allowing astute readers to potentially solve the case ahead of the trio. The tone and mystery are perfect for younger readers who want to test their detective skills but are put off by anything scary or gory. The pacing would serve well for chapter-by-chapter read-alouds. If there are any quibbles, it’s the lack of diversity of the cast, as it defaults white. Diversity exists in small towns, and this one is crying out for more. Hopefully a sequel will introduce additional faces.
Delightful fun for budding mystery fans. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-3003-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
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