Young readers will be enchanted.
Mystery solvers Kara and Zed help crack the Cinderella case in the second Once Upon a Fairy Tale chapter book.
Handsome, dashing Prince Patrick and his cute puppy, Duncan, stop in at Kara’s family shoe shop because the glass slipper left behind by the mysterious woman who captured his heart at a ball—his only clue to finding her—has been stolen from his library, and he’s looking for leads on who made it. As it was fairy godmother–made, Kara’s parents can’t help, but Kara offers her sleuthing services, together with her best friend, Zed. When the offer is quickly rejected (after Patrick consults his adviser), Kara decides they’ll solve the mystery anyway. While the villain (and motive) behind the crime is revealed early, setting a trap for and catching said villain is only half of the puzzle. The other half is finding the shoe so that Cinderella’s story can proceed on schedule. The mystery is well-structured for its age group, with all of the pieces (including red herrings) laid out early and then spotlighted at crucial moments, enabling readers to solve right alongside the racially diverse heroes—in the black-and-white illustrations, Kara and Cinderella are pale while Patrick and Zed have dark skin. The art’s expressiveness buttresses the characterization and highlights key amusing animal moments (a welcome carryover from series opener The Magic Mirror, 2019).
Young readers will be enchanted. (Fantasy/mystery. 5-8)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-34975-7
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
Not likely to sneak past the early-reader set.
Giff’s Fiercely and Friends early-reader series limps along with this not-so-suspenseful tale.
The trio of Jilli, Jim and dog Fiercely who spied on a neighbor and her Big Red Schoolhouse, return for another semimysterious adventure. During a terrific snowstorm, Jilli has to take a break from reading to Fiercely about a sneaky snow fox—the story is just too scary. Jumping at every sound and seeing a snow fox around every corner, she is terrified by a knock on the door. It turns out to be just her friend, Jim. But while the door is open, the dog runs outside. The duo watch from an upstairs window as Fiercely tunnels his way toward a suspiciously foxy-looking tail in the snow. Is he brave or does he need help? The friends share Jim’s pair of skis and rush to the rescue. The ending will satisfy beginning readers with its coziness and lack of fright, though the buildup is overlong and repetitious. The four chapter divisions seem arbitrary, and the text suffers from the same exposition problems as the first title in the series (The Big Something, 2012), telling all the action rather than showing. Palmisciano’s oil pastels nicely convey the children’s emotions, though the ambiguity that "conceals" the identity of the snow fox may leave readers frustrated rather than amused.
Not likely to sneak past the early-reader set. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-24458-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
All the fun of a mystery carried on the rhythm of the tropics.
Murilla the gorilla employs her detecting talents to track down a missing parasol.
Not surprisingly, it is raining in the African rain forest. It has rained right through Murilla’s roof, so she makes her way to the market, which, despite the rain, is all sunny colors, like the inside of a cupcake shop. Before Murilla can buy a new mop, Parrot requests help in tracking down a missing parasol from his shop. (In the rain forest, parasols are a hot commodity.) Dear Murilla, who, as the forest’s resident detective, has as much focusing power as Mr. Magoo, bumbles her way to the solution—elementary, but as gratifying as a ray of light breaking through the clouds, and one that allows all the citizens of the forest to remain innocent. This early reader is a pleasure but no gimme. There is plenty to challenge, starting with parasol but also magnifying glass, mandrill, okapi, chimpanzee and hammocks. This on top of Lee’s illustrations, which are not so much busy as full, especially with the mayhem of Murilla’s life. Despite that, there is a sense of equanimity; Murilla won’t, can’t, is utterly clueless about being hurried, and it is easy to imagine holding her hand and sauntering along as she uncovers what happened.
All the fun of a mystery carried on the rhythm of the tropics. (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-927018-23-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simply Read Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
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