Some nearly threadbare tropes hold together this fast-paced mystery for middle schoolers, only fraying completely at the end. Will Shakespeare at 12 is irrepressible, full of words and perhaps a little ADHD. His foil is Tom, a member of a group of players, except that Tom is really Viola, living in disguise with her uncle’s troupe as her parents are in hiding for helping a Catholic priest escape the Crown. Tom/Viola’s uncle and his players come to Stratford-on-Avon, where he is almost immediately accused of murder when a local curmudgeon is bludgeoned to death with the uncle’s walking stick. Will, with the unwilling assistance of Tom/Viola, seeks to solve the crime, full of words and scheming and hijinks. The townsfolk spout lines that ring suspiciously familiar, a melodramatic plot twist involving the twin sons of the local curmudgeon ends in a drowning and suicide (offstage) and everyone seems to figure out that Tom is really Viola. Lively and quick, it may offer some small amusement to readers not quite ready for King of Shadows. (Historical fiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: June 23, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4169-8660-7
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
The enterprising young muckrakers who barely made their way out of Deep Doo-Doo (1996) once again find themselves ankle deep in local politics. When a pumpkin appears atop City Hall’s flagpole, stuttering electronics wiz Bennet and his glib sidekick, Pete, rush to post the story on their Deep Doo-Doo Web site—only to find that they’ve been scooped by journalistic arch-rival Elizabeth, editor of the school paper, The Purple Patch. When the town paper offers $500 for the prankster’s identity, the three start digging—separately at first, then, with utmost reluctance, together. The plot thickens with the arrival of coded e-mail from someone offering to trade clues for a Dracula mask that figured prominently in the first episode (and which later turns up on E-bay). Even better, there’s the discovery of an old college-yearbook photo of mayoral candidate Robert Abbott (who is running a character-based campaign) streaking. As it turns out, Abbott, e-mailer, and pumpkin are all connected—not in particularly believable ways, but the young sleuths supply enough competition (becoming cooperation, and even friendship, by the end), reckless pursuit of the story, and clever deduction to keep the ball rolling. They win the reward too, forcing Abbott into a public confession that actually helps his campaign by convincing voters that he’s not such a stick in the, er, mud. A contrived but entertaining whodunit. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-525-46530-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Green-tailed gumshoe Chet Gecko's outsized appetite really gets him into hot water in his latest caper. Someone is pilfering supplies from Emerson Hickey Elementary's pantry. Chet's attempt to nab the phantom nosher backfires when he inhales a drugged pillbug muffin and wakes up amidst a plethora of evidence pointing to him as the culprit. It's a frame-up, but can he clear his name—not to mention escape a lifetime of detention—when even pun-loving avian sidekick Natalie Attired is giving him the cold shoulder? The redoubtable reptile's in a real pickle. Luckily, Hale dishes up plenty of clues, while setting the table for a wild climactic ruckus involving Chet, Natalie, custodian/mongoose Maureen DeBree, and two king cobras hiding out in the heating ducts while hatching both a clutch of eggs and a plot to take over the school. Occasional illustrations depicting a hard-boiled animal cast add atmosphere. It's literary fast food with no caloric consequences, and the incessant wordplay, plus the way everyone receives (what else?) just deserts, will give readers an appetite for more. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: April 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-15-202275-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2001
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