A quirky, fast-paced, and engaging mystery.
An adventure story about missing items and mysterious people.
Trudi de la Rosa and her friends, brothers J.J. and Valentine Watts, comprise the Ghost Hunters Adventure Club, whose purpose is to fight crime and solve mysteries as a team. This entry, a follow-up to Ghost Hunters Adventure Club and the Secret of the Grande Chateau (2020), begins with a ride on the Harborville Express. Little do they know what an adventure it will be when they jump onboard this historic diesel electric train. When ruby jewelry belonging to the duchess of Cordelia goes missing, it’s up to Trudi, J.J., and Valentine to find the stolen treasure. Whether encountering Siobhan Sweeney, the brothers’ archenemy, or working alongside Inspector Horvath, the trio must determine who is telling the truth and weed out the liars. However, they are stumped many times along the journey and encounter obstacles and challenges, including suspicious characters, the train’s suddenly coming to a stop, and the engineer’s missing tools. This fun mystery will keep readers laughing and guessing until the end. Mills breaks the fourth wall to address readers directly and converse with characters from the book in a way that is entertaining and memorable. Characters are minimally described and seem to follow a White default.
A quirky, fast-paced, and engaging mystery. (Mystery. 13-16)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-63758-184-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Permuted Press
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2022
Despite all the wealth, Vogue photo shoots and designer clothing, mostly a down-to-earth slice of life; more Kody Keplinger...
Enjoyable, straightforward high school drama despite the Mafia princess framework.
Gia wants to be a normal middle-class 17-year-old girl, with normal high school drama and normal friends and normal relationship woes. But her father is the capo di tutti capi, “the Boss of all Bosses.” So she’s driven to her extremely ritzy private school every day by Frankie with the Glock, and when she’s pulled over for speeding by the most gorgeous cop ever, her dad’s million-dollar lawyer bails her out. Still, for the most part, she manages “normal”: She works hard to get straight A’s, resents her parent-mandated after-school job and runs for student-council president. Sure, Gia’s family drama involves cops coming after her dad, but everything’s going to be fine, right? When everything isn’t fine, Gia will still survive, as she has fantastic friends who will always be there for her. An unsettling, discordant romance with a police officer—where the age and power differential are never addressed—only weakens Gia’s otherwise strong characterization and development.
Despite all the wealth, Vogue photo shoots and designer clothing, mostly a down-to-earth slice of life; more Kody Keplinger than Gossip Girl . (Fiction. 13-16)Pub Date: March 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8075-4911-7
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Following on the heels (or maybe wings) of The Sweet Dead Life (2013), Jenna, now 15, is hoping for a little calm in her...
Sassy, smart-mouthed, cowboy-boot fan Jenna Samuels is back once again, fighting evildoers with the aid of her angelic cohorts.
Following on the heels (or maybe wings) of The Sweet Dead Life (2013), Jenna, now 15, is hoping for a little calm in her life—but wherever Jenna goes, trouble seems to follow. Her newly deceased-cum-angel brother, Casey, and his equally angelic mentor, Amber Velasco, are still earthbound. Jenna decides to try to help figure out exactly what caused Amber’s untimely demise; could that be what’s keeping her and Casey from moving along? Together with a roguish angel named Bo Shivers, they soon find themselves embroiled in yet another nefarious plot, related by Jenna with her signature angst in journal entries. While this sequel has many of the elements that made its predecessor so much fun, the mystery feels contrived, and it unravels at a glacial pace. The big reveal—which follows a surfeit of vague, portentous remarks—is too similar to the last installment’s to satisfy. Those who enjoyed the previous paranormal-without-romance aspect, be warned: Jenna now finds love, and while her new beau is quite the character, much of her narrative revolves dizzyingly around her romance. This series seems to be in a bit of a sophomore slump; here’s hoping subsequent volumes will again take flight. (Paranormal fiction. 13-16) .Pub Date: May 13, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-61695-290-7
Page Count: 259
Publisher: Soho Teen
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
