A promising start to a weird new series.
Ada Goth solves a mystery.
Ada lives in Ghastly-Gorm Hall with her reclusive father, Lord Goth. Since her mother passed away, her father can barely stand to spend time with Ada, so she spends her days hanging about, keeping to herself and staying out of the servants’ ways. One night, the ghost of a mouse named Ishmael comes to visit Ada, and together they work to discover the truth behind strange happenings at Ghastly-Gorm Hall. Ada is supported by twisted and kooky characters, and the author delights in bending this odd world close to the breaking point. Riddell peppers the story with literary references older readers will chuckle at, but the jokes never come at the expense of the enjoyment of younger readers. The mystery is a bit flat: the sinister gamekeeper is clearly up to something, and the author never suggests otherwise. In compensation for this narrative bust, the characters do more than their part to make the book one worth reading. Future installments are welcome as long as they involve governess Lucy Borgia, pals Emily and William Cabbage, and the Attic Club. The illustrations complement the twisted world nicely. The characters (the humans all seem to be white) are all drawn with fine, squiggly lines and detailed with precision. A small, removable novella, Memoirs of a Mouse, is tucked into a pocket in the back cover.
A promising start to a weird new series. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-230-75980-0
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Macmillan UK/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark.
An animal ghost seeks closure after enduring aquatic atrocities.
In this sequel to The Incredibly Dead Pets of Rex Dexter (2020), sixth grader Rex is determined to once again use his ability to communicate with dead animals for the greater good. A ghost narwhal’s visit gives Rex his next opportunity in the form of the clue “bad water.” Rex enlists Darvish—his Pakistani American human best friend—and Drumstick—his “faithful (dead) chicken”—to help crack the case. But the mystery is only one of Rex’s many roadblocks. For starters, Sami Mulpepper hugged him at a dance, and now she’s his “accidental girlfriend.” Even worse, Darvish develops one of what Rex calls “Game Preoccupation Disorders” over role-playing game Monsters & Mayhem that may well threaten the pair’s friendship. Will Rex become “a Sherlock without a Watson,” or can the two make amends in time to solve the mystery? This second outing effectively carries the “ghost-mist” torch from its predecessor without feeling too much like a formulaic carbon copy. Spouting terms like plausible deniability and in flagrante delicto, Rex makes for a hilariously bombastic (if unlikable) first-person narrator. The over-the-top style is contagious, and black-and-white illustrations throughout add cartoony punchlines to various scenes. Unfortunately, scenes in which humor comes at the expense of those with less status are downright cringeworthy, as when Rex, who reads as White, riffs on the impossibility of his ever pronouncing Darvish’s surname or he plays dumb by staring into space and drooling.
Funny delivery, but some jokes really miss the mark. (Paranormal mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7595-5523-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
A lighthearted mystery starring seriously smart kids.
A mysterious scholarship contest launches this middle-grade mystery.
The action begins when three Chicago middle schoolers—Bondi Johnson, a black boy; Wilf Samson, a white boy; and Melissa Burris, a white girl—are selected to compete in the Kaplin/Baron scholarship contest. No one at the three students’ schools has heard of this scholarship, and even stranger, none of these students is known for exemplary academics. In fact, they are better known for scheming, daydreaming, and schmoozing. The scholarship rules appear straightforward: untangle the clues, provide a photo of each, and win $10,000. With these guidelines, a provided cellphone, a personal driver, and a no-strings-attached debit card, each student is ready to tackle the task. Bondi attacks his clues with diligence; Melissa, though suspicious, enjoys the chase; Wilf would rather cross items off his bucket list than solve the riddles. When the hunt for clues draws to an end, Bondi, Melissa, and Wilf discover there is another mystery surrounding this scholarship and the money, leading them to band together to unravel the remaining clues and unearth the truth before the $10,000 slips out of their hands. In the tradition of The Westing Game or Chasing Vermeer, this is a plot-driven brainteaser centered on Chicago landmarks and Chicago history. The twists and turns are well-paced and believable, and transcripts of texts, emails, and letters within the chapters add dimension to the strong cast of secondary characters.
A lighthearted mystery starring seriously smart kids. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4847-8838-7
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
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