THE FOURTH FLOOR TWINS AND THE DISAPPEARING PARROT TRICK
By
A new volume in an easy mystery series by the author of the Cam Jansen books. Identical twins Donna and Diane and their neighbors, Kevin and Gary, are preparing for the fifth-grade talent show. Donna is the MC, Kevin and Diane have worked up a juggling act, and Gary is practicing his magic tricks; he plans to make a talking parrot disappear. When the day of the show arrives, all goes as planned, except that the valuable parrot vanishes. The four children work together to discover the parrot's whereabouts. This is fairly predictable series fare, with lackluster language and choppy structure. But the use of the two sets of twins is a nice twist, and it's refreshing to see a female character crack the case. Black-and-white sketches help fill out the simple story. There's not much of a mystery (the parrot had flown into the school janitor's supply closet), but children will enjoy the action and the silly humor. Useful in meeting the needs of readers in transition between easy readers and full-length stories.