Math, logic problems, and puzzles solvable by readers who want to try, all in a diverting chapter-book mystery.
The four fourth grade Math Kids discover a cipher which leads them on a treasure hunt.
Jordan and his friends, having defeated all the other fourth grade classes in their school, busily prep for the district math contest by solving challenging logic puzzles. But do they have a real-life puzzle to solve, as well? Stephanie finds strange symbols written in a library book. Justin immediately identifies the symbols as a pigpen cipher, and the Math Kids are off on an adventure. The pigpen cipher leads to another puzzle that seems to be nonsense blocks of letters. Each puzzle points to another, with both the ciphers and the math-contest practice presenting many opportunities for interested readers to try for a solution themselves. Frustratingly, know-it-all Justin, illustrated as White, has more of the puzzle-solving epiphanies than all of his friends put together; Stephanie, illustrated with brown skin, has almost none. (In the simple, semirealistic illustrations, Jordan also has brown skin, and Catherine presents White.) Nonetheless, the exciting conclusion is a true group solve, with the kids deciphering the overall metapuzzle, accomplishing as a team what they never could have solo. An appendix doesn’t always clarify, but its explanations of cryptography and the Enigma Machine are stellar.
Math, logic problems, and puzzles solvable by readers who want to try, all in a diverting chapter-book mystery. (Mystery. 8-11)Pub Date: April 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-988761-56-5
Page Count: 145
Publisher: Common Deer Press
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other.
A boy with ADHD explores nature and himself.
Eleven-year-old Jake Rizzi just wants to be seen as “normal”; he blames his brain for leading him into trouble and making him do things that annoy his peers and even his own parents. Case in point: He’s stuck spending a week in rural Oregon with an aunt he barely knows while his parents go on vacation. Jake’s reluctance changes as he learns about the town’s annual festival, during which locals search for a fabled turtle. But news of this possibly undiscovered species has spread. Although Aunt Hettle insists to Jake that it’s only folklore, the fame-hungry convene, sure that the Ruby-Backed Turtle is indeed real—just as Jake discovers is the case. Keeping its existence secret is critical to protecting the rare creature from a poacher and others with ill intentions. Readers will keep turning pages to find out how Jake and new friend Mia will foil the caricatured villains. Along the way, Bramucci packs in teachable moments around digital literacy, mindfulness, and ecological interdependence, along with the message that “the only way to protect the natural world is to love it.” Jake’s inner monologue elucidates the challenges and benefits of ADHD as well as practical coping strategies. Whether or not readers share Jake’s diagnosis, they’ll empathize with his insecurities. Jake and his family present white; Mia is Black, and names of secondary characters indicate some ethnic diversity.
A wild romp that champions making space for vulnerable creatures and each other. (Adventure. 8-11)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781547607020
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff
A modern Sherlock Holmes retelling brings an 11-year-old black John Watson into the sphere of know-it-all 9-year-old white detective Shelby Holmes.
John's an Army brat who's lived in four states already. Now, with his parents' divorce still fresh, the boy who's lived only on military bases must explore the wilds of Harlem. His new life in 221A Baker St. begins inauspiciously, as before he's even finished moving in, his frizzy-haired neighbor blows something up: "BOOM!" But John's great at making friends, and Shelby certainly seems like an interesting kid to know. Oddly loquacious, brusque, and extremely observant, Shelby's locally famous for solving mysteries. John’s swept up in her detecting when a wealthy, brown-skinned classmate enlists their help in the mysterious disappearance of her beloved show dog, Daisy. Whatever could have happened to the prizewinning Cavalier King Charles spaniel? Has she been swiped by a jealous competitor? Has Daisy’s trainer—mysteriously come into enough money to take a secret weekend in Cozumel—been placing bets against his own dog? Brisk pacing, likable characters, a few silly Holmes jokes ("I'm Petunia Cumberbatch," says Shelby while undercover), and a diverse neighborhood, carefully and realistically described by John, are ingredients for success.
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff . (Mystery. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68119-051-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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