Sure-fire book bait for middle-grade readers.
Inspired by their forensic-science class, middle schoolers Hannah, Ben and Corey start up a CSI club just in time to investigate a mysterious incident of food poisoning in the school cafeteria.
The new science teacher is young and cool—and she doesn’t eat red meat. Grudgingly, Mrs. Collins, the cafeteria manager, agrees to try her recipe for tofu meat loaf. The principal and a number of students get sick. Who’s responsible? Cool Miss Hodges? The grumpy manager or her bullying son, Ricky? The store that provided the tofu? Methodically, the three investigate, just as they’ve been taught: planning ahead; looking carefully at the scene; taking pictures, notes and even samples with Hannah’s cell phone; and interviewing suspects. The straightforward third-person narration moves quickly, with plentiful dialogue and generous portions of information about crime-scene investigation, salmonella and safe food handling. Stock characters and a made-for-television ending won’t bother readers who will be drawn in by the familiar setting and fascinating process of crime investigation. Lewman has previously written numerous books starring popular characters such as Sponge Bob and G.I. Joe. With three more titles in this new series scheduled to appear this year, he should have ample opportunity to flesh out Hannah, Ben and Corey a little more.
Sure-fire book bait for middle-grade readers. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: April 24, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4646-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven.
An aspiring scientist and a budding artist become friends and help each other with dream projects.
Unfolding in mid-1980s Sacramento, California, this story stars 12-year-olds Rosalind and Benjamin as first-person narrators in alternating chapters. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. As for Benji, not only has his best friend, Amir, moved away, but the comic book holding the clue for locating his dad is also missing. Along with their profound personal losses, the protagonists share a fixation with the universe’s intriguing potential: Ro decides to complete the rocket and hopes to launch mementos of her father into outer space while Benji’s conviction that aliens and UFOs are real compels his imagination and creativity as an artist. An accident in science class triggers a chain of events forcing Benji and Ro, who is new to the school, to interact and unintentionally learn each other’s secrets. They resolve to find Benji’s dad—a famous comic-book artist—and partner to finish Ro’s rocket for the science fair. Together, they overcome technical, scheduling, and geographical challenges. Readers will be drawn in by amusing and fantastical elements in the comic book theme, high emotional stakes that arouse sympathy, and well-drawn character development as the protagonists navigate life lessons around grief, patience, self-advocacy, and standing up for others. Ro is biracial (Chinese/White); Benji is White.
Charming, poignant, and thoughtfully woven. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300888-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An exciting and thoughtful portrait inspired by a real animal who succeeded by being different.
A wolf cub charts his own path to pack leadership.
In this novel based on the life of a real wolf who was brought to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 as part of a conservation project, a young cub named Warm reckons with not being the biggest, strongest, or loudest at howling among his littermates. When an attack by another pack leaves him to care for a set of younger siblings—Leap, Snap, Quiver, and Yowl—Warm struggles to keep the cubs alive despite never having made a killing blow of his own. Even as his survival skills are tested, Warm develops a uniquely compassionate outlook that helps him navigate the recombination of packs and other dangers. Parry’s short sentences create a quickly moving story with deep emotional currents. The immediacy of Warm’s first-person voice and the abundant sensory descriptions pull readers right into the animals’ world, though the large cast of wolves can be difficult to keep track of. Armiño’s numerous, beautifully detailed black-and-white illustrations add ample emotion and dynamic movement. Environmentally conscious readers, animal lovers, and those with a taste for nonfiction will be thrilled by the extensive backmatter, which includes a darling hand-drawn map of Warm’s journey as well as photos and abundant information on wolf biology, recovery efforts, and the ecology of the American West.
An exciting and thoughtful portrait inspired by a real animal who succeeded by being different. (author’s note, resources) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063415133
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
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