A mystery with an engaging plot that will leave readers itching for further series installments.
Rosenblit’s debut middle-grade series starter,set in the anthropomorphic-dog world of Collywood, begins with an art theft and ends with a team of young canines trying to stop an evil scientist.
Roddy Weiler is the young pup of Rod Weiler, a legendary Collywood police detective, and he’s destined to follow in his father’s pawprints—indeed, much sooner than he expected. His interest is piqued when his dad investigates the case of a stolen Salvador Collie painting. Roddy enlists his crew of four skilled comrades to assist. Initially, circumstances point to criminal Al K. Bone and the young detective digs up details of one of Bone’s recent major transactions. Using clever disguises, cutting-edge tech, and investigative research, the squad unearths a much more wicked plot, and Roddy quickly realizes that he and his pals may be in danger. Rosenblit’s tale offers sophisticated descriptions and is as energetic as the young pups at its center. The fictional world of Collywood is filled with puns, such as “the Dogfather” and “Brad Pit Bull,” adding human references to the somewhat unconventional canine subject matter. Rod and Roddy are well developed characters, and their relationship provides insight into their close father-son relationship. As the members of the team investigate different elements of the case, the text encourages young readers to pay attention in order to piece clues together in this well-paced tale. The use of dogs as characters may feel juvenile to some tweens, but they’ll likely enjoy the elevated vocabulary and intense final scenes.
A mystery with an engaging plot that will leave readers itching for further series installments.Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-578-80408-8
Page Count: 182
Publisher: Bowker
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart.
A group of bright friends tackles the puzzle of their lives.
Elmwood, New Hampshire, 11-year-old Gina Sparks is small in stature but big on reporting ongoing dramas for the local newspaper with support from her journalist mom. When an unbelievable scoop comes her way, Gina must rely on her tightknit crew of sixth grade best friends whose initials happen to spell GEEK, a label they choose to proudly reclaim. She and science-minded prankster Elena Hernández, theater kid Edgar Feingarten, and driven math genius Kevin Robinson decide to get to the bottom of things when they learn that the Van Houten Toy & Game Company heir made elaborate plans to leave everything to the town of Elmwood before her death—but only if a member of the community could solve an intricate multistep puzzle. Gina hopes that deciphering the clues and finding the missing fortune will be just the thing to revitalize the down-on-its-luck town and bring the Elmwood Tribune back into the black, saving her mom’s job and Gina’s passion project. The GEEKs work together, using their individual talents and deductive reasoning skills to unravel the mystery. Infused with media literacy pointers, such as the difference between fact and opinion and reminders to avoid bias when reporting, the story encourages readers to think critically. Gina and Edgar read as White; Elena is cued as Latinx, and Kevin is implied Black.
A snappy mystery that’s full of heart. (Mystery. 9-13)Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-37793-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Entrancing and uplifting.
A small dog, the elderly woman who owns him, and a homeless girl come together to create a tale of serendipity.
Piper, almost 12, her parents, and her younger brother are at the bottom of a long slide toward homelessness. Finally in a family shelter, Piper finds that her newfound safety gives her the opportunity to reach out to someone who needs help even more. Jewel, mentally ill, lives in the park with her dog, Baby. Unwilling to leave her pet, and forbidden to enter the shelter with him, she struggles with the winter weather. Ree, also homeless and with a large dog, helps when she can, but after Jewel gets sick and is hospitalized, Baby’s taken to the animal shelter, and Ree can’t manage the complex issues alone. It’s Piper, using her best investigative skills, who figures out Jewel’s backstory. Still, she needs all the help of the shelter Firefly Girls troop that she joins to achieve her accomplishment: to raise enough money to provide Jewel and Baby with a secure, hopeful future and, maybe, with their kindness, to inspire a happier story for Ree. Told in the authentic alternating voices of loving child and loyal dog, this tale could easily slump into a syrupy melodrama, but Pyron lets her well-drawn characters earn their believable happy ending, step by challenging step, by reaching out and working together. Piper, her family, and Jewel present white; Pyron uses hair and naming convention, respectively, to cue Ree as black and Piper’s friend Gabriela as Latinx.
Entrancing and uplifting. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-283922-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
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