SLY THE SLEUTH AND THE SPORTS MYSTERIES

Sly runs a detective agency called “Sleuth for Hire,” but she only takes cases that her cat, Taxi, would care about. She is smart and serious and is kept in business by her friends. In Case #1, she is hired by her pal Jack, known for his sudden appearances, to figure out why there’s always a flock of birds hanging out on the soccer field. After collecting a few clues, Sly discovers a custodial mishap. Case #2 deals with her friend’s missing ballet slippers, disappearing swim fins and appearing baseball cleats. Sly is given to moments of self-doubt, jealousy and grumpiness, but ultimately her gumshoe skills pay off. In Case #3, the question is why Brian, her lively four-year-old neighbor, suddenly wants to be rolled by a rolling-pin, dangle from trees and take long soaks in the tub. In this trio of trifles there is not a nail-biting moment to be found, but Sly and her friends do deliver a pleasant read and some clues to the mysteries of friendship. (Fiction. 7-9)