An educational, entertaining mystery for kids.
In this fast-paced mystery novel, sixth-grader Leira and her friends meet fun and danger on their winter break.
Leira and her new best friends, Addy and Skye, are in the middle of surviving bitter cold, ice and downright dreariness—just another New England winter. Their school’s winter break is approaching, and it’s the light at the end of the tunnel, especially when Leira’s mother, Mrs. MacGregor, invites Addy and Skye to come along on the MacGregor family trip to Arizona. The girls are beyond thrilled—Addy has never stayed at a nice hotel, and Skye has never been on an airplane—and the group sets out to visit Leira’s relatives: Aunt Debbie, Uncle Ray, and cousins Brianna and Luke. Luke, an Eagle Scout, has invited the girls to camp with him in the nearby canyons and mountains. They oblige, and Luke teaches them about the desert, the culture of the area and how to camp. One morning, they find mysterious markings surrounding their camp—has someone been watching them, all alone, in the middle of the desert? Can the girls and Luke find out what’s happening before someone gets hurt? A fast-paced, quick read, Carson’s (The Mystery of Grimly Manor, 2012) novel offers both entertainment and a bit of education. Particularly impressive is the level of research, including many informational bits about the desert’s flora, fauna and climate and Native American culture, which enriches the story’s central plotline. When danger does strike, those lessons are used, making readers likely to remember them for later. This subtle learning makes this a work that kids and parents can feel good about picking up. There are some small gripes, though: Dialogue can feel a bit hackneyed and earnest, and few children talk the way these characters do—“I responded cautiously, ‘Well, all I can say is that it has to do with our winter vacation. If I say anything else, then neither of you will have a chance to do something extremely exciting.’ ” But the prose is descriptive and assertive, and the pacing is perfect for a children’s mystery. Hopefully, Carson keeps at it.
An educational, entertaining mystery for kids.Pub Date: March 30, 2014
ISBN: 978-1495412516
Page Count: 188
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
The third Kat Colorado novel (Katwalk, Katapult), a contrived affair, replete with Meaningful Chapter Headings, that concerns weepy Paige (formerly Pearl) Morrell, who hires the sardonically edgy Kat to find her unknown mom—her granny, who has just died, brought Paige up and said nary a word. The usual p.i. statistics- dredging discovers granny's twin daughters, Opal and Ruby, one now heading up an Omaha future-trends consultancy and the other squirreled away in a care facility. Are they lying about who's who, and does it relate back to their late teen years and one girl's illicit romance and the other's departure for the East? Paige's fiancÇ, yuppie Paul, nearly kills Kat to get her to drop the investigation, and Derek, the business brains behind the trends company, romances her into virtual slow-wittedness. Two more deaths later, Kat unravels an unsurprising identity switch, turns a goodnight kiss into a shootout, and stares unblinkingly at Paige's crocodile tears. A calculated rendering of p.i. conventions, readable if not particularly original.
Pub Date: March 16, 1992
ISBN: 0-385-42095-1
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1992
Maynard (Quiet, Wyatt!, 1999) makes fire the pivotal plot element in this short, episodic action novel. In the small village of McIntosh, Jed, the fire chief’s son, is branded a fire bug for a past transgression in which he accidentally burned down the family garage. Now, when a local swamp catches fire, he is the first to be blamed. Norm Dempsey, wannabe fire chief, is first to point the finger. Through a freak accident, Jed’s father lands in a coma in the hospital. A series of fires, a swamp fire, brush fire, barn fire, and school fire in the sports equipment room, forms a string of actions that make up the story. Toss in a few boyish pranks and some not-so-subtle clues and the story builds to its natural climax—an even bigger fire. This time, a monster train wreck sets the whole pond ablaze. Not surprisingly, Jed takes charge and steps in to rescue the day, the nursing home and surrounding houses, with a little help from his recuperating father, all in the name of saving face and proving that Norm Dempsey is behind the arsons. This fast-moving, predictable fare has some great action sequences, with appeal for mystery fans. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-399-23439-X
Page Count: 149
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
bookshelf