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THE HUNT FOR THE HUNDREDTH KEY

From the Geronimo Stilton series

The simplistic mysteries and silly jokes are in line with other series outings, “special edition” status notwithstanding.

Geronimo Stilton teams up with his sister, Thea, and cousin Trap to solve the mystery of a long-lost castle recently rediscovered in spooky woods.

Right after his grandfather wakes him to demand that Geronimo write a special new book for the students of New Mouse City Elementary School to celebrate their 100th day of school, Thea and Trap have a bigger surprise for Geronimo. Their city’s founder, Grant Gentlemouse, was rumored to have built a secret castle for his mystery bride, and now Thea’s found it, surrounded by a giant hedge of thorny, white roses. She and Trap want to film a television special on it, but they need an assistant to carry equipment and bankroll it, so they call Geronimo. They explore the creepy castle, with Trap pranking scaredy-mouse Geronimo, and discover the mystery bride to be yet another scrivening Stilton, Rose. The rose theme and creepy setting work well in illustrations, especially full-page spreads with art or games, though the series’ trademark design flourish of printing words and phrases in colorful display type within the narrative jars the reading rhythm. Following this book, there’s a bonus story almost as long in which Geronimo wins a cruise trip. There’s a thief on board, and some things seem odd with the beautiful mouse flirting with him. The last feature is a few pages of jokes as delightfully cheesy as ought to be expected from a mouse named Stilton.

The simplistic mysteries and silly jokes are in line with other series outings, “special edition” status notwithstanding. (Graphic adventure. 6-9)

Pub Date: March 28, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-338-08778-9

Page Count: 224

Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks

Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017

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THE PIRATE PIG

A nifty high-seas caper for chapter-book readers with a love of adventure and a yearning for treasure.

It’s not truffles but doubloons that tickle this porcine wayfarer’s fancy.

Funke and Meyer make another foray into chapter-book fare after Emma and the Blue Genie (2014). Here, mariner Stout Sam and deckhand Pip eke out a comfortable existence on Butterfly Island ferrying cargo to and fro. Life is good, but it takes an unexpected turn when a barrel washes ashore containing a pig with a skull-and-crossbones pendant around her neck. It soon becomes clear that this little piggy, dubbed Julie, has the ability to sniff out treasure—lots of it—in the sea. The duo is pleased with her skills, but pride goeth before the hog. Stout Sam hands out some baubles to the local children, and his largess attracts the unwanted attention of Barracuda Bill and his nasty minions. Now they’ve pignapped Julie, and it’s up to the intrepid sailors to save the porker and their own bacon. The succinct word count meets the needs of kids looking for early adventure fare. The tale is slight, bouncy, and amusing, though Julie is never the piratical buccaneer the book’s cover seems to suggest. Meanwhile, Meyer’s cheery watercolors are as comfortable diagramming the different parts of a pirate vessel as they are rendering the dread pirate captain himself.

A nifty high-seas caper for chapter-book readers with a love of adventure and a yearning for treasure. (Adventure. 7-9)

Pub Date: June 23, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-37544-3

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2015

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THE DIAMOND MYSTERY

From the Whodunit Detective Agency series , Vol. 1

Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine...

Jerry and Maya, classmates and friends, spend their spare time solving mysteries in their hometown of Pleasant Valley in this Swedish import.

Things are not so pleasant for Mohammed Carat, the richest man in Pleasant Valley. His world-famous jewelry store is losing money; apparently, one of his employees is stealing valuable diamonds and gems. The police are no help, so Mr. Carat turns to the youngsters for help. Each employee is a suspect: Vivian is in money trouble, former owner Danny wants his store back, and Luke’s flashy spending is suspicious. Jerry and Maya are hired to help out around the shop—washing windows, taking out the trash and so forth—but really they are there to watch the employees, both from inside the shop and from the church tower next door. Young mystery aficionados will enjoy solving the puzzle along with Maya and Jerry and will admire their observational powers. Full-color cartoon illustrations add much to the story, helping readers to see what the young gumshoes do. A map of Pleasant Valley and an illustrated cast of characters are provided in the early pages, allowing new readers an excellent reference tool to keep the many characters straight.

Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine indicates that this is the first of many Maya and Jerry mysteries. (Mystery. 7-9)

Pub Date: July 31, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-448-48067-1

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

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