Welcome to Franklin Middle School, where a junior gang of petty thieves and mobsters shakes kids down and humiliates them with water guns. Seventh-grader Matt Stevens, the class detective, is hired by fellow middle-schooler Vinny Biggs (something of a pint-sized Godfather) to recover a lost trinket from Nikki “Fingers,” one of the fastest shots in school. Nikki has decided to go straight because her younger sister has entered the school. This knock-off noir kicks in when Nikki, about to hand over the charm to Matt, is “taken out”—soaked in a place to make it look like she’s had an accident. This humiliation, a highly visible and common practice, immediately turns victims into social outcasts. Matt’s detective instincts tell him that Vinny may have set him up, and he sets out to learn who was really behind this act. Matt Stevens may turn out to be a bankable franchise: His first-person present-tense narration carries in it echoes of Marlowe, and the simple plot makes some crafty twists and turns as it goes along. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-8109-7067-0
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2008
BOOK REVIEW
Bunny Brown and Jack Jones, ace detectives, join forces again to solve their third easy-reader mystery in this snappy new series from Newbery Medalist Rylant, author of the beloved Henry and Mudge books. Bunny the bunny is the practical brains of the detective duo, and Jack the raccoon is her humorous sidekick, who is even funnier in this book than in the previous volumes, The Case of the Missing Monkey (not reviewed) and The Case of the Climbing Cat (2000). In this case, Bunny and Jack solve the chronic disappearance (and reappearance) of a trombone from a neighborhood music store. The puzzling possum of the title, Freddy, has been repeatedly "borrowing" the trombone so he can play at hayride entertainments with Gus's Big Brass Boys. Bunny and Jack nab him red-handed, and Bunny offers the practical solution of paying for the trombone by giving lessons at the music store. The combination easy-reader, easy-mystery follows the established format of a few clues, a mild neighborhood mystery, and lots of clever puns and jokes that will delight the intended audience. The humor is exactly on track for the early elementary grades, including a squashed marshmallow on Jack's seat and a quick rush to the bathroom following some dizzying explanations by the music-store owner (just the sort of jokes first graders adore). Karas's engaging illustrations in acrylic, gouache, and pencil help create unique personalities for Bunny and Jack. It's no mystery why this series is successful, and this endearing duo seems destined to crack many more cases of minor mischief in their urban neighborhood. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2001
ISBN: 0-688-16308-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2001
The enterprising young muckrakers who barely made their way out of Deep Doo-Doo (1996) once again find themselves ankle deep in local politics. When a pumpkin appears atop City Hall’s flagpole, stuttering electronics wiz Bennet and his glib sidekick, Pete, rush to post the story on their Deep Doo-Doo Web site—only to find that they’ve been scooped by journalistic arch-rival Elizabeth, editor of the school paper, The Purple Patch. When the town paper offers $500 for the prankster’s identity, the three start digging—separately at first, then, with utmost reluctance, together. The plot thickens with the arrival of coded e-mail from someone offering to trade clues for a Dracula mask that figured prominently in the first episode (and which later turns up on E-bay). Even better, there’s the discovery of an old college-yearbook photo of mayoral candidate Robert Abbott (who is running a character-based campaign) streaking. As it turns out, Abbott, e-mailer, and pumpkin are all connected—not in particularly believable ways, but the young sleuths supply enough competition (becoming cooperation, and even friendship, by the end), reckless pursuit of the story, and clever deduction to keep the ball rolling. They win the reward too, forcing Abbott into a public confession that actually helps his campaign by convincing voters that he’s not such a stick in the, er, mud. A contrived but entertaining whodunit. (Fiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-525-46530-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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