Slight at best.
It is the day the fifth graders submit their STEAM projects to be judged at the school fair.
The fair’s theme is “What My Country Means to Me.” After Sam Witt’s 50-state mega-sandwich disappears, the day continues to produce many other unexpected mysteries. Ravi sees the shadows of evil alien invaders in Mr. Hargrove’s classroom. Animal-loving Shaniqua is convinced that the news reporters on TV announced that a tiger escaped from the zoo and is running loose in the neighborhood. When Deanna sees the police standing in front of the school, she knows for sure her arrest is imminent for illicitly taking home the school library’s reference copy of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Aspiring foodie author Mateo mistakes the substitute teacher’s pre-labor pains—and baby bump—as evidence she’s the culprit who has eaten Sam’s large sandwich. Moore has cast a diverse group of students in this mystery, mostly relying on naming convention and Huddleston’s illustrations rather than textual details to indicate identity. Troublingly, Deanna claims Pawnee heritage to back up her Kansas bona fides as she auditions for the role of Dorothy. Overall, the characters come across as rather dim—not the sorts of kids actual upper-elementary students are likely to identify with. Companion titles Lab Mice Heist, Math Test Mischief, and Stage Two Hullabaloo publish simultaneously.
Slight at best. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-63163-316-4
Page Count: 120
Publisher: Jolly Fish Press
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A hard-boiled text for determined new readers in pursuit of wordplay.
A whodunit for newly independent readers with wordplay galore.
Detective Wilcox and Capt. Griswold are two anthropomorphic mice on the crime beat at the farm. They are “Missing Food Investigators.” The text that follows their story is broken up into some sections that emulate police logs and short chapters with narrative text and dialogue. Both parts, however, are laden with puns. “The poached egg” of the title is a stolen egg belonging to one Henrietta Hen. When she calls to report the crime Wilcox asks, “Did she fly the coop?” The MFIs interrogate various suspects about potential “fowl play” around the farm, including the loquacious Gabby Goose and Col. Peck, the rooster. Handwriting analysis and the thief’s slip-up at an egg contest lead the rodent gumshoes to the culprit, a “rotten egg” indeed, by the end of the book. Cartoon illustrations bolster the humor of the text and will provide some context clues, though the layout is rather cluttered and the text is likely too complex in large, overwhelming text blocks for many new readers; kids readying themselves to move on to chapter books should find it a suitable challenge.
A hard-boiled text for determined new readers in pursuit of wordplay. (Early reader. 7-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-939547-30-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Creston
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fun and funny blend of Spy Kids and Mary Poppins.
Lots of nannies are special; this one is a special agent.
When Jake and Alison’s mom returns to work as a lawyer, they, their toddler sister, Eliza, and their enthusiastic dog, Yeti, get a new nanny. Nanny X arrives clad in a motorcycle jacket and straw hat; fifth-grader Alison is not impressed, but Jake is intrigued. Both are a bit grossed out by what’s in their lunch sacks: peanut butter–and-anchovy sandwiches. When she takes the kids to attend a rally to save their neighborhood park from becoming a factory, the mayor is beaned by what appears to be a rock. One of Alison’s friends is accused, and Nanny X swings into action, revealing that she’s a member of the Nanny Action Patrol. Alison’s skepticism deepens, but as the gadgets come out of the diaper bag (baby-bib GPS tracker, sippy-cup listening device) and the investigation continues, she’s slowly won over. Can the kids and Yeti help Nanny X halt a major crime? Alison and Jake alternate narration duties in Rosenberg’s tale of neighborhood espionage in suburban Washington, D.C. Buffoonish bad guys with foolish plans for power nicely balance the hints of real danger in this light, fast read. Both narrative voices are distinct, and the action, while not exactly believable, is realistically presented.
A fun and funny blend of Spy Kids and Mary Poppins. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3166-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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