A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TROUBLE

In Rowe’s middle-grade novel, a Sam Spade–obsessed 11-year-old pursues his own Maltese Falcon.

On his fifth birthday, Frank Plum’s dad leaves his mom and disappears from his life. The same day, his grandpa introduces him to a new hero, the hard-nosed Sam Spade, as played by the legendary Humphrey Bogart in The Maltese Falcon. By 11, Frank has reimagined himself as Icabum Plum, a middle-school detective always decked out in a three-piece suit and fedora—styling himself after noir movies from the 1950s and ’60s—and proficient in every skill of investigation and observation. Though there aren’t too many crimes in his small neighborhood, an out-of-town classic film festival held during spring break offers a unique mystery for its attendees, along with a $1,000 prize and a Maltese Falcon trophy to whoever solves it. Icabum needs to claim the Falcon; he knows his mom could use the money, even if she won’t tell him why the phone and electricity have been cut off. But his father has sent a bus ticket for him to come and stay with him and his new family in Savannah during the break, along with instructions to “dress normal.” Icabum turns to his fellow “Gum Chews,” a team of close friends and fellow investigators, to help flim-flam his nosy bus-route chaperone, give his father the slip, and hot-foot it to the convention. Rowe’s boy detective is a wonderful protagonist: Icabum values knowledge and friendship, is anxious to share his interests, and willing to dress and act radically different from his classmates, despite any confrontation or criticism this draws. The book’s first-person narration employs a distinctly noir tone, even in moments that seem more soft-boiled than hard—the initially jarring conceit quickly becomes charming. The story is full of engaging trivia about film and history, and Rowe uses an impressive but never daunting vocabulary (just wait until young readers start using “ennui” and “phlegm” in their daily conversations), delivering a narrative with clear goals and just a little bit of danger…not enough to ever scare, but definitely enough to dial up the excitement.

A world-beater of a boy detective brings film noir’s legacy to a younger audience.