A lively, jaunty mystery with a terrific cast of characters.
In this middle-grade novel, a tween becomes entangled in a mystery when an unknown vandal targets the West Virginia shopping mall where she resides.
Twelve-year-old Chloe Lamont lives in a modest house with her mother—right in the middle of the Oasis Mall. Shoppers treat the family home like a novelty, often tossing coins into the chimney from the mall’s upper level. But living there has some advantages; Chloe’s mom, Ursula, runs one of the shops, and they’re minutes away from such conveniences as groceries and hair salons. But now, someone is damaging mall property, first egging a storefront. Subsequent vandalism shows a pattern, as it occurs in the early-morning hours inside the locked mall. Authorities naturally look at the Lamonts, who have opportunity though no apparent motive. But it only gets worse for Chloe and her mom, who notice items missing or disturbed in their home—things the vandal probably used, like eggs. It’s not just a question of who is doing the misdeeds, but also how someone stealthily bypasses their bolted doors. Meanwhile, Chloe starts a new school year in the seventh grade. She doesn’t make friends easily and dreads being stuck in a new teacher-formed group in English class. On the plus side, the group’s focus is on mysteries, Chloe’s favorite genre. As it turns out, the other members of the “Mystery Group” are a lively bunch and enjoy a good mystery as well. When they learn Chloe is living in the midst of one, the students realize that there’s an entire mall and a tiny home filled with potential clues.
Baer delivers a brisk, entertaining tale. The story’s young protagonist is appealing and sympathetic. Years ago, she lost her firefighter dad, who died heroically, and not long after, her grandfather as well; he had stopped a real estate developer from tearing down the Lamont home. Readers will surely embrace Chloe even with her flaws, such as moroseness being her temperament of choice. After all, peers at school mock her, and her backyard is “synthetic grass” that she vacuums. The author astutely concentrates on the Lamonts, including the eventual revelation of why Ursula deems her estranged parents “evil.” While the family’s living situation has more downsides than upsides, this breezy tale is not without humor. An amusing, recurring bit involves Chloe continually hearing about nature—in random shoppers’ conversations. She hears one woman while standing in the kitchen: “Whatever happened with that friend of yours who found the nest of opossums in her sock drawer?” Supporting characters are outstanding, particularly the members of the Mystery Group. The charming new guy at school, Robby Morales, draws Chloe out of her shell almost immediately while Ashley Elizabeth Hutzell, readers soon learn, isn’t as haughty as her reputation suggests. Despite the Mystery Group’s determination to solve the mall crimes, there’s unfortunately little in the way of evidence gathering or piecing together clues. Still, the students’ enthusiasm is infectious, and the big reveal is rewarding. Chloe, along with Robby and the others, is a prime candidate for a series of books or spinoffs.
A lively, jaunty mystery with a terrific cast of characters.Pub Date: March 22, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5092-3512-4
Page Count: 202
Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Review Posted Online: March 20, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A promising, lighthearted beginning.
When the Swampy Woods home of seven siblings is utterly destroyed, the children move to House Number Seven in Lost Cove—and neighbor Desdemona O’pinion tries her hardest to malign, evict, and separate the children.
Both text and illustrations offer a nod to Roald Dahl’s quirky, juvenile heroes and equally quirky, nasty villains. The distinctive flavor comes both from Lloyd’s witty but succinct word mastery and from her unflagging imagination. Each of the titular children was born on a different day of the week, with a name and a personality or appearance that—arguably—parallels the old nursery rhyme “Monday’s child is fair of face.” Here Monday’s child is the lovely but subversive Mona. Tuesday’s child baby Toot’s “grace” is apparently his ability to communicate with highly specialized farts, while Thea—Thursday’s child—moves slowly toward self-confidence during the generally madcap adventure. The story begins with the children gratefully unscathed after their home suddenly blows up and continues with their move to town, where their combined warmth, cooperation, and ingenuity enable them to charm everyone but evil Desdemona. There are ongoing, mysterious discoveries before it concludes with a temporary reprieve on eviction—but plenty of aperture for the next adventure in the series. The family is white; secondary characters include one blind girl and another who is “allergic to air” as well as neighbors of varied ethnicities. Among other novelties, readers will meet circus spiders and revel in “heartspeak.”
A promising, lighthearted beginning. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-242820-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2017
A promising fiction debut.
Family secrets, an unsolved bank robbery, summer on a lake, a treasure island and a first romance are the ingredients for this inviting middle-grade mystery.
Unhappy with his new life and new stepfather in Southern California, 13-year-old Trav runs away to the small town in Minnesota where his dad grew up and his grandmother lives. He quickly learns why his mother won’t talk about his father, who died before he was born. Suspected of having robbed a local bank, the man disappeared in a storm, his boat washed up on an island in the lake. Everyone figures Trav knows where the money is, a theory confirmed when some of the burgled money turns up in local stores after his arrival. Trav manages to convince neighbor kid Kenny and his hot cousin Iz of his innocence, and together, they try to figure out where the loot might have been stashed and who has sent Trav a threatening note. Careful plotting and end-of-chapter cliffhangers add to the suspense. The first-person narration suggests that Trav’s imagination has been fed by too much television, but the imagined threats become frighteningly real as the story progresses. Trav’s voice is believable, Bullard’s Minnesota setting full of convincing detail, and the boy’s hesitant romantic efforts add a pleasant embellishment.
A promising fiction debut. (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-544-02900-2
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
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