A cozy whodunit that cheerfully affirms girls’ and women’s contributions to aerospace.
Six girls spend the night at Amelia Earhart’s childhood home and end up in the middle of a robbery.
When 11-year-old Amelia, nicknamed Millie, gets to the home of the eponymous aviator, she stumbles upon an incredible artifact: the goggles Earhart wore on her solo flight across the Atlantic. Not long afterward, however, the goggles go missing. Millie’s determination both to find them and to reach out to her absent pilot mother is endearing; even more so is the friendship that develops among Millie and the other five girls as they work to solve the mystery. Though shy, anxious Millie narrates, by the time she comes into her sarcastic own all six girls cohere into a charming ensemble cast. From Thea, the girl who builds and rides motorcycles with her auntie, to the generous turkey-truck driver who rescues Millie and her dad, the novel presents a suite of characters who, as Thea would say, “are like cake. [They] have layers.” Narrator Amelia notes skin color only for those characters with dark skin; others’ descriptions only go as far as hair color, evidently relying on the white default. Due honor is given to trailblazing Deaf pilot Nellie Zabel Willhite and black and Native pilot Bessie Coleman. An author’s note adds fascinating context on Earhart’s real story.
A cozy whodunit that cheerfully affirms girls’ and women’s contributions to aerospace. (reading list, author’s note, selected sources) (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-1885-1
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An action-packed roller coaster of a tale with tongue-in-cheek humor; this is a delight.
Three young science fair contestants encounter a mysterious scientist and his world-changing plans.
Since her mother drowned when she was 3, it’s just been Theresa and her dad. The Charleston, South Carolina, 12-year-old is thrilled when the amazing solar-powered mechanical spider she built wins her first place at the middle school science fair, beating superachiever Ashley’s edible algae and goofy Jon’s bubble maker, which come in second and third, respectively. The three kids are awarded summer internships by reclusive Dr. Neil Flax, who is moving beyond his moneymaking Bionic Baby Bottom Buffer to tackle climate change. Theresa, Ashley, and Jon will be hanging out in the old, abandoned shopping mall in town where Flax Industries’ laboratory is located. But Theresa has a mysterious late-night encounter with a boy calling himself Thomas Edison who claims that Flax is building something that will destroy the world—and he needs her help to stop him. Theresa doesn’t know whom to trust or what to believe as she and her classmates enter Dr. Flax’s bizarre and dangerous world of robots and have the adventure of a lifetime. This fast-paced, well-plotted story features young people who learn to utilize each other’s strengths to get to the bottom of things. Characters are minimally described and racially ambiguous.
An action-packed roller coaster of a tale with tongue-in-cheek humor; this is a delight. (Mystery. 8-12)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-250-16580-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A debut that challenges the brain while warming the heart.
San Francisco landmarks and their rich literary histories lead two friends on an urban quest to solve clues left behind in an Edgar Allan Poe book by publisher and Book Scavenger mastermind Garrison Griswold.
When Emily Crane, a book enthusiast and puzzle-solver, moves into her new apartment, she meets James Lee, a cipher-solving whiz with a cowlick he’s named Steve. For years Emily has moved from state to state with her parents and older brother, and she longs for stability. She doesn’t allow herself to get attached, unlike James, whose Chinese-American family has lived in the same apartment building for decades. When Griswold is attacked, Emily fears for his life and the future of Book Scavenger, her beloved online geocachinglike game for books. After a disappointing book hunt at the Ferry Building, Emily finds an unexpected hardcover, The Gold-Bug, near where Griswold was attacked. Believing the book is Griswold’s pre-launched game, she becomes obsessed with solving its hidden messages while dodging two thugs and risking her friendship with James. Puzzling out the clever ciphers fascinates and adds dimension and curiosity to each quest. The characters’ use of both high and low tech, such as the letter-basket pulley they set up between floors, feels refreshing. Emily’s sleuthing weaves well with her journey to nurture friendships and set down everlasting roots.
A debut that challenges the brain while warming the heart. (author’s note) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62779-115-1
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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