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BY A THREAD

Name: BY A THREAD
Author: Ned Dickens
ISBN: 1-55143-325-7

by Ned Dickens & illustrated by Graham Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2005

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Text and pictures burst with energy as a “toy box volcano” erupts and tosses Beo and her stuffed animals everywhere. One swings from a curtain; one grasps a blanket thread which is slowly unraveling. “And Beo (let’s whisper so’s not to distress her) / Had a teetery toehold on top of the dresser.” They work together to get down safely. One vanishes briefly (having slid inadvertently into the underwear drawer) and a rope of multicolored tights is hurled across the room for rescue purposes. Dickens’s tricky rhythm and rhyme are challenging but offer supreme satisfaction. The words themselves dance across the pages, tilting and curving in high spirits, changing size and color. Ross’s acrylic, collage and watercolor-pencil illustrations are mostly full-page close-ups, conveying the precarious mood and details but not the overall setup. White space on facing pages perfectly balances the pictures’ chaos. When everyone’s down, a joyful dance and a quest for lunch. If only toy-box volcanoes erupted everywhere. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 30, 2005

ISBN: 1-55143-325-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orca

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER

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THE MYSTERY OF THE GOLD COIN

From the Greetings from Somewhere series , Vol. 1

by Harper Paris ; illustrated by Marcos Calo ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

Not terribly remarkable, but the series has lots of growing room.

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Second-grade twins prepare to leave the country, but not without first solving a time-sensitive mystery.

Ella and Ethan Briar are devastated by their parents’ announcement that the family is leaving their beloved hometown. Mrs. Briar has accepted a new job as a travel writer, a job that will send the family to new places all over the globe on a weekly basis. In an attempt to soothe the twins’ unhappiness about the move (“What about school? And soccer?” they ask), their grandfather—a retired, globe-trotting archaeologist himself—gives each a special gift for their travels. Mystery-writing Ella gets a journal; Ethan gets a special gold coin. On their last morning in town, Ethan realizes that his gold coin is missing—and they only have a few hours before they have to leave for the airport. While their grandfather does their chores, the twins methodically determine when Ethan last had the coin—the previous day—and make a list of places he visited to retrace his steps. This allows the twins to say goodbye to friendly faces throughout the town. This series-launching installment’s light on mystery, but it’s welcoming and accessible through expressive, frequent illustrations. The Mystery of the Mosaic, publishing simultaneously, takes the kids to Venice for their first overseas adventure.

Not terribly remarkable, but the series has lots of growing room. (Mystery. 5-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-4424-9719-1

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 28, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER

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DETECTIVE DINOSAUR UNDERCOVER

From the Detective Dinosaur series , Vol. 1

by James Skofield & illustrated by R.W. Alley ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2010

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Detective Dinosaur, showcased in his third entry in the I Can Read! series, is the same charming numbskull readers have come to love. This book is broken up into three chapters, each of which is a “case” for the detective to solve. In the first caper, when Detective Dinosaur is called in to do some undercover work, the real mystery is his interpretation of "undercover." In the second, the dinosaur has a nightmare—er, napmare—and wakes up to find mysterious large blobs at the end of his blanket-covered legs. The third mystery takes the sleuth on an outing during which he tries to deduce why the sun is shining brightly even though he keeps getting soaked. Enhancing the narrative is a cast of funky characters, such as Ricky Raptor and Cadet Kitty, illustrated in bright cavorting watercolors. Readers will smirk at being smarter than the detective and giggle at his goof-ups. With a pronunciation guide for those tongue-twisting dinosaur names, this accessible and super-silly romp will be a boost for those about to embark on the next level for chapter books. (Early reader. 4-7)