Seventh grader Joshua Ramirez knows he shouldn’t believe Artie Mendoza’s story: Mrs. Foley surely didn’t murder her husband and bury him in her flower garden. Still, there is that mound of dirt that looks like a grave. And what heroes they and their buddy Wolf Man would be to uncover such a scandal. What risks could there be in digging up the garden to find out? It’s a thin premise for a novel, but it turns out that the mystery of who’s buried in the garden is just a device to pull readers into a story that’s really about friendship and making the right choices in life. Joshua learns who his real friends are and ultimately tells Artie, “¡Lárgate de aquí, burro!” (“Get lost, jackass”). Though the story turns didactic to drive home the message, it’s a solid glimpse at seventh-grade life from a writer who understands the age—biography reports, friendships made and lost, crushes, misbehavior and, sometimes, quiet heroism. This story of three Latino boys with Stephen King–ish imaginations ought to find a wide audience. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 31, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-55885-546-5
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2009
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
At the annual Bloomsbury Cucumber Festival, ten-year-old Lindy Lou Phillips is trying to avoid eating a plate of Granny Goose’s disgusting-looking stewed cucumbers when she unearths a gold locket from the goop. Lindy’s friend Margaret and newcomer Gus inform her that heirloom jewelry worth thousands was recently stolen from the snobby Grimstone family home. Could the animal-loving, dotty old Granny Goose be the culprit, or is she being framed by François, the flamboyant chef, or Leonard, the Grimstones’ sullen gardener? Using a strategy laid out by NSCCB (“The Not So Clueless Crime Busters”), the trio set out to solve the case. The story moves along at a good clip, narrated by Lindy with plenty of folksy humor. Though the plot revolves around finding the thief, the added drama of Lindy’s jealousy over Margaret’s friendship with Gus is just right for the intended audience. The real star here is Pickles the Goose, whose fondness for shiny objects eventually leads the trio to the real thief. This fast-paced, funny mystery is top-notch summer reading. (Mystery. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-128843-2
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2009
Paulsen’s peppy, lightweight new classroom comedy about a super-sharp kid is meant to amuse, and it does. Set in a slightly surreal school populated by a host of idiosyncratic but identifiable character types, the story, told in the third person, revolves around the ever resourceful Mudshark, a boy blessed with perfect recall, lightning-fast reflexes and a good heart. Because of these attributes, everyone at school depends on Mudshark’s whizzy brain until the librarian gets an all-seeing (and unfortunately always belching) parrot. Will the parrot eclipse Mudshark as school detective? Not the most profound question in the universe perhaps, but one that boys should delight in. The funniest part of the story is the principal’s announcements ordering the superintendant to report to the faculty restroom with an increasingly dire list of equipment that runs from large stick to Geiger counter, and the most touching is the super’s meditation on the impermanence of thought. Add in the mystery of the missing erasers, a bored cat and a course of aversion therapy, and it equals fun. (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: May 12, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-74685-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2009
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
