Fans will be satisfied and look expectantly for Book 7.
Timmy Failure, world-class detective, is on the case even when on vacation.
Timmy’s mother and Doorman Dave may or may not have gotten married (Timmy fainted at the wedding and is still not convinced it actually occurred). The three are on a honeymoon trip to Key West, and Doorman Dave has brought along his nephew, Emilio Empanada, to keep Timmy company. As usual, mysteries flock to Timmy like murderous chickens to chicken feed. Someone is sending Timmy threatening notes, and his former partner, the imaginary polar bear Total, has scarpered for Cuba. Timmy enlists Emilio as an unpaid intern to assist with lighthouse infiltration, pirating, and book sales. Can Timmy and Emilio raise enough money to continue their investigations while avoiding the terror that lurks in the butterfly conservancy? Pastis’ sixth wry and dry comic caper (again with chapter titles that will flit over the heads of the target audience, as they riff on Hemingway titles and old songs, as well as the egregiously named Emilio Empanada) features a couple of real mysteries for the obstinately clueless Timmy Failure as well as a familial first: meeting his dad. Pastis’ black-and-white cartoon illustrations on nearly every page are a goofy boon.
Fans will be satisfied and look expectantly for Book 7. (Graphic/mystery hybrid. 7-11)Pub Date: April 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9733-4
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
A fun-if-flimsy vehicle for science lovers.
A fifth grade girl brings her love of chemistry to the school play.
Kate loves science so much she’s determined to breathe fire. Of course she knows that she needs adult supervision, and so, with her science teacher’s help, Kate demonstrates an experiment with cornstarch and a blowtorch that nearly sets her teacher’s cactus on fire. Consequences ensue. Can someone who loves science as much as Kate does find pleasure spending her fall break at drama camp? It turns out that even the school play—Dragons vs. Unicorns—needs a chemist, though, and Kate saves the day with glue and glitter. She’s sabotaged along the way, but everything is fine after Kate and her frenemy agree to communicate better (an underwhelming response to escalating bullying). Doodles decorate the pages; steps for the one experiment described that can be done at home—making glittery unicorn-horn glue—are included. The most exciting experiments depicted, though, include flames or liquid nitrogen and could only be done with the help of a friendly science teacher. Biberdorf teaches chemistry at the University of Texas and also performs science-education programs as “Kate the Chemist”; in addition to giving her protagonist her name and enthusiasm, she also seems represented in Kate-the-character’s love of the fictional YouTube personality “Dr. Caroline.” Kate and her nemesis are white; Kate’s best friends are black and South Asian.
A fun-if-flimsy vehicle for science lovers. (Fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-11655-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine...
Jerry and Maya, classmates and friends, spend their spare time solving mysteries in their hometown of Pleasant Valley in this Swedish import.
Things are not so pleasant for Mohammed Carat, the richest man in Pleasant Valley. His world-famous jewelry store is losing money; apparently, one of his employees is stealing valuable diamonds and gems. The police are no help, so Mr. Carat turns to the youngsters for help. Each employee is a suspect: Vivian is in money trouble, former owner Danny wants his store back, and Luke’s flashy spending is suspicious. Jerry and Maya are hired to help out around the shop—washing windows, taking out the trash and so forth—but really they are there to watch the employees, both from inside the shop and from the church tower next door. Young mystery aficionados will enjoy solving the puzzle along with Maya and Jerry and will admire their observational powers. Full-color cartoon illustrations add much to the story, helping readers to see what the young gumshoes do. A map of Pleasant Valley and an illustrated cast of characters are provided in the early pages, allowing new readers an excellent reference tool to keep the many characters straight.
Nicely paced, with just the right number of red herrings to keep readers thinking; they will hope the number 1 on the spine indicates that this is the first of many Maya and Jerry mysteries. (Mystery. 7-9)Pub Date: July 31, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-448-48067-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: May 27, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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