Author/Illustrator: Scott Nash
Year: 2004
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Pages: 40
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Mystery
Location: Los Attic
Time Period: Present (2004), a.k.a. 3:29, by the stopped watch on the wall
Plot: When Bluebell the stuffed bear comes to Tuff Fluff, Private Investigator, for help, Tuff Fluff is immediately on the case. Bluebell's friend Duckie was reading Bluebell a story when he suddenly lost the ability to speak. Now all Duckie can do is quack. Upon further investigation, Tuff finds out that Duckie's seam has come unsewn, and the fluff that made up his brain has been stolen. Is this the work of the residents of Beantown, an area of toys in Los Attic who think they are better than everyone else because they are stuffed with beans instead of stuffing? SPOILER! When Tuff Fluff, Bluebell, and Duckie confront the inhabitants of Beantown about the crime, they find that the residents of Beantown enjoy Duckie's stories too. Everyone in Los Attic bands together to find Duckie a new brain. Eventually, Bluebell donates some spare fluff to make a new brain for Duckie, and the Beantown residents contribute a bean as well. Duckie is recovered, and everyone joins together to hear him tell stories once again.
Comments: This is a fun appealing adventure story with an exciting tone. The story is told from Tuff Fluff's perspective, and children will enjoy trying to guess what will happen next. Besides the narration, the pictures are also engaging. They are simultaneously dark enough to match the mood, but bright enough to keep the story light-hearted. Fun details are added to each picture: a ceiling fan made out of a pencil eraser and paperclips, and houses made out of cardboard boxes.
As fun as this book is, it can also be off-putting as well. This is listed as a book for children ages 4-8, but it's also a chapter book disguised as a picture book. Each chapter is about two to three pages long, and is accompanied by many full page illustrations. Because of this, the book is really for older children in the age range. See the Red Flags section as well.
Themes: Cooperation, Stories, Mysteries, Toy Animals, Accepting others' differences.
Red Flags: SPOILERS! Duckie's brain is eventually found: it's a ball of fluff, marking the place in the book Duckie was reading to Bluebell. The stuffing just simply fell out. Before they can put the stuffing back in, however, a wind comes through the room and blows Duckie's stuffing brain into Bluebell's mouth, who promptly swallows it. This isn't too disgusting when one focuses on the fact that it is simply stuffing being swallowed by a stuffed bear, but the implications are kind of gross. Children would probably not be bothered by this fact, however.
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Friday, May 22, 2009
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Chameleon Wore Chartreuse
Author/Illustrator: Bruce Hale
Year: 2000
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Pages: 95
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/Detective
Series Information: First of the Chet Gecko series
Location: Emerson Hicky Elementary
Time Period: Present Day (2000)
Plot: Chet Gecko is a fourth grade private eye at Emerson Hicky Elementary. When Shirley Chameleon tells Chet that her brother Billy is missing and that she will give Chet a stinkbug pie if he can find Billy before the school football game, Chet is on the case. In order to figure out where Billy is, Chet must outsmart his teachers, deal with bullies, perform many and various hijinks, and dodge detention. Although he doesn't originally want the help, he pairs up with Shirley Mockingbird to solve the case. But the school bully, Herman Gila Monster, is on the trail too, and he's out to stop Chet before he uncovers too much. SPOILER! After Herman and his gang catch Chet and Shirley and tie them to the school diving board, dangling precariously over the school swimming pool, Chet and Shirley finally figure out the last clue to the puzzle. The two manage to untie themselves and race out to the football field just in time to find Billy Chameleon (who was off willingly helping Herman with his pranks) and thwart Herman in a plot to undermine the school football game.
Comments: Children may read this book for the mystery, but they are more likely to enjoy it for the satire. Almost every line in the entire book is a pun or a joke or a farce of some kind. Chet isn't a very good detective, but children probably won't worry about that. Another fun aspect of the book is the fact that all of the characters are animals, so they do animal things. For example, since Chet is a gecko, he can climb walls, stick out his tongue to trip bullies, and detach his tail or use it to pick a lock at will. The text is broken up with fun ink and pencil drawings, which will be welcome to reluctant readers. Because of the drawings, this book may look like it's meant for younger readers, but the satire may make it more appropriate for older children who will better understand the jokes.
Themes: Detectives, Bullies, Football, Mystery, School, Missing People
Red Flags: Although these animals talk, they still eat worms and flies and whatnot.
Year: 2000
Publisher: Harcourt, Inc.
Pages: 95
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/Detective
Series Information: First of the Chet Gecko series
Location: Emerson Hicky Elementary
Time Period: Present Day (2000)
Plot: Chet Gecko is a fourth grade private eye at Emerson Hicky Elementary. When Shirley Chameleon tells Chet that her brother Billy is missing and that she will give Chet a stinkbug pie if he can find Billy before the school football game, Chet is on the case. In order to figure out where Billy is, Chet must outsmart his teachers, deal with bullies, perform many and various hijinks, and dodge detention. Although he doesn't originally want the help, he pairs up with Shirley Mockingbird to solve the case. But the school bully, Herman Gila Monster, is on the trail too, and he's out to stop Chet before he uncovers too much. SPOILER! After Herman and his gang catch Chet and Shirley and tie them to the school diving board, dangling precariously over the school swimming pool, Chet and Shirley finally figure out the last clue to the puzzle. The two manage to untie themselves and race out to the football field just in time to find Billy Chameleon (who was off willingly helping Herman with his pranks) and thwart Herman in a plot to undermine the school football game.
Comments: Children may read this book for the mystery, but they are more likely to enjoy it for the satire. Almost every line in the entire book is a pun or a joke or a farce of some kind. Chet isn't a very good detective, but children probably won't worry about that. Another fun aspect of the book is the fact that all of the characters are animals, so they do animal things. For example, since Chet is a gecko, he can climb walls, stick out his tongue to trip bullies, and detach his tail or use it to pick a lock at will. The text is broken up with fun ink and pencil drawings, which will be welcome to reluctant readers. Because of the drawings, this book may look like it's meant for younger readers, but the satire may make it more appropriate for older children who will better understand the jokes.
Themes: Detectives, Bullies, Football, Mystery, School, Missing People
Red Flags: Although these animals talk, they still eat worms and flies and whatnot.
The London Eye Mystery
Author: Siobhan Dowd
Year: 2007
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Pages: 323
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/ Children as Detectives/Locked Room Mystery
Location: London, England
Time Period: Present Day (2007)
Plot: When a mysterious stranger walks up to Ted, Kat, and their cousin Salim as they are waiting in line to buy tickets for the London Eye, the three are conflicted. The stranger is offering a free ticket for one of them with no strings attached, but they know they shouldn't accept gifts from strangers. After they accept the ticket, Ted and Kat are extremely confused and worried when they see Salim get on the London Eye, but they never see him get off. The police are called to investigate Salim's disappearance, but no one will listen to the children's theories. Not content with waiting for the police to find Salim, Ted and Kat make up a list of theories of what could have happened to their cousin, and they set out to investigate each one. SPOILER! Ted eventually figures out that Salim must have staged his own disappearance by changing his clothes while he was on the London Eye. Although Ted's parents, his aunt and uncle, and even Kat won't listen to him, the police pick up his tip, which leads them on the correct trail. They find out that Salim had thought about running away from home so he wouldn't have to move to New York with his mother, but he changed his mind and got lost on the way back home. Ted and Kat figure out where Salim must have gotten lost, and Salim is reunited with his family.
Comments: The London Eye Mystery is proof that good classic mysteries are still being written. Dowd does a good job of slowly giving out clues that will keep the reader guessing what happened until the very last pages. SPOILER! I was very impressed with Dowd's version of how Salim got off of the London Eye without getting the attention of Kat and Ted, but the end clue of Salim happening to slip into a condemned building without getting caught right when Ted's father was locking up the building was a little thin to me. I don't think this will be a detraction for most young readers, however. end spoiler One thing that makes this book different from most classic mysteries is Dowd's narrator, Ted. Ted is a very smart person, but there is an air of mystery about him since his family always talks about his unnamed brain disorder that makes him very good with facts, but not so good at reading people. This gives an edge to the story, but it isn't creepy. In fact, it makes the reader want to root for Ted more. Children will like trying to figure out this mystery along with Ted and Kat, and will enjoy the surprise ending.
Themes: London Eye, Missing People, Mysteries, Divorced Parents, Moving
Red Flags: A dead body is discovered that Ted's dad has to identify, but it isn't accompanied by any sort of description.
Multicultural Elements: Salim is half Pakistani, and his father is Pakistani, but this doesn't play into the story at all.
Year: 2007
Publisher: David Fickling Books
Pages: 323
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/ Children as Detectives/Locked Room Mystery
Location: London, England
Time Period: Present Day (2007)
Plot: When a mysterious stranger walks up to Ted, Kat, and their cousin Salim as they are waiting in line to buy tickets for the London Eye, the three are conflicted. The stranger is offering a free ticket for one of them with no strings attached, but they know they shouldn't accept gifts from strangers. After they accept the ticket, Ted and Kat are extremely confused and worried when they see Salim get on the London Eye, but they never see him get off. The police are called to investigate Salim's disappearance, but no one will listen to the children's theories. Not content with waiting for the police to find Salim, Ted and Kat make up a list of theories of what could have happened to their cousin, and they set out to investigate each one. SPOILER! Ted eventually figures out that Salim must have staged his own disappearance by changing his clothes while he was on the London Eye. Although Ted's parents, his aunt and uncle, and even Kat won't listen to him, the police pick up his tip, which leads them on the correct trail. They find out that Salim had thought about running away from home so he wouldn't have to move to New York with his mother, but he changed his mind and got lost on the way back home. Ted and Kat figure out where Salim must have gotten lost, and Salim is reunited with his family.
Comments: The London Eye Mystery is proof that good classic mysteries are still being written. Dowd does a good job of slowly giving out clues that will keep the reader guessing what happened until the very last pages. SPOILER! I was very impressed with Dowd's version of how Salim got off of the London Eye without getting the attention of Kat and Ted, but the end clue of Salim happening to slip into a condemned building without getting caught right when Ted's father was locking up the building was a little thin to me. I don't think this will be a detraction for most young readers, however. end spoiler One thing that makes this book different from most classic mysteries is Dowd's narrator, Ted. Ted is a very smart person, but there is an air of mystery about him since his family always talks about his unnamed brain disorder that makes him very good with facts, but not so good at reading people. This gives an edge to the story, but it isn't creepy. In fact, it makes the reader want to root for Ted more. Children will like trying to figure out this mystery along with Ted and Kat, and will enjoy the surprise ending.
Themes: London Eye, Missing People, Mysteries, Divorced Parents, Moving
Red Flags: A dead body is discovered that Ted's dad has to identify, but it isn't accompanied by any sort of description.
Multicultural Elements: Salim is half Pakistani, and his father is Pakistani, but this doesn't play into the story at all.
Genesis Alpha
Author: Rune Michaels
Year: 2007
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 193
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Mystery
Location: Anwhere, USA
Time Period: Present Day (2007) or very near future
Plot: When Josh was born, he saved Max's life. Max was dying from cancer, and in desperation, his parents turned to InVitro Fertilization. Josh was the fertilized egg whose DNA was the closest match to Max's. Josh was born, and the stem cells from his umbilical cord were injected into Max to cure him from the cancer. In Josh's mind, this makes him and Max more than brothers. Even though Max is now away at college, the two keep in touch by playing an online game every Saturday called Genesis Alpha. One Saturday when Max doesn't show up for their weekly game, Josh is blown over when he learns that Max has been arrested for raping and murdering a fellow college student. Suddenly, Josh is faced with large moral questions: Does he believe Max could have done such a horrible thing? If Max is guilty, is Josh also responsible for the girl's death since he saved Max's life all those years ago? Will Josh also turn out to be a killer since the two of them are so close both socially and genetically? SPOILER! Josh is forced to confront all of these questions when Rachel, the murdered girl's sister, shows up at Josh's house insisting that Max is guilty. Rachel and Josh find evidence that Max really did commit the murder. Then Josh finds out that he is not only a close DNA match to his brother, but he is actually an illegally made clone of his brother. Josh must come to terms with both of these revelations in order to realize that he and his brother are not the same person, and his fate is his own.
Comments: This psychological thriller is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. Michaels isn't afraid to ask some very hard questions, but she does so with morality that wouldn't keep me from recommending it to younger teenagers. I think young adults are curious about subjects such as cloning, nature versus nurture, destiny, morality, and many of the other issues Michaels brings up. Readers follow Josh on his moral quest through Josh's first person narration. The pace of the book was slightly slower than I expected, but it keeps the reader's attention. Josh is a very believable character, and his voice rings true. I had more trouble with believing Rachel would do some of the things she does, but her methods are definitely effective. Because of the red flags listed below, I wouldn't recommend this book to people who are especially squeamish, but I think young adults will appreciate the way Michaels brings up age-old questions with a modern-day twist.
Themes: Stem Cell Research, Cloning, Morality, Destiny, Social Gaming
Red Flags: Rachel cuts herself with a knife, rusty screws, and anything else she can find, but there isn't much description about it.
Year: 2007
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Pages: 193
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Mystery
Location: Anwhere, USA
Time Period: Present Day (2007) or very near future
Plot: When Josh was born, he saved Max's life. Max was dying from cancer, and in desperation, his parents turned to InVitro Fertilization. Josh was the fertilized egg whose DNA was the closest match to Max's. Josh was born, and the stem cells from his umbilical cord were injected into Max to cure him from the cancer. In Josh's mind, this makes him and Max more than brothers. Even though Max is now away at college, the two keep in touch by playing an online game every Saturday called Genesis Alpha. One Saturday when Max doesn't show up for their weekly game, Josh is blown over when he learns that Max has been arrested for raping and murdering a fellow college student. Suddenly, Josh is faced with large moral questions: Does he believe Max could have done such a horrible thing? If Max is guilty, is Josh also responsible for the girl's death since he saved Max's life all those years ago? Will Josh also turn out to be a killer since the two of them are so close both socially and genetically? SPOILER! Josh is forced to confront all of these questions when Rachel, the murdered girl's sister, shows up at Josh's house insisting that Max is guilty. Rachel and Josh find evidence that Max really did commit the murder. Then Josh finds out that he is not only a close DNA match to his brother, but he is actually an illegally made clone of his brother. Josh must come to terms with both of these revelations in order to realize that he and his brother are not the same person, and his fate is his own.
Comments: This psychological thriller is a real page-turner. I couldn't put it down. Michaels isn't afraid to ask some very hard questions, but she does so with morality that wouldn't keep me from recommending it to younger teenagers. I think young adults are curious about subjects such as cloning, nature versus nurture, destiny, morality, and many of the other issues Michaels brings up. Readers follow Josh on his moral quest through Josh's first person narration. The pace of the book was slightly slower than I expected, but it keeps the reader's attention. Josh is a very believable character, and his voice rings true. I had more trouble with believing Rachel would do some of the things she does, but her methods are definitely effective. Because of the red flags listed below, I wouldn't recommend this book to people who are especially squeamish, but I think young adults will appreciate the way Michaels brings up age-old questions with a modern-day twist.
Themes: Stem Cell Research, Cloning, Morality, Destiny, Social Gaming
Red Flags: Rachel cuts herself with a knife, rusty screws, and anything else she can find, but there isn't much description about it.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Tracks in the Snow
Author/Illustrator: Wong Herbert Yee
Year: 2003
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginner (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Not part of a series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time Period: Present (2003)
Plot: A young Asian-American girl finds some tracks in the snow and follows them all around the countryside. SPOILER! In the end, the girl discovers that the tracks lead to her house—they are HER tracks from the day before.
Comments: This was a cute story that captures the fun of discovering the world around you. The rhyming text with the chanting refrain makes children guess along with the little girl what it is she might see as she keeps following the tracks.
Red Flags: None
Multicultural Elements: Asian-American
Year: 2003
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Pages: 32
Reading Level: Beginner (ages 4-8)
Genre: Picture Book/Realistic Fiction
Series Information: Not part of a series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time Period: Present (2003)
Plot: A young Asian-American girl finds some tracks in the snow and follows them all around the countryside. SPOILER! In the end, the girl discovers that the tracks lead to her house—they are HER tracks from the day before.
Comments: This was a cute story that captures the fun of discovering the world around you. The rhyming text with the chanting refrain makes children guess along with the little girl what it is she might see as she keeps following the tracks.
Red Flags: None
Multicultural Elements: Asian-American
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Name of this Book is Secret
Author: Pseudonymous Bosch
Year: 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.
Pages: 360
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Series Information: First book in the Secret series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time period: Present Day (2007)
Plot: When Cass and Max-Ernest find the hidden papers of a magician who has died unexpectedly, they decide it is up to them to find out what happened. Although unable to prove anything, Cass and Max-Ernest suspect that the magician’s unlikely demise is related to the appearance of two odd people in the town: Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. When a fellow schoolmate, Benjamin Blake, disappears in a similarly odd manner, it is up to Cass and Max-Ernest to save Benjamin and stop Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais in their evil schemes before it is too late.
Comments: The writing style of this book actually reminded me a lot of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. The book is written in the voice of a third person narrator who constantly interjects his opinions in the book, mainly doing so to warn the reader that a particularly dastardly deed is about to happen and the reader should just stop reading now before it is too late. The narrator’s warnings actually help keep a light tone to the book, though, and I found it easy to read. Besides being a mystery, this book is also appealing because it deals with children who feel it is up to them to save the world since the grown-ups don’t believe what is happening. The book also has a message about the importance of friendship and teamwork.
Red Flags: SPOILER! The villains of the book are actually hundreds of years old. They stay alive through drinking a magic elixir. The villains also torture Benjamin, and discuss performing a lobotomy on both him and Max-Ernest, but the discussion is not graphic.
Year: 2007
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co.
Pages: 360
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Genre: Mystery/Adventure
Series Information: First book in the Secret series
Location: Anytown, USA
Time period: Present Day (2007)
Plot: When Cass and Max-Ernest find the hidden papers of a magician who has died unexpectedly, they decide it is up to them to find out what happened. Although unable to prove anything, Cass and Max-Ernest suspect that the magician’s unlikely demise is related to the appearance of two odd people in the town: Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. When a fellow schoolmate, Benjamin Blake, disappears in a similarly odd manner, it is up to Cass and Max-Ernest to save Benjamin and stop Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais in their evil schemes before it is too late.
Comments: The writing style of this book actually reminded me a lot of the Series of Unfortunate Events books. The book is written in the voice of a third person narrator who constantly interjects his opinions in the book, mainly doing so to warn the reader that a particularly dastardly deed is about to happen and the reader should just stop reading now before it is too late. The narrator’s warnings actually help keep a light tone to the book, though, and I found it easy to read. Besides being a mystery, this book is also appealing because it deals with children who feel it is up to them to save the world since the grown-ups don’t believe what is happening. The book also has a message about the importance of friendship and teamwork.
Red Flags: SPOILER! The villains of the book are actually hundreds of years old. They stay alive through drinking a magic elixir. The villains also torture Benjamin, and discuss performing a lobotomy on both him and Max-Ernest, but the discussion is not graphic.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The Invention of Hugo Cabret
Author: Brian Selznick
Year: 2007
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 533
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2008 Caldecott Award
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy/Picture/Chapter Book
Series Information: None
Location: Paris, France
Time period: 1931
Plot: Hugo Cabret is an orphan who tries to survive by living in the train station, stealing what he needs from the station shops. In his spare time Hugo works on an automaton his father had found and was putting together before he died. Hugo hopes the automaton carries a message to him from his father. In his quest for parts for the automaton, Hugo meets an eccentric old toy maker, Papa Georges, and his goddaughter Isabel, from whom he learns a lot about magic, mechanics, the first movies, and what it means to have a friend.
Comments: I was very intrigued by the idea behind this book. The book is set up much like a movie, beginning with instructions to the reader to pretend that they are sitting in a theater, waiting for the curtain to go up. After that, the pictures begin. Most books use pictures to give an idea of what the text is saying. This book uses detailed pencil drawings to depict the action of the story, and only uses words when absolutely necessary. For example, instead of saying, “Isabel collided with an old man as she was running across the station,” four pictures show Isabel running into the man and slowly falling to the ground. Instead of being weird, this medium helps move the story along. Since this is a story about the first moving pictures, treating the story as if it is a moving picture itself adds to the ambience and magic of the tale.
Red Flags: Homelessness, nervous breakdowns
Year: 2007
Publisher: Scholastic
Pages: 533
Reading Level: Intermediate (ages 9-12)
Awards: 2008 Caldecott Award
Genre: Mystery/Fantasy/Picture/Chapter Book
Series Information: None
Location: Paris, France
Time period: 1931
Plot: Hugo Cabret is an orphan who tries to survive by living in the train station, stealing what he needs from the station shops. In his spare time Hugo works on an automaton his father had found and was putting together before he died. Hugo hopes the automaton carries a message to him from his father. In his quest for parts for the automaton, Hugo meets an eccentric old toy maker, Papa Georges, and his goddaughter Isabel, from whom he learns a lot about magic, mechanics, the first movies, and what it means to have a friend.
Comments: I was very intrigued by the idea behind this book. The book is set up much like a movie, beginning with instructions to the reader to pretend that they are sitting in a theater, waiting for the curtain to go up. After that, the pictures begin. Most books use pictures to give an idea of what the text is saying. This book uses detailed pencil drawings to depict the action of the story, and only uses words when absolutely necessary. For example, instead of saying, “Isabel collided with an old man as she was running across the station,” four pictures show Isabel running into the man and slowly falling to the ground. Instead of being weird, this medium helps move the story along. Since this is a story about the first moving pictures, treating the story as if it is a moving picture itself adds to the ambience and magic of the tale.
Red Flags: Homelessness, nervous breakdowns
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