The case of maker mischief

#2 in the West Meadows Detectives

by Liam O'Donnell

illustrated by Aurélie Grand

age range: 7 to 10 years old

Owlkids Books

Myron is a detective third grader, and Hajrah is his partner. In this second book in the series they are trying to find out who stole Robson, a robot built by their classmates, Jordan and "Glitch", for the Maker Faire Robot Maze Challenge. So far this sounds like an good mystery like many other mysteries for this age range. So, what makes this book different? 

The West Meadows Detectives series is told in first person by Myron, who happens to be in the autistic spectrum. The reader will notice from the very first pages how this is mirrored in the writing style, which is focused in the facts, without unnecessary descriptions, or needless extra words. Myron also express in many opportunities along the story how he feels about the situations in his everyday life, like noisy places, unexpected changes in the routine, or how sometimes his brain feels overloaded by the world around him. And at the same time how much he loves logic facts, and his ability to find and process clues. At the same time Hajrah happens to be hyper-energetic, with difficulties to sit or stay still, but also a great sense of how to help Myron when he feels overwhelmed by a situation. And Myron and Hajrah are not the only ones, since they are part of a neuro diverse group at the West Meadows School. The readers will also meet Sarah "Smasher" McGintley, who is a female bully bulling boys, something also uncommon to find in children's novels.

These nontraditional characters already make the story more than worthy. Now add a pinch of science, robots, coding, and challenges. Serve with black & white enjoyable pictures, that also complement the story showing the characters' body language and actions. And there you are.  A wonderful book I recommend you to try. I will keep a close eye on this series myself.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Braxton Woods Mystique

by Adam Furgang

age range: middle graders

Howling Wolf

Leo and his mom has just moved to their new house, after loosing their old one and everything else in a fire. This new house is one of five houses in an isolated cul de sac that were part of an unfinished development. Summer is just starting and Leo hopes to have some fun with his new neighbor friends Nora, and the twins Albert and Oliver. Maybe even explore the extensive woods behind their houses. What looks like a boring vacation turns out to be the most exciting summer ever when the gang finds sinkholes, fantastic creatures, and even a buried one hundred year old carnival.

This middle grade novel was an enjoyable read. The plot is consistent and intriguing. the characters are funny and I got engage to them quickly. Even Colin, a friend from Leo's old neighborhood who you only get to know through his texts adds to the cast. Creepy at some moments, the story has lots of action and a very satisfying ending.

I received this book from the author via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

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by Denise Markell

Age range: 8 to 12 years old

Delacorte Books

Ted is a twelve years old boy who loves to play escape-the-room games in his computer. And he is really good at them. When his great uncle dies leaving a treasure for him to find, Ted will need all his skills to solve this real life challenge.

This book was such an enjoyable reading! It has lots of action, a trio of adorable friends, mysterious characters, treasure hunting, computer games, and literary quotes. It also approaches the topic of American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who fought during WWII in the 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Infantry Regiment, as well as the internment of Japanese American in camps during that period. The plot is dynamic and consistent. The writing is very engaging, and I found myself widely smiling in many occasions. It also made me want to read some classic literary works mentioned in it, to learn more about this specific historic events, and, why no, try some escape-the-room computer games. (No. I have never played them).

The cover art by Octavi Navarro is wonderful, and I also liked the pages layout, which mirrors a computer game. If it looks so good in an e-book I guess the printed edition has to be just awesome.

There is a hint at the end of the book that suggest this might be the first one in a series. Am I right? I hope so!

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Labyrinth Society: the Versailles Vendetta

by Angie Kelly

Age range: middle grade

When Mia Cornell is sent to her new foster home at the Tarpley Estate, with Mrs. T. and her other three foster daughters: Tomi, Lily and Devon, she never guessed the adventures that were waiting for her. Before she could figure out what's going on in this house, where evidently everybody is keeping a big secret from her, she finds herself traveling through a labyrinth to the Versailles Palace in the hunt for a necklace which had belonged to Marie Antoniette. And this is only the beginning of a great adventure and, hopefully, a great series.

This is a fantastic story for middle grade kids, full of action, some historical info, and funny characters. Although the girls are supposed to be 12 years old, I couldn't stop thinking about them as 14 or 15 years old. But this didn't disturb the story at all. The book proved to be a page turner, and I'd be interested in know where the labyrinth takes those girls next time!

I received this book from the author via Pump up your Book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Gordon: The first case.

by Ulf Nilsson

illustrated by: Gitte Spee

Age range: 8 to 11 years old

Many nuts have been stolen from Vladimir, the squirrel, and Detective and Police Chief Gordon has to solve the case.  In the process, which includes a lot of thinking, stamping and cake eating, he meets Buffy, a young mouse who becomes his assistant and friend. While Buffy wishes for many exciting cases to solve, Gordon, as the old and wise toad he is, wishes for a quite district with no crime at all. No crime. No punishment.

The first case is a cozy mystery for kids, with adorable characters and many beautiful teachings in it. The illustrations are absolutely cute. I would love to read more Detective Gordon adventures.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The first misadventure.

The chicken squad #1

by Doreen Cronin

Illustrated by Kevin Cornell

These chicks are something! Dirt, Sweetie, Poppy and Sugar love to solve mysteries. This time is not the exception. When Tail, the squirrel, comes asking for help, he knows he is in the right place. Unfortunately he is not really good at providing clues about what he saw. Big and scary? Not really helpful. Enormous and frightening? Still useless... This lack of progress would have discouraged anyone, but not the chicken squad.

We loved this book. We loved it because the story is hilarious. We loved it because the characters are funny and adorable. I personally loved it because I totally related to J. J. Tully, the dog, who has the hard work of keeping an eye on these active, unpredictable chicks!

Age range: 6 to 10 years old. (My 6 years old son enjoyed this story that was read aloud to him. He didn't read it by himself)

Who Stole The Wizard of Oz?

Review:

 by Avi

Some books were stolen from Checkertown Library: The Wizard of Oz, Wihhie-the-Pooh, The Wind in the Willows, Treasure Island, and Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There. After being questioned by the police, Becky decides to discover who the thief was. She is eager to make clear she has nothing to do with the robbery. Her twin brother Toby is eager to help her. They will soon figure out these books have the leading clues to what they suspect is a treasure.
This short book is not only an entertaining mystery, but a journey through five beloved classics. The description the characters do of the stolen books makes you want to read (or reread) them. The characters are easy to relate to, but what I specially liked about them was their relationship. They help, support and know each other. They are definitively a fun pair. Once again I'm glad I read Avi's books.
                                                                                                 

Age range: 8 to 12 years old

The Lemonade War

by Jacqueline Davies

Loved this book!

Evan and Jessie Treski will be in the same fourth grade classroom next year, since Jessie will skip one grade. Evan is not really happy with the idea of having his little sister in his same grade, specially because Jessie is the "smart-one" and he's scared to death of being embarrassed by her.
Jessie can't understand why Evan is so mad at her. She was feeling so happy she'll be in Evan's class next year since he is the "good-one-understanding-people" and could help her to fit in the new group.
This disagreement between sister and brother will end in The Lemonade War, where the first one earning one hundred dollars selling lemonade in the 5 days before coming back to school wins and keeps all the money. The looser wins nothing.
This is a book full of funny situations, feelings fathom and comical introduction of business concepts. It's fresh and enjoyable. The last chapter is as funny as emotional. Absolutely recommended for children in the 8-10 years old range.

Age range: 8 to 12 years old.

Ghostly Thief of Time

by Ruben Bolling
Age range: 8 to 12 years old.

I'm sure you, like me, have seen a lot of stories (in books, movies, shows, etc.) where a rational explanation is found to a scary or suspicious situation. It comes to my mind the old episodes of Scooby Doo, always ending with the monster or ghost being unmasked, turning to be only an unscrupulous person with a selfish interest in scaring the rest in order to get some particular benefit. It always worked with Scooby and Shaggy, but smart Velma, with Daphne and Fred will find an absolutely "from-this-world" answer.
In GHOSTLY THIEF OF TIME the characters will do all the contrary! Stuart, Brian and Violet (with the help of Ferdinand, an "alien robot" dog) will find a supernatural explanation to an absolutely normal, ordinary, daily situation.

Something is obviously happening with the time in Stuart's sixth grade room. It's evident time goes slower the near of the end of the day it is, and the closer to the back of the room you sit. Why does the last half an hour of the school day seems to last two hours? (Who hasn't wondered about this at least a thousand times?) The EMU Club has a new mystery to solve. Is the school janitor really what he claims to be? Could be the janitor's closet a time portal? You'll need to read this engaging story to find out!

This book was a great shared read with my son. It's very funny. We laughed or grinned at almost every page. It's visually attractive, written in an "EMU Club Report" format, with colorful pictures. The characters are likable, and they have a beautiful relationship between them. The time travel elements are easy to follow by the kids, not confusing at all.


I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.