The Mardi Gras Chase (True Girls Book 1)

Written by Maggie M. Larche

Fast moving middle grade mystery adventure involving three friends, Melanie, Kate, and Faye. While attending one of the mardi gras parades in Mobile, Alabama, the girls notice that some of the letters on the floats are upside down. They copy the letters R.C.E.N.R.A.P. In addition, the strange letters appear only on the high and “poufy” floats. These friends do some internet research, discovering that Mr. Simmingham is their designer. The girls visit the museum to investigate the floats stored from the parade they had missed and vow to attend the rest of the parades during the week to continue the investigation. But the friends must attend a history presentation on Saturday, so they enlist Matt to collect the information. The plot thickens when Matt is arrested; the girls are relieved to find he had already succeeded in his mission. They are unsuccessful in cracking the code until they receive help from an unlikely source. A visit to the cemetery leads to another hair raising adventure and unexpected rewards.

Targeted for a middle grade audience of eight to twelve year olds, the plot moves along quickly. There is probably a bit too much dialogue, but that is appropriate for this age group. Strong female role models, strong family relationships, a tinge of scariness and mystery, plus the unusual Mobile mardi gras setting, set it apart from the typical middle grade adventure tale. First book in a series that will succeed if the characters continue to grow and evolve.

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Toby’s Tails: Still Wagging (Fantasy Farm Tales Book 4)

Written by Susan Keefe

Toby, the Border Collie, narrates his adventures at Fantasy Farm in France. He lives with two humans and an assortment of farm animals with whom he shares many adventures. Readers learn a lot about Toby as well as real life facts about life on the farm.

The first book tells about Toby’s first year of life and how he was trained to be a proper border collie. In this book, readers are treated to adventures on the farm throughout the seasons from spring, summer, autumn and back to winter. Toby meets Scarlet, a squirrel who introduces us to her drey and new babies. On a car trip, Toby explains what log lorries are, we meet some bees in the meadow pollinating plants, and noisy baby goats who are growing fast. Young readers learn about the differences between a mouse and a vole, the arrival of the swallows and the wrens. At the market, mum buys fresh vegetables and guinea fowl. Of course, there must be a mystery adventure. When Henrietta, a brown hen is missing, Toby is on red alert. Readers learn about rabbits and how they breed in the spring. Toby has quite a strange experience when the family decides to go on a picnic and Mum has an interesting experience with stick insects. Mum is excited when a horse named Marine comes to live on their farm. As the season turns to autumn, the slow worms emerge to do their work. In practically no time at all, frost has returned and winter is just around the corner. How will the animals on the farm adapt and change?

Love this approach to teaching children about animals and life on a real farm in the countryside. The photos are beautiful and charming. This chapter book of a little more than fifty pages could be broken up in sections as a classroom read aloud. There is a lot of information packed within the pages. Perfect choice for an eight to ten year old who loves animals.

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Children’s Book: Saving Christmas (Kids Action Adventure)

Author: Morris Fenris

The book description, cover and reviews suggest that this book is appropriate for children of all ages. Some parents might argue that it is not at all appropriate for children, but rather suited to young adults and adults.

There are four parts. In the first, readers meet a girl named Mary who generally spends Christmas alone. On Christmas Eve, she is out for a ride on her horse when she hears a strange noise and meets with an accident resulting in her being thrown from her horse. When she wakes up, Mary finds herself in a strange cabin with a white haired man. She is surrounded by unfamiliar sights and sounds. The second story features Mrs. Claus at the North Pole many years later supervising the elves on Christmas Eve. She experiences a strange sense of foreboding and a dramatic change in Santa’s personality. Part Three leads Mary to a sleigh ride in order to find Santa’s mother. The reindeer Vixen knows that she will be able to save Christmas. Finally in the fourth part, Mary realizes her true role and the reader learns what happened to Mary’s horse on the night of her accident.

The stories contain many run on sentences and grammar that needs some editing. It is difficult to classify the genre of these stories. Elements of romance, mystery, and adventure, but definitely not a kids book. This book contains some familiar characters and symbols, but adults should be aware of multiple layers of meaning and some inappropriate language.

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Title: Mike and the Dog-Gone Labradoodle: The Pet Shop Society, Book 1

Written by Emlyn Chand

First in a series of mystery detective chapter books for young readers in the seven to eleven age group. The eight chapters are only five or six pages each, and they are content referenced in The Table of Contents. Book is perfect for a teacher read aloud or an independent reluctant reader as the text provides a good balance of humor, interesting characters, and an age appropriate story line.

Main characters, Maddie and Mike are sixth grade twins who could not be more opposite. Maddie loves reading and school: Mike loves sports and watching TV. When Nic Chang’s Labradoodle named Baxter goes missing, Baxter and his friend, Tyler, offer to help. But Maddie and her friend, Bree, overhear and come up with the suggestion that they need to go back and retrace Baxter’s steps. They piece together clues to solve the mystery. At the same time, Nic reveals a secret about herself. Solving the mystery leads to the five becoming friends and discovering a common bond. They decide to form The Pet Shop Society dedicated to solving more mysteries around their community. Their adventures will continue in the next two books of the series. Recommended for early readers who enjoy mysteries.

Also a good choice for exploring family and peer relationships.

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About the Author: Emlyn Chand

From an early age, Emlyn Chand has counted books among her best friends. She loves to hear and tell stories and emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). Her affinity for the written word extends to absolutely every area of her life: she has published fiction across multiple genres, oversees and contributes as both an editor and an author to the Novel Publicity Guides for Writing & Marketing Fiction series, and loves the written word so much, she even married author Falcon Storm! Don’t forget that she is the founder and president of Novel Publicity too.

Website * Facebook * Goodreads

Mr. Boggarty:The Halloween Grump (Spooky Adventure for Kids 9-12)

Written by Tevin Hansen

The question on the cover sets the main plot. Can Trix and her friends escape the Lime Green Ghost of Lincoln County? At first, I found the layout strange. The author chose to introduce each of the main characters in a separate chapter. Then he proceeds to explain Halloween customs in different countries. Finally, he gets to the subject of eggs and the plot that the five friends have hatched for this upcoming Halloween. Last, bit not least he sets the scene with each of their customs and moves to Mr. Boggarty’s house on Halloween night.

Trixie, Frank, Darby, Darren, and Preston crouch behind the tree in Mr. Boggarty’s front yard and prepare to ring the doorbell. When Darren “chickens out,” Trix cautiously turns the doorknob and the five friends find themselves inside. At first the house seems normal, but soon they see a lit jack-o-lantern on the table. Deciding to throw their rotten eggs inside the house, they are paralyzed with fear when the door slams shut and the lights go out.

Suddenly the fifth-graders are confronted with a bright green flying ghost. He orders them to kneel down and informs them he has just stolen the soul of Mr. Boggarty. He gives them a history lesson about the Great Depression But the worse news is yet to come. The children have been selected to be the new Demons of Lincoln County; they will be sent to school to learn how to be ruthless, evil and diabolical creatures who prey on poor farming communities like the one they live in now. The ghost’s brothers and sisters will arrive at six o’clock to whisk them away forever. As a thunderstorm rages outside the house, the five friends await their fate.

The plot has a ending with a surprise twist. Hansen takes his time building up to the main plot, but keeps the suspense going once the children arrive in the house. Middle grade students will enjoy the diversity of the characters, the humor, and the scary story line. Good choice for a Halloween party or a classroom read aloud. The dialogue is easy to read and the length of just over 130 pages is a good fit for reluctant readers.

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xandra Fry, Private Eye: The Curse of the Lion’s Heart

Written by Angella Graff

This is Book One of the Alexandra Fry detective series. Angella is a pretty ordinary twelve year old, who is nervous about starting the first day of seventh grade in a new middle school. She shares time with both of her divorced parents. At the beginning of the tale, readers are introduced to Alexandra’s unique talent. She is able to see the ghosts of famous historical persons, who ask her help in solving mysteries. Alexandra has assisted Magellan in finding his lost compass and Abraham Lincoln in finding his stolen top hat. As if the first day in a new school isn’t difficult enough, Alexandra is contacted by Queen Elizabeth I of England, who insists that if the family locket is not located, a curse will be visited upon the current community. Her classmates and teachers think that she is talking to herself.

Fortunately for Elizabeth, her dad works in the City Museum. Her ability to gain easy access has helped her solve many cases in the past. In this mystery, she will be able to enlist the aid of a new friend, Penelope, and an eighth grader named Jack who at first appears to be more of a suspect than a friend. Alexandra must face the same issues most preteens face: bullying, fitting in with the crowd, negotiating their way with adults and asserting their independence. The author narrates a plot that has lots of twists and turns and combines elements of paranormal, history, mystery and adventure. Characters are believable and use authentic dialogue. The text is easy enough for preteens, but also is sophisticated enough for a young adult or adult reader. I was totally drawn into the mystery and felt empathy for the young characters.

Readers age eight and older who enjoy history, mystery, detective, paranormal and coming of age books will all find something here to their liking. Look forward to the rest of the series.

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The Math Inspectors: Story One-The Case of the Claymore Diamond

Written by Daniel Kenny and Emily Boever

Clever, humorous and well-written detective mystery targeted for late elementary and middle school readers. I must admit the plot kept me guessing and entertained. Chapters are short and easy to read. Pencil sketches are an added bonus. I particularly enjoyed the way that the authors found a way to integrate those dreaded hard to solve math word problems right into the story line. As a bonus, the reader is presented with a few more problems to solve at the conclusion of the mystery. They can check their answers on the authors’ website.

Felix, Gertie, Stanley and Charlotte are a bright group of sixth graders who become interested in forming a detective agency. Using Felix’s tree house as a base of operations, Felix attempts to find out who is stealing his food from the kitchen by using his binoculars. When Charlotte brings a police scanner up to the house, they hear about an armed robbery at the local jewelry store. The budding detectives rush to the scene. They discover the owner Mr. Franklin has been hit on the head and his most valuable possession, the Claymore diamond, has been stolen. Police apprehend a suspect quickly, and the case appears closed. Our four young detectives believe otherwise; they refuse to quit until what had appeared obvious is revealed as erroneous.

Lots of twists and turns in the plot. The characters are believable and authentic middle grade students. Readers will find themselves enjoying the math challenges that come along with the case. Great way to get students involved with math while reading. Look forward to reading new books in the series as they are released.

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Area 51 Aliens and UFOS – Mysteries, Secrets and Facts about Aliens and UFOs at Area 51

Written by Michael Dicks

Dicks has done his research on a controversial topic; he presents it in a straightforward and objective fashion. This book is not a sci-fi tale of invasion of the earth by little green men. In this book of approximately eighty pages, the author covers a lot of territory.

To summarize briefly, readers will learn about the exact location and historical background of Area 51. They will learn about the earliest projects dating back to the 1940’s and 1950’s like the A-12 Spy Plane and the Lockheed U-2, plus other projects that have been rumored tested there. The author explores the conspiracy theories, and the rumored alien crash at Roswell, NM. He discusses mysterious cleanup activities around the base. I found the discussion about ancient texts around the world and DNA analysis interesting. Dicks discusses the testimony of those who claimed to have seen aliens including astronauts and pilots from the US and Russia. Perhaps the most controversial part of the book is the work of Dr. Dan Burisch and the Lotus Project which discuss aliens as human intelligences from the future.

Whether you believe in aliens or not, this book is a well-written analysis on the subject of Area 51. Appropriate for readers ages twelve and older, I am sure that budding middle grade scientists and sci-fi fans interested in the subject will be able to handle the text.

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Gabby Gibson: Middle School Detective

Written by Sharon Broomall

The author has her pulse on the middle school audience. Gabby Gibson, the protagonist, is the perfect heroine. Gabby’s dad has passed away, but she follows in his footsteps as detective par excellence.

She is a seventh grader at Preston Middle School who experiences many of the problems that her young readers face. There is gossip among the girls, bullying, the nerds, those perceived to be the haves and the have-nots. The dialogue is funny and authentic. Readers will laugh and cry with the characters and their foibles. Student and adult characters share equally the laughter and the criticism.

Plot centers around the mystery of how the Panda mascot of Preston Middle School got his head cut off at an important soccer game, and how the money for the annual seventh grade dance went missing. When the dance is canceled by principal, Mr. Sauerbutts, Gabby kicks her detective skills into high gear. There are enough twists and turns to keep the plot interesting. Our detective thinks she has the answer, but discovers she was wrong. Will Gabby solve the mystery and save the dance? Does the Panda mascot find his head?

At just under two hundred pages, the book is a nice fit for readers ages nine and up. Just a suggestion, a few simple drawings might have made some of those hilarious scenes even more effective.

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Catnapped

Written by Teena Raffa-Mulligan

Illustrated by Daniel Weatheritt

Charming early chapter mystery book of less than fifty pages that is perfect for the beginning reader. Jenna bemoans the fact that her Nanna has moved from a bustling Australian city to a quiet house on Wattle Drive. Well, actually not that quiet, Nanna has adopted several pets: Oscar a large orange cat, Goliath, a large Great Dane, Cleo, a black and white cat, Albert, a python snake, and Polly, a chatterbox parrot, who enjoys watching police shows. One night while watching TV, Nanna screams with joy when she finds out that she has just won the lottery. Nanna quickly decides that after setting some money aside for Jenna’s education and a trip to Disneyland; she will use the rest to take her friend Alice to the Sydney Opera House, but give the bulk of the money to build a special home for cats that nobody wants.

Cass Snatchit and her lazy teenage brother Jack read of Nanna’s good fortune in the newspaper. They live in a run-down trailer and quickly decide that they will kidnap Nanna’s cat and demand a large sum of money for ransom. The author details their plans to spy on her and break into her house. Will they succeed in their plan to swindle Nanna and foil her generous plan for the lotto winnings?

The six chapters are short and the text is easy to read and conversational. Characters are fun, and the black and white pencil illustrations are charming. I do think the illustrations might have been more effective if they were larger and in color. This book has lots of elements a child age six to nine will enjoy: animals, the good guys and the bad guys, and a touch of humor. Recommended as an independent reader or read aloud at home, in the classroom or for siblings to share with one another.

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