All you need is the cover of a book in a particular shade of yellow, or the spicy taste of red fruit stripes, transforming into a 9-year-old kid lying on a sofa with a mysterious tower of Nancy Dreux and a mouth full of gum. To do. You can still feel that you need to know who stole the plan, hid the jewels, or switched the trunk of the cruise ship. But now I realize that the central mystery was Nancy herself. Amateur detectives were brave, wise, and beautiful. But who was she really? Even if she, like me, is obsessed with reading all the books in her series, she can’t learn any more about her. Character development was never important.
The four new middle school mysteries take the opposite approach. Their intricate plots certainly keep you guessing, but these stories also fulfill the promise of the best novels for young readers: shedding light on the deeper mysteries of identity and self.
Take, for example, Katrin Barry’s debut. “Drew Leclair gets a clue.” Seventh grade Drew Leclair may have been named after Nancy Drew, but she has a skill set that Nancy could only dream of. She grew up in a story of crime nonfiction, and her favorite book, In the Shadow of a Killer, is an introduction to crime profiling. When Troll turns out to have hijacked an unofficial student-run Instagram account at school, Drew himself becomes the target of Troll’s anonymous posts. She uses the profiling toolbox to identify the person behind the hack. Meanwhile, Drew is everything from the relationship between her mother and a school counselor (who left her family to live in Pao, Kauai) to the way her best friend boy suddenly becomes interested. We are also working on many concerns. With a kiss.
The mystery comes to a satisfying conclusion — Drew can reveal the culture of bullying in her school — but the story really shines when she begins to deal with the emotions she has avoided. Does she want her mother to return? Which do you like better, boy or girl? Does she trust her friends? Drew digs deep and speaks everything.
Notice how she enjoys her relationship with her father. Nancy Drew’s father, with all his wisdom, never thought of planning a movie night of “Murder and Mayhem” for his Titian Hair daughter.
Much has happened in this book, and while it can be difficult to track many of its strands, the cast of characters (and the community in which they live) is well imagined.
Felix Fine, 6th grade hero “Nothing small” He is also familiar with adult crime resolution tactics by Carmella Van Vleet. He has just joined a forensic club and has acquired the skills needed to solve a series of “gradual crimes” in junior high school. Felix also wants to get closer to solving another mystery with all the fingerprints he analyzes and interviews. It is to find his born father.
Due to a deficiency of growth hormone, Felix is smaller than about 8 years old and he starts daily shots to help him grow in the way he is supposed to. Felix doesn’t mind being short — he even has a collection of funny T-shirts that say things like “No, I’m not an elf.” When he discovers that his father is also lacking, that is all the evidence he needs to begin a full investigation.
Felix’s The Good Detective is Sherlock Holmes — he’s excited when another character nicknames him “Short Rock Holmes” —and the title of the book comes from a Holmes quote. But like Drew Leclair’s story, Felix’s story is as internal as it is external. He learns about the people and friends he is starting with (while making his age-appropriate mistakes), following clues to his father’s identity.
His maturity is tested in one over-the-top scene that not only undermines credibility, but also looks at his remaining concerns. Felix issues are manageable. He may not get exactly what he wants in the end, but he gets more than he negotiated.
Chester Keen, the prestigious hero of Kekura Magoon “Chester Keen breaks the code” I am also a sixth grader without a father. But unlike Felix, Chester knows why his father is missing. He is a secret mission spy. And Chester is trained to be like him. “Keen’s observation skills are a hallmark of effective spycraft,” says Chester. “You need to know everything, look at everything …. Information is power. Every detail can tell the whole story.” He was shaped by many of his rituals. Observations go well with Chester, as he prefers to live on the edge of junior high school.
When a ferocious bully sticks to Chester, he sends an email to his dad for help. His dad never calls or visits — he never breaks his cover — but he sends a thoughtful response full of advice. Then, out of nowhere, he sends a task, a puzzle that Chester has to solve with the help of a bohemian girl named Sky. For unknown purposes, Chester trusts his father’s plans.
Chester is a sensitive and compassionate character that you support from the first page. But when Sky jumps into the school cafeteria, it’s as if Chester is leaving black and white for technicolor. Together, these characters crackle — I can’t remember the last time I read such a perfect dialogue.
The puzzle is clever. Chester and Sky are in the way of some criminals, but another plan is underway, which is surprising. Readers may guess the secret identity of Chester’s dad, but suspense increases while waiting for the dawn to come to Chester.
“Chester Keene Breaks the Code” unravels a truly fresh mystery with robbery, broken hearts, unforgettable characters, and lots of laser tags.
One of these novels is quite different from the other. “Misery water park” The first book in the sinister summer series by Kirsten White is terribly strange. The Sinister-Winterbottom brothers were stuffed into her aunt Saffronia during the summer, but no one completely remembers how they arrived at her home. Let’s just say she’s not a warm and cozy aunt. “How often do you think you need to eat?” She asks. “If you start eating in the morning, is that enough?” — And things just get worse from there. She tells them that they should have enough time to leave them in the water park and find what was lost. What it is, or how it is supposed to be found, is a question for a 12-year-old twin and a 16-year-old sister (who is always on the phone) to explore.
The Fathoms of Fun is Gothic themed, priced in Roman numerals and staffed with lace collars. The waterslide pops out of the stone tower gargoyle, and the food in the snack bar is indescribable. Jelly-like eels and pickled oysters, followed by Victorian mince pies. But after some adventures, the kids discover their mission and Caper rolls along the conclusions of that Scooby Doo style. In a unique way, Sinister-Winterbottoms also reveals family secrets.
The mystery here is secondary to a very wide range of humor. Children may crack down faster than this reviewer. But the dark comedy tone will appeal to anyone who loves “a series of unfortunate events.”
We must admit that there was a visceral reaction to White’s Fathoms of Fun description. They admired me for the dazzling blue water, the scorching pavement, the stack of striped towels, and the aroma of fried bread. If it’s not a summer reading recommendation, I don’t know what it is.
Kate Eagan’s first junior high school novel, “Golden Ticket,” was published in June.
DREW LECLAIR gets a clue, Katrin Barry 288pp. Clarion | $ 16.99 | 8-12 years old
Nothing is small, Carmella van Fleet 224pp. Holiday House | $ 18.99 | 8-12 years old
Chester Keen cracks the cord, Kekura Magoon 304pp. Wendy Ram | $ 16.99 | 8-12 years old
WRETCHED WATERPARK (Sinister Summer, Book 1), Kirsten White 256pp. Delacourt | $ 16.99 | 8-12 years old
