This psychological mystery explores a child’s deepest genetic need for belonging. Sam has darkly unfathomable dreams and vague memories: a cat, a boat, a storm, a bold castle, a mean woman, the number 11. As he turns 11, questioning his own identity, these dreams and memories drive him to take devious, even dangerous, risks to uncover the truth. His sleuthing is thwarted by his inability to read—literally—the clues he finds in concealed papers and on the Internet. He is joined in his search by Caroline, another seeker, who reads voraciously but is never in one school long enough to achieve acceptance. Together the two form a friendship, building a castle as a classroom project and exposing secrets that empower Sam to confront his family about his clouded history. In a satisfyingly poignant conclusion, both children stand at the threshold of inclusion and kinship. An engrossing examination of a profound theme in the deft hands of a discerning author. (Fiction. 9-12)
Pub Date: Jan. 8, 2008
ISBN: 978-0-385-73069-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2007
Categories: CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER
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Leaving FunJungle Adventure Park for a vacation on a ranch in West Yellowstone, 13-year-old Teddy and his girlfriend, Summer, find themselves searching for missing bison while in the middle of solving a jewel heist.
The latest book in Gibbs’ FunJungle series leaves the adventure park for new territory. Even so, Teddy can’t seem to escape mysteries. While staying at the Oy Vey Corral, his skills as a teen detective are enlisted by the ranch owners to help find out who is stealing their purebred bison. When a grizzly bear named Sasquatch breaks into the ranch house late one night and Summer’s mother’s dazzling multimillion-dollar necklace goes missing, Teddy finds himself working not just one whodunit, but two. From an old hidden room for hiding bootleggers’ stashes to an abandoned gold mine and a bull on the loose, Gibbs keeps the pace moving and the action coming. While most of the main characters are presumed White, there is diversity in secondary characters. The owners of the Oy Vey Corral are Jewish. Gibbs doesn’t shy away from discussing America’s brutal treatment of Native peoples or the ways Americans have destroyed animal populations and habitats. This action-packed mystery with a satisfying resolution doesn’t rest on predictable thieves or obvious answers.
A thrilling, mystery-laden story with an incredible setting. (author’s note) (Mystery. 9-12)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7946-3
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
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A modern Sherlock Holmes retelling brings an 11-year-old black John Watson into the sphere of know-it-all 9-year-old white detective Shelby Holmes.
John's an Army brat who's lived in four states already. Now, with his parents' divorce still fresh, the boy who's lived only on military bases must explore the wilds of Harlem. His new life in 221A Baker St. begins inauspiciously, as before he's even finished moving in, his frizzy-haired neighbor blows something up: "BOOM!" But John's great at making friends, and Shelby certainly seems like an interesting kid to know. Oddly loquacious, brusque, and extremely observant, Shelby's locally famous for solving mysteries. John’s swept up in her detecting when a wealthy, brown-skinned classmate enlists their help in the mysterious disappearance of her beloved show dog, Daisy. Whatever could have happened to the prizewinning Cavalier King Charles spaniel? Has she been swiped by a jealous competitor? Has Daisy’s trainer—mysteriously come into enough money to take a secret weekend in Cozumel—been placing bets against his own dog? Brisk pacing, likable characters, a few silly Holmes jokes ("I'm Petunia Cumberbatch," says Shelby while undercover), and a diverse neighborhood, carefully and realistically described by John, are ingredients for success.
A smart, fresh take on an old favorite makes for a terrific series kickoff . (Mystery. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-68119-051-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: June 22, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S MYSTERY & THRILLER | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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