Zoe Lucky and the Green Gables Mystery By M. Carol Coffey
0 comments Posted by Grant Hayslip at 5:15 PM
Summary: This tale follows a young girl named Hero, whose name is taken from the famed Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. Hero, a sixth grader at a new school, finds it tough to deal with the teasing associated with her unique name. She soon learns, from her next-door neighbor Ms. Roth, that there is a famed diamond hidden somewhere in her new home. Ms. Roth owns a necklace, which she claims to have once held the missing diamond.
Summary: This Hardy Boys mystery begins when the boys’ father is set out working on a covert mission to protect a radar station just outside of their hometown of Bayport. Joe and Frank, the infamous Hardy Boys, are told by a certain Mary Todd that her brother, the professor, has gone missing. Combining forces with their father Fenton, the Hardy Boys set out to find the missing Mr. Todd.
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankenweiler By E.L. Konigsburg
0 comments Posted by Grant Hayslip at 5:07 PM
Summary: Young Claudia, almost 12, fed up with her parents and her life, decides to run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Her younger brother, Jamie, is notorious for saving all of his allowance money and never spending it; a major reason why Claudia persuades her younger brother to join her in her flight from home.
Byars, B. (1994). The dark stairs: A Herculeah Jones mystery. New York: Viking.
Genres: Murder, Mystery
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Herculeah Jones is as strong and bold as her name. Endlessly curious, she recruits her hesitant and bumbling neighbor (a kid named Meat) to investigate the old Dead Oaks mansion where an unsolved murder took place long ago. How could she resist being involved? Her father is a police officer, and her mother works as a private eye; solving crimes is in her blood.
Herculeah’s fast-paced adventures include a monstrous man, hidden staircases, narrow escapes, and chilling discoveries. The author entertains her young readers with just the right balance of humor and suspense. For example, Herculeah has a sixth sense: whenever she’s in danger, her hair frizzes out of control. Young readers will enjoy quirky characters and juvenile antics, but also face complex dilemmas like rights vs. responsibility.
Notes:
First of seven books in the Herculeah Jones Mystery Series.
Betsy Byars has won numerous awards for other novels ( not Herculeah Jones), including ALA Notable Books, Booklist Editor’s Choice, a National Book Award, and the 1971 Newbery Medal.
Stead, R. (2009). When you reach me. New York: Wendy Lamb Books.
Genres: Space and Time, Science-Fiction, Puzzle , Mystery
Summary: The year is 1978. Miranda is an average twelve-year-old growing up in New York City. Strange things begin to happen after she finds a note tucked into her library book from an anonymous sender. “I am coming to save your friend’s life, and my own. I ask two favors. First, you must write me a letter.”
Who is this stranger that continues to send Miranda notes and predict events in her life that only she would know? Meanwhile, Miranda has to deal with a lot of personal problems: her best friend won’t speak to her, her mother is preoccupied by practicing to be a game-show contestant, and, for the first time, Miranda has a crush, but he might prefer someone else.
Throughout the story, Miranda encounters people, objects, events and information that appear random and unimportant. Suddenly, in a tragic turn of events, all of the pieces come together, and she knows what she has to do. When You Reach Me is an engaging, thought-provoking novel, and fully deserving of the 2010 Newberry Medal.
Notes:
Winner of the Newberry Medal 2010