February 1, 2010
Gr 2-5-In "The Painting That Wasn't There", a class visits a temporary art exhibit. The students have learned about illegal copies of masterpieces, so when a celebrated painting is determined to be a forgery, James Shoo and his friends set out to solve the crime. In "The Zoo with the Empty Cage", EGG (Edward G. Garrison) is a down-to-earth boy whose science club has an outing to a zoo. The endangered animal that the kids are most looking forward to seeing suddenly disappears. The book becomes a real page-turner as the students look for suspects that even include their teacher. The occasional colorful, full-page illustrations in these engaging mysteries are inviting. These books are appropriate for reluctant readers as well as those just beginning chapter books. Concluding pages offer springboards for teachers to encourage their students to write mysteries as well as to learn investigation techniques. Good purchases for libraries that need mysteries with contemporary settings."Elaine Charnow, Deasy/Landing Elementary Schools, Glen Cove, NY"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
December 15, 2009
Grades 3-6 This title in the Field Trip Mysteries series marries the always high-interest topic of an art heist with a breezy, straightforward story just right for reluctant readers. The book opens with an illustrated dossier belonging to sixth-grader James Gum Shoo (Interests: Gum chewing, field trips, and showing everyone what a crook Anton Gutman is) and three pals. The story then proceeds to tell how he got his flatfoot moniker. In art class, the kids learn about a famous painting and are delighted to find out that theyre going on a field trip to see it in person. At the museum, one of James henchfriends notices that the painting on the walls a forgery, and the four sleuths set out to uncover the perp. Its a quickly paced and quickly resolved caper, but whats lacking in characterization and plot is made up for in style: Cangas illustrations add a touch of middle-school noir to the overall handsome presentation. The can-do spirit extends to the back matter, prompting kids to solve a mystery themselves or write up a new one.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)