SLY THE SLEUTH

Clear some shelf space: Young Cam Jansen has a new contemporary. Sylvia, a.k.a. “Sly,” solves three local mysteries involving oddly behaved pets. She uses an uncontrived combination of sharp observation, careful reasoning, and the occasional flash of insight. Along with crafting believable “cases” for the youthful detective, the mother-and-son co-authors have some “Sly” fun here. They give their sleuth a cat named Taxi (who always comes when called), one friend named Melody, who plays the piano, and another named Jack, who is always jumping into sight. There’s also a pesky four-year-old neighbor, Brian, with a distinctly slanted view of reality and a mysterious pet named “Wilson” that turns out to be a bucket full of . . . well, read and find out. Maione inks plenty of lighthearted illustrations, mostly neighborhood scenes, for this engaging series opener. (Fiction. 7-9)