It starts as an ordinary south Texas scorcher. Young Mickey is riding the bus home from school when he hears "the...
Missing fish? Missing lemons? Sounds like a job for "the great Mickey Rangel, Private Detective."
It starts as an ordinary south Texas scorcher. Young Mickey is riding the bus home from school when he hears "the blood-curdlingest, spine-chillingest shriek in the history of Nuevo Peñitas." He recognizes the voice of his neighbor, Senorita Andrade, so ugly the kids call her Bruja (witch). Mickey dutifully waits until the bus reaches his stop, then races to her house, dumping his backpack along the way. He finds her pacing the floor anxiously and wringing her hands. Her goldfish are missing! Mickey notices the lid on the fish tank is open, there's a small puddle of water on the floor and wet paw prints lead to the back porch, where Papuchín the cat wears a very satisfied expression. "Another crime solved by the great Mickey Rangel," but (un)fortunately, only the first. This time it's a moan and not a shriek from Señorita Andrade that signals trouble. Someone has stolen all the lemons from the beautiful tree in her backyard. This case is more complicated, but is there any doubt that Mickey can crack it? Although the first-person narration doesn't always feel true to the young sleuth's age, the drawings sprinkled throughout make the story more inviting for young readers.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-55885-709-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2011
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit.
Eleven-year-old Maria Russo helps her charlatan mother hoodwink customers, but Maria has a spirited secret.
Maria’s mother, the psychic Madame Destine, cons widows out of their valuables with the assistance of their apartment building’s super, Mr. Fox. Madame Destine home-schools Maria, and because Destine is afraid of unwanted attention, she forbids Maria from talking to others. Maria is allowed to go to the library, where new librarian Ms. Madigan takes an interest in Maria that may cause her trouble. Meanwhile, Sebastian, Maria’s new upstairs neighbor, would like to be friends. All this interaction makes it hard for Maria to keep her secret: that she is visited by Edward, a spirit who tells her the actual secrets of Madame Destine’s clients via spirit writing. When Edward urges Maria to help Mrs. Fisher, Madame Destine’s most recent mark, Maria must overcome her shyness and her fear of her mother—helping Mrs. Fisher may be the key to the mysterious past Maria uncovers and a brighter future. Alas, picture-book–creator Ford’s middle-grade debut is a muddled, melodramatic mystery with something of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink feel: In addition to the premise, there’s a tragically dead father, a mysterious family tree, and the Beat poets. Sluggish pacing; stilted, unrealistic dialogue; cartoonishly stock characters; and unattractive, flat illustrations make this one to miss. Maria and Sebastian are both depicted with brown skin, hers lighter than his; the other principals appear to be white.
An effort as insubstantial as any spirit. (author’s note) (Paranormal mystery. 7-10)Pub Date: July 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-20567-4
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
A mystery, a school story, sibling rivalry and the loss of a pet blend surprisingly well in this engaging chapter book. Charmingly awkward fifth grader Edgar Allan decides to solve a series of minor thefts that are plaguing his teacher, Ms. Herschel. Clues are plentiful—and rhymed—but the competition to solve them is fierce. Edgar’s nemesis, Patrick Chen, seems to have the inside track since his dad works in forensics. Edgar, however, finds that the friends he makes along the way provide the winning edge. Including transcripts of Edgar’s ingenuous interviews as well as poems written by a number of class members in her narrative, Amato provides a clear picture of both social and family dynamics while keeping the story moving smoothly along. The author’s characteristic humor is somewhat muted, but examples of amusing wordplay abound. Some readers may guess the identity of the culprit more quickly than Edgar and his friends do, but whodunit is not really the point. Solving puzzles, making friends and learning to see the world more clearly are the true aims of this adventure. (Mystery. 7-10)
Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-8234-2271-5
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2010
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