If you're looking for a good, middle grade mystery, this is a must read. I'm sometimes cautious about mysteries, because they can be too far-fetched or too easy to solve, but this one hit it just right.
Description from
the publisher:
“What’s with the get-up? Is
that the company uniform or something?”
“This? All P.I.s wear a
trench coat.”
“Dude, that’s a brown
bathrobe.”
I shrugged and straightened
out my sleeves. “First rule of private investigation, Ivy: work with what
you’ve got.”
Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace lives by his list of rules of private
investigation. He knows more than anyone how to work with what he’s got: a
bathrobe for a trench coat, a makeshift office behind the school equipment
shed, and not much else—least of all, friends. So when a hot case of blackmail
lands on his desk, he’s ready to take it on himself . . . until the new kid,
Ivy Mason, convinces him to take her on as a junior partner. As they banter
through stakeouts and narrow down their list of suspects, Howard starts to
wonder if having Ivy as a sidekick—and a friend—is such a bad thing after all.
Howard Wallace,
P.I. was written by Casey Lyall and
published by Sterling Children’s Books in 2016.
Why you want to
read this book…
The
clues for the mystery and the mystery itself were believable, with lots of
neighbourhood adventure as Howard and his sidekick scoped out crime scenes and
interviewed suspects. I liked the creative details, like Howard’s playground
office. Social issues of middle school, such as dealing with
friends and bullies, were nicely woven into the plot and I loved the growing friendship between Howard and Ivy.
“One
of the greatest investigative advantages is the opportunity to observe your
subjects when they’re unaware of being watched. People behave more like
themselves when immersed in their natural environment.”
If you’re a
writer…
Something
to study here is how the author created the quirky, first person narrator. The
novel has a strong, consistent voice.
Howard’s obsession with being a detective came through loud and clear
through all his actions and dialogue, but we also got to see his sensitivity.
“Telling her to buzz off was the most sensible
thing to do, but I couldn’t bring myself to say the words.”
If you’re a
teacher…
It
can be hard to find contemporary mystery novels for kids in the 9-12 age group
that have an age-appropriate mystery. It was nice to see that Howard was
solving mysteries for other kids his age.
Casey Lyall's website is very teacher-friendly and has lots of resources, a scavenger hunt for students based on Howard's rules for detectives including:
Opening line:
“She
didn’t knock, just barged through the door like she owned the place.”
Other info:
Word on the street has it that Casey is writing a sequel – I hope so!
I'm really into mysteries right now. It's hard to make a middle grade one that is realistic but this one sounds like a winner.
ReplyDeleteI've had this one on my list of books to read for much too long. Your description and review makes me want to take care of that omission right away. Mysteries are always a big hit with kids.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard not to love a book with great voice. Thanks for the peek into this book, especially helpful since I' in the midst of outlining a mystery myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you mentioned that some mysteries are far-fetched because I've encountered several. This one sounds like fun, though. Howard solving mysteries for other kids reminds me of Encyclopedia Brown!
ReplyDeleteI loved mysteries as a teen. Couldn't get enough of them. This sounds like a fun read. I always love how you break down why you want to read a book if your are a teacher or writer etc. Such good information!
ReplyDeleteoh, this looks fun, Andrea!
ReplyDelete