The North Hollywood Detective Club in the Case of the Hollywood Art Heist by Mike Mains

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery

Source: Purchased

 

Jeffrey Jones is one of the smartest kids in his school. He has a knack for figuring out mysteries. He really doesn’t have to try very hard. His mind just works that way. His parents are proud of him, but would really like him to stop. You might wonder why. His most recent case almost cost him his life. Jeffrey’s math teacher tells his class about a recent break-in and burglary of his apartment. One thing that was stolen was his teacher’s stamp collection worth a lot of money. The police have told him it was probably stolen for drugs or by gangs. The first thing everyone in the class does is looks at Jeffrey because he has asked about clues. They tease him about wanting to solve the case. His teacher finally agrees to let him check out the scene which resulted in catching the thief and almost killing him in the process. Now his parents aren’t sure they should go on their trip and leave him home alone. He and his best friend Pablo have formed a detective club. While sitting in his basement bedroom they hear sirens and screaming. They go outside to see the neighbor’s son hauled off in handcuffs.  Jeffrey and Pablo help stop the distraught mother and get her back into the house. This is how we are introduced to the next case.

 I love mysteries. I have since I was a young girl in elementary school.  I am always looking for that book that will hold me on the edge of my seat all the way through. This author has done that. I have just a handful of mystery authors that I recommend on a regular basis to my students. I now have a new one to recommend when the school year begins. This was a quick read for me. This was the first of two books I read on this day. I hope to read the next two books in this series tomorrow. I highly recommend this to all lovers of middle-grade mystery.

New Kid by Jerry Craft

Genre: Middle Grade, Graphic Novel

Source: Purchased

I purchased books for my classroom from Scholastic with my birthday money. This was the first book I picked out to read. New Kid is the story of Jordan Banks. He is a middle school student who loves to draw graphic cartoons.  He wants to go to arts school. However, his mom wants something more for him. She has managed to get him into one of the most prestigious schools in the area. Jordan realizes that there are very few kids of color in this school. There are very few kids who are not rich. This is just one more reason for him not to feel like he fits in.  To me this book was very appropriate for what we have been seeing in our country the last few weeks.  However, this isn’t just about color, it is about being accepted for who you are regardless of social status, color or anything else. It is about standing up for what is right. This was a very quick read for me and one I can say I really enjoyed. This says a lot because my students would be the first to tell you that graphic novels are not my favorite genre. One thing I really enjoyed about the book is that we get to see Jordan’s drawings, a peek at his sketchbook within this book. I would definitely read more by this author. This is a book a can’t wait to put on my shelves and recommend to my students.

The Wicked Tree by Kristin Thorsness

Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery, Horror

Source: I won a copy from LibraryThing. The opinions expressed here are my own

Tav and his mom have moved back to her old home estate due to finances. Four years before, Tav's father died in a fire and Tav feels responsible. When they move back to the old family estate he decides his great-grandmother is not very likable and his cousin Millie is nuts. She keeps talking about an old book and the woods. Mrs. Green the housekeeper and her daughter Harper also lives in the estate. She has forbidden her daughter from going into the woods.  Tav's mother thinks it is okay for Tav to go into the woods. Tav begins having dreams about an old tree, then he sees a boy in one of the cabins he discovered in the woods. Harper is drug into the mystery because she wants to help Edward, the boy whose picture is in the photo album Millie showed him. Somehow this kid has been on the property for over a hundred years. 

This story is full of creepy mystery with an undercurrent of Tav wanting to do the right thing, the brave thing to hopefully find forgiveness. It would be so easy to get excited and write spoilers so I will stop here and just say that you really need to read this book.