The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling

Wood, M. (2010). The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling. New York, NY: Balzer & Bray.

Plot summary: Miss Penelope Lumley is a recent graduate of the Swanburne Academy for Poor Bright Females, and at 15 years of age she is on her way to Ashton Place for an interview for a governess position. She meets the head housekeeper, Mrs. Clarke, upon arrival, who gets jumpy when she hears howling coming from outside. Lady Constance hires Penelope on the spot, though the disturbance of howling and barking has her unsettled and she doesn't want to talk about the children. She pretends the noise is coming from dogs that are hungry and asks Mrs. Clarke to feed them immediately. Later after settling in Penelope hears the howling once again, and being an animal lover, goes out to find what she thinks is an injured animal. In the barn she finds three young, dirty, naked with only a blanket, children who are the ones doing all the howling. They don't speak, but there are two boys around 10 and 7 years old, and a little girl around 5 years old, and they were supposedly raised by wolves. They begin feel comfortable around her rather quickly.

Penelope takes on the task of teaching the children, well, how to be children. First she bathes them and puts clean clothes on them. Then the boys get their long hair cut neatly. Lord Frederick, husband of Lady Constance, names the older boy Alexander after Alexander the Great. The younger boy is named Beowulf after the fictional character, and the girl is named Cassiopeia after the constellation. The names were chosen not out of love but just randomly from each letter of the alphabet. Lord Frederick sees the children as possessions and Lady Constance sees them as uncivilized brutes, as incorrigibles. That happens to become their last name as well. Penelope teaches the children how to speak, not to chase squirrels, and to have manners. They call her Lumawoo instead of Miss Lumley, but they catch on very quickly. She reads them literature, like stories about Hesperus and horses Rainbow and Silky. They catch on to poetry, reciting their own poems for Penelope. She also likes to refer to sayings from one of her idols from her academy, Agatha Swanburne.

Lady Constance plans a holiday party and wants Penelope and the children to attend, as long as the children act civilized and don't ruin her party. Lord Frederick will not be attending due to business, which upsets his wife. Penelope teaches the children the schottische, a folk dance, at Lady Constance's request. Penelope and the children get special made outfits for the party and then taking a shopping expedition with Lady Constance, which gives Penelope some time to buy the children Christmas gifts specially chosen to each ones personality. The day before the party Lady Constance gives the children their gifts, but they aren't good gifts because they are a toy rifle for the boys and a book called "The Girl's Guide to Obedience and Quietness". Cassiopeia growled at her and the boys excused themselves to go. The next is Christmas and Penelope gives the children her gifts, which they love.

The party doesn't turn out so well, the guests are rude to the children and Penelope, and Leeds' Thespians on demand only want to act out stories about wolves. A squirrel is let loose and destruction occurs while the children chase it all over the house. Penelope sees Old Timothy the coachman lurking outside and thinks he set the squirrel loose inside to sabotage the children. She finds the children upstairs in the attic with their new pet, Nutsawoo the squirrel. The boys have what at first looked to be blood around their mouths, but is actually paint from the walls. They heard howling coming from within the walls, and Penelope thought she heard it too... ahwoooooooo! She decides they are hearing things and the four of them go to bed. The next day, close to being fired, Penelope learns that a note had been written to the Leeds' Thespians requesting stories about wolves only and was signed with the Ashton emblem. Her theories were correct, someone had provoked the disaster at the party, but who? And what of the mysterious howling coming from the attic wall? To be continued...

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Series information: Book 1 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series.

Subjects/themes: Orphans, Social class, Teachers/education, Growing up.

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, December 15, 2009)
• School Library Journal (May 1, 2010)

Character list:

• Penelope Lumley - New governess at Ashton Place, graduated from Swanburne Academy, accepts the challenge to teach the wild, orphaned children.
• Alexander, Beowulf, Cassiopeia - The Incorrigibles, taken in by Lord Frederick during a hunting expedition on his property, disliked by Lady Constance, eager to learn from Lumawoo aka Penelope.
• Lady Constance - Newly married to Lord Frederick, finds that it isn't all that she expected it to be, high-strung.
• Lord Frederick - Spoiled, rich, thinks the Incorrigibles are his property and he will care for them until he gets bored with them.
• Mrs. Clarke - Housekeeper, has a hard time lying.
• Old Timothy the coachman - Brought Penelope to Ashton Place, seems kind of suspicious, lurks around.

High-interest annotation: Miss Penelope Lumley is the new governess at Ashton Place and is in charge of teaching three children who have been raised by wolves. She is up to the task, but it seems that someone is out to sabotage the children and there is mysterious howling coming from the attic!

Hoot

Hiaasen, C. (2002). Hoot. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.

Plot summary: Roy Eberhardt is the new kid at Trace Middle School, located in the town of Coconut Cove in Florida. On the bus ride to school one day, while getting his face smashed against the bus window by Dana Matherson the school bully, Roy sees a mysterious boy running on the street without shoes. He is instantly fascinated and vows to find out what the boy is running from or where he is running to. The next time he sees the running boy, Roy is about to jump off the bus to follow him when Dana grabs him and starts choking him. The only way he can get out of the hold is to punch Dana in the face, then he speeds past a tall girl with blond hair. He follows the boy but loses him. Dana is upset and tries to jump Roy at the end of school a few days later, but the tall girl named Beatrice helps Roy out and she brings him to the running boy's hideout. The running boy's name is kept secret by Beatrice, who is his stepsister, but she calls him Mullet Fingers. Mullet Fingers doesn't live at home because he keeps running away from the schools his mother sends him and she doesn't want anything to do with him, so his whereabouts are kept secret. Roy soon finds out what Mullet Fingers has been running to everyday, joining in his cause.

There have been interruptions to the construction site for the new Mother Paula's All-American Pancake House due to someone pulling stakes from the ground and filling in the holes, alligators being put in the Travelin' Johnnies, cottonmouth snakes chasing off the guard dogs and their trainer, and worst of all the painted windshield of a police cruiser. Detective Delinko got in serious trouble and embarrassment when he fell asleep while he was supposed to be keeping watch of the construction site and let the mischievous intruder make him look like a fool. Further construction was stalled when the site foreman, Curly, stayed overnight to watch over the site and caught Dana Matherson snooping around looking for cigarettes. He had been sent there by Roy as a ploy to distract the foreman. Dana says his name is Roy Eberhardt, but Officer Delinko knows better. While Dana was taken to the police station, Mullet Fingers stole the seats from the bulldozers so they couldn't be driven.

Roy, Beatrice and Mullet Fingers have taken on the construction site to save the small, burrowing owls that call it home. The Mother Paula's corporation doesn't care about the owls nor do they care if the owls die by being smothered when the bulldozers cover the holes they live in. When Roy hears that the groundbreaking ceremony is going to take place even after all their work to stop them, he decides to get the school involved by bringing it to their attention. The owls are protected by law and the Mother Paula's people are pretending they don't exist. At the ceremony a bunch of Roy's and Beatrice's classmates come to support the little owls, while Mullet Fingers stuffs himself into one of the holes in the ground, refusing to come out. News cameras catch the whole thing and construction is temporarily shut down. Roy's father finds out that Mother Paula's had hidden the Environmental Impact Report stating the knowledge of the owls on the property, so the whole project is squashed. The owls are saved and Roy finds out Mullet Fingers real name is Napolean Bridger.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Environmental issues, School bullies, Family issues, Animal rights, Comical satire.

Awards:

• Newbery Honor Award
• ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award
• Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award
• Maud Hart Lovelace Award

Reviews:

• Booklist (October 15, 2002)
• Publishers Weekly (June 24, 2002)
• School Library Journal (August 1, 2002)

Character list:

• Roy Eberhardt - New at Trace Middle School, kind of quiet and keeps to himself, misses his home in Montana, stuck with the nickname "cowgirl".
• Beatrice Leep - Tough, tall, plays soccer, keeps information on her stepbrother secret, doesn't get along with her stepmother.
• Mullet Fingers - Truant from school, will do anything to stop the little burrowing owls from enduring injustice, no matter what. Plans to sabotage the construction site, befriends Roy in the process.
• Leroy "Curly" Brannitt - Construction site foreman, takes the brunt of Mullet Fingers' schemes, knows the owls exist but denies it.
• Dana Matherson - School bully, terrorizes Roy, gets caught by Curly and is taken into police custody for trespassing and assault. Has a police record.
• Officer Delinko - Wants to overcome the embarrassment of having fallen asleep on the job and getting his windshield painted black, hopes to one day be a detective.
• Mr. and Mrs. Eberhardt - Roy's loving parents, know it is hard on Roy that they move so much due to Mr. Eberhardt's job; he works for the government.

High-interest annotation: Roy Eberhardt is new in town and one day while having his face smashed up against the school bus window he sees a mysterious boy running without shoes who apparently isn't going to school. He is instantly pulled in to a story involving tiny burrowing owls, alligators in toilets, poisonous snakes, and pancake house.

The Name of This Book is Secret

Bosch, P. (2007). The Name of This Book is Secret. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

Plot summary: The Narrator is very involved in this story and warns the reader against turning pages and reading this book. The narrator wants the reader to understand that this book is very dangerous because of the secret that it contains. Cass is in the antique shop when Gloria Fortune comes in with a box of stuff for her Grandpas to sell. Inside the cardboard box is a beautiful wooden box that is lined with velvet and filled with vials. The vials all contain different scents--from vanilla to lemon to dirt. The box is called The Symphony of Smells. Gloria tells them how she is trying to sell a house that once belonged to a magician who died under very mysterious circumstances. This intrigues Cass, and when she and Max-Ernest find a slip of paper within the box that they see as a message for help from the magician, they decide to investigate further.

Cass and Max-Ernest break into the house and find a secret room that contains all of the magician's things. As they are looking through the stuff, Cass finds a notebook that matches the Symphony of Smells box. Just as they find the book, Gloria arrives to show the house to a couple--Mr. L. and Ms. Mauvais. Cass and Max-Ernest can see them through a grate in the wall and Cass can tell that there is something not right about these people. The woman seems to be looking right at them through the wall with a curious expression on her face, and is asking a lot of questions about the magician's belongings. Cass and Max-Ernest decide to make a run for it and unfortunately, Gloria recognizes Cass. They get away, but not before the couple sees Cass holding the notebook. When they are finally safe, it looks like the notebook only contains one page with a riddle and is otherwise empty. Cass and Max-Ernest think that they risked breaking in and getting caught for no reason.

Later, Cass and Max-Ernest are able to solve the riddle and then Cass realizes that the notebook is not empty at all--the writing is simply hidden inside each folded page. As she and Max-Ernest unfold the pages and read the magician's writing, many stories begin to unfold, and many more mysteries need to be solved. Such as...what happened to Benjamin? Where is Gloria Fortune? What is the magician's secret? What will happen when Cass visits the spa? Who are Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, and what are they really after? Cass and Max-Ernest must put themselves in harm's way more than once to try to get to the bottom of the many secrets...

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 8 to 12

Series information:

• Book 2: If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late (2009)
• Book 3: This Book is Not Good For You (2009)
• Book 4: This Isn’t What It Looks Like (2010)

Subjects/themes: Magicians, kidnapping, magic, humor.

Awards:

• 2008 Edgar Awards (Edward Allan Poe Awards) (Nominated)
• 2008 E. B. White Award (Nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (July 1, 2007)
• Publishers Weekly (September 10, 2007)
• School Library Journal (January 1, 2008)

Character list:

• Cassandra - She is an 11 year old girl who calls herself a survivalist. Cass has everything that she needs stored in her backpack that she takes with her everywhere she goes. Some adults see her as an extremist, but Cass knows when trouble is out there and tries to do her part.
• Max-Ernest - He is an 11 year old boy who has two names because his parents couldn’t stop fighting over what to name him when he was born. This ultimately led to their divorce, but they still all live together in the same house as a family-although every room in the house is split down the middle. This makes for a very stressful home environment for Max-Ernest and probably contributes to his condition-which is that he can never seem to stop talking!
• Melanie - This is Cass’s mother.
• Grandpa Wayne & Grandpa Larry - They are Cass’s “substitute” grandpas. Grandpa Larry was Cass’s mom’s high school history teacher. Melanie asked Wayne and Larry to fill in as Cass’s grandpas since neither one of her original grandpas was around. They live in an old firehouse that doubles as an antique shop. Cass is close with them and goes to the shop after school sometimes to help out.
• Gloria Fortune - She is a real estate agent who has the magician’s house on the market. Gloria also brings things from estates to the antique shop for the Grandpas to sell.
• Sebastian - This is the Grandpas’ dog. He is blind and also losing his hearing, but has an awesome sense of smell. Cass relies on him for protection and sniffing things out.
• Benjamin - This is a boy that goes to school with Cass and Max-Ernest. Cass believes that he has a special ability with smells, colors, and music, which is why his paintings are all connected to music. When Benjamin is kidnapped by Dr. L. and Ms. Mauvais, Cass tries to figure out why.
• Dr. L. - He is the partner of Ms. Mauvais. Together they run a place called the Midnight Sun Sensorium and Spa.
• Ms. Mauvais - The woman who was interested in the magician’s belongings and the notebook that Cass took. Also referred to as the “Golden Lady” by the magician in his notebook.

High-interest annotation: This book is so cleverly written, and has many twists and turns during the storytelling and is suspenseful. The narration is written skillfully to avoid giving certain details such as addresses or names in order to keep the secret. The story continues……

The Graveyard Book

Gaiman, N. (2008). The graveyard book. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.

Plot summary: The setting of this story is in a graveyard, where Nobody Owens, a young boy, is living with ghosts since his family was murdered. The lives of his mother, father, and sister were taken in the middle of the night, and he would have been murdered as well if it wasn’t for the fact that he heard a loud noise, climbed out of his crib, and toddled out of the house down to the graveyard. The ghost of his mother appeared to the folks of the graveyard begging one woman in particular, Mrs. Owens, to take care of and protect her child. There was a great debate amongst the people of the graveyard-some 300 participants argued and spent an entire night discussing whether or not they should allow a live boy to stay and live there. Mr. and Mrs. Owens agree to take care of and raise him and they give him the name of Nobody Owens.

Silas is the only one who can leave the graveyard, so he volunteers to be the guardian of Nobody to ensure that he has food and proper clothing. So “Bod,” as he is known to the spirits in the graveyard, is given the “Freedom of the Graveyard” which means that he can pretty much go anywhere within. As Bod grows older, he is taught to read and to do some of the things that the ghosts can do, such as “fade” and blend in to his surroundings even though he is a live boy. He meets Scarlett, a real girl, whose parents come to sit on a bench and read in the cemetery. He spends some time with her and together they make some interesting discoveries in the cemetery, such as coming face to face with the Indigo Man and hearing the Sleer. Scarlett moves and Bod is once again left to find someone to play with. Silas has to leave so he arranges for Ms. Lupescu to come and take care of Bod. Bod is angry that Silas is leaving and immediately dislikes Ms. Lupescu. Things become more difficult when she feeds him terrible food and makes him learn things about the graveyard that Bod thinks are ridiculous. His boredom leads him to meet some newly arrived members of the graveyard, and he winds up being taken through a ghoul gate by ghouls. Luckily, the things that Ms. Lupescu taught him come in handy and he is able to summon help. Ms. Lupescu saves his life and Bod’s attitude towards her changes significantly.

As Bod grows older, he is allowed to venture a bit from the graveyard and attend school. He must learn to be just a shadow and a whisper to people, and to not draw attention to himself. Bod blossoms into a responsible young man who is quite capable of taking care of himself both inside and outside of the graveyard. The man Jack has not forgotten about him though, and Bod must be ready to face him when the time comes with the support of his family.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 8 to 12

Subjects/themes: Cemeteries, Ghosts, Supernatural, Orphans.

Awards:

• 2009 Newbery Award
• 2009 Hugo Awards
• 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Prizes (nominated)
• 2008 Locus Awards
• 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature (nominated)
• 2009 Audi Award
• 2009 World Fantasy Awards (nominated)
• 2009 Elizabeth Burr/Worrall Award
• 2009 Book Sense Book of the Year
• 2009 American Library Association Notable Books for Children
• 2010 Carnegie Medal

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, September 15, 2008)
• School Library Journal (October 1, 2008)

Character list:

• Nobody Owens “Bod” - He is just a toddler when he wanders out of his house one evening down to the cemetery, escaping the murderer that killed his family. He is an inquisitive young man, who is taken care of by many within the cemetery.
• The man “Jack” - This is the man that has killed Bod’s family. He is frustrated that he didn’t complete the job and returns after many years to finish what he started. Jack feels happiness in murdering Bod’s family.
• Silas - He is the guardian of Bod and is unique to the other spirits within the cemetery since he is able to leave the cemetery and travel all around the world. Silas makes sure that Bod is fed and clothed, and when he has to leave for a time, he makes sure that someone is there to take his place.
• Mr. & Mrs. Owens - They have taken over the care of Bod when Bod’s mother begs them to protect her son. They stand by whatever decisions Silas makes about Bod’s learning & growth.
• Scarlett - She is a young girl who plays in the cemetery as a child. Bod misses her when she’s gone, but then recognizes her years later when she returns with her mother.

High-interest annotation: This book gives the reader a rare glimpse into the community and daily activities of the graveyard, where live people are the outsiders.

The Missing Manatee

DeFelice, C. (2005). The Missing Manatee. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Plot summary: Skeet has just started spring break, but it isn’t going so well. He has just heard some of the worst news of his life when he overheard his mother’s telephone conversation with his father, Mac: "I don't ever want you back here." This is too much for him to handle, so he races to the water and goes out on his skiff. While out sailing, he notices a large lump in the distance. As he gets closer he realizes that it is a manatee, which is a protected species in this area, and it has a bullet hole in its head. Skeet can’t believe what he is seeing. He immediately races back to town and notifies police deputy Earl. When they get back to the spot, the manatee is gone, but they see tracks in the sand that someone has tried to cover up. Earl promises that he will file a report, but says that it is unlikely that anyone will follow up due to the lack of evidence.

That night, while at a karaoke contest, Dirty Dan asks Skeet is asked to go on a tarpon fly fishing trip with him. This is one of Skeet’s biggest dreams, and he is so excited at the opportunity to go. During the fishing trip, Skeet he isn’t doing so well, and after being in the heat all day is starting to feel light headed and thirsty. While looking for a drink, he sees a gun and a bunch of blue rope. Most everyone in town owns a gun, so Skeet isn’t worried and puts it to the back of his mind. Later that day, he catches his first tarpon and is ecstatic.

He doesn’t have anything planned for the rest of spring break, so he decides to try to find the manatee. He takes his skiff up and down the back-country channels without any success, until the third day when he spots the manatee. After looking over the body, he starts getting a bad feeling because he sees that it has the blue rope from Dirty Dan’s boat tied around its neck. Skeet makes the connection between Dirty Dan and the manatee and is devastated; he doesn’t know how he will ever be able to look at Dan again. After discussing the situation with his Memaw, he decides to confront Dirty Dan. After a heated discussion, Skeet finds out that the shooting was an accident and that Blink is the one responsible. Skeet understands because mistakes happen, and he learns that doing the right thing can have different meanings in different situations.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 13

Annotation: This book would be great for animal lovers. It is a quick read that combines compassion with mystery.

Subjects/themes: Manatees, Fishing, Divorce, Family.

Awards:

• Edgar Allen Poe Award Nominee
• Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Master List
• Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Master List
• Kansas William Allen White Award Master List
• Maine Student Book Award Master List
• South Carolina Children's Book Award Master List

Reviews:

• Booklist (March 1, 2005)
• School Library Journal (June 1, 2005)
• Voice of Youth Advocates (June 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Russel Waters Jr. (aka Skeet) - A boy of about 12; his parents have recently separated, and he is the first to find the dead manatee.
• Deputy Sheriff Earl Wells - The police officer who goes to the crime scene with Skeet; he is also a good friend of Skeet's father, Mac.
• Memaw - Skeet’s grandmother; she lives with Skeet and his mother.
• Mac - Skeet’s father; he is a fisherman and lives down the road from Skeet due to his recent separation from his wife.
• Dirty Dan - A famous Tarpon fly fisherman; he has had four wives, who have all left him, and he lives with his son Blink.
• Blink - Dirty Dan’s son, who looks like a child but is actually about 30 years old; he has a mental disability and needs someone to take care of him.

Similar books:

• The Homework Machine by Dan Gutman
• The Blue Ghost by Marion Dane Bauer

High-interest annotation: A manatee has been shot, and Skeet is outraged. Manatees are protected in his area and are friendly, loving creatures. He decides to take matters into his own hands since the police have not started an investigation, but when he finds the answers, they aren’t what he expected!

Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway

Van Draanen, W. (2005). Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway. New York, NY: Random House Children's Publisher.

Plot summary: Sammy Keyes' homeroom teacher at William Rose Junior High School, Mrs. Ambler, has just received two beautiful lovebirds as an anniversary present that she lovingly named Tango and Hula. The next day Sammy gets to school early and decides to drop off her backpack and skateboard in homeroom. She notices one of the birds is out of its cage and races to shut the classroom door. As she shuts the door hard because it is hydraulic and really needs a shove to close, she looks up and sees Tango crushed in the doorjamb! Butt-kisser Heather Acosta is heading towards homeroom, so Sammy grabs poor Tango and rushes into the classroom closet and hides. Through a crack in the door she can see Heather take a stack of blue ballots for the coming Class Personality elections in which Heather is listed as a nominee for Friendliest 7th Grader and Most Unique Style, and stuffs them in her backpack. When Mrs. Ambler comes in and sees one of her birds is missing, she accuses Heather of taking him after another student points out that Heather was seen coming and going from the classroom.

When Sammy gets to Mrs. Willawago's house after school to walk Captain Patch while Mrs. Willawago heals from foot surgery, she discovers the old lady upset and talking to another woman. This woman in a blue skirt, who Sammy coins "Blue Butt", turns out to be on the city council and is informing Mrs. Willawago that she is going to lose her house because there are plans to build a recreation center in its place. Actually, all the houses on Hopper Street are going. When Sammy takes Captain Patch for his walk she sees Blue Butt's car conspicuously parked by someone's house, so she goes investigating. She overhears Blue Butt's conversation with Leland Hawking, who she later finds out is a lawyer who is supposedly against the project. Sammy thinks they are in cahoots and is going to get to the bottom of it while also dealing with her guilt and the lies she's had to tell about Mrs. Ambler's bird. There is also Casey, a boy that asked her to the Farewell Dance who happens to be Heather's brother!

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Death, Abuse, Teen romance, Friendship, Secrets.

Reviews:

• Booklist (September 1, 2005)
• School Library Journal (November 1, 2005)

Character list:

• Sammy Keyes - Lives with her Grams illegally in a retirement community while her mother is in Hollywood, accidentally killed her teacher's lovebird, might be "going out" with Casey, really dislikes Heather.
• Mrs. Willawago - Recovering from surgery, religious, may lose her house which Sammy call "The Train House" because it has an old caboose and parlor car attached to it.
• Grams - Sammy's grandmother, worries about Sammy because she's starting to act peculiar around her and her friends.
• Blue Butt AKA Coralee Lyon - Mrs. Willawago's arch enemy from way back, city council woman, may be in cahoots with Leland Hawking.
• Leland Hawking - Lawyer, lives on Hopper Street, kind of disheveled looking, may not have good intentions.
• Mr. & Mrs. Stone- Live next door to Mrs. Willawago, Mr. Stone keeps to himself, Mrs. Stone denies he beats her but Mrs. Willawago knows better.
• Heather Acosta - Wants to win Friendliest 7th Grader and Most Unique Style, has been a thorn in Sammy's side all year.
• Marissa McKenze - Sammy's best friend, wants Sammy to go out with Casey, notices there is something going on with Sammy.
• Casey Acosta - Likes Sammy, wants to go to the Farewell Dance with her and thinks 8th grade girls are stuck up.

Series information:

• Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief
• Sammy Keyes and the Skeleton Man
• Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf
• Sammy Keyes and the Hollywood Mummy
• Sammy Keyes and the Search for Snake Eyes
• Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception
• Sammy Keyes and the Psycho Kitty Queen
• Sammy Keyes and the Curse of Moustache Mary
• Sammy Keyes and the Sisters of Mercy

High-interest annotation: Something fishy is going on with the plans to build a new recreation center on Hopper Street and Sammy Keyes is going to find out before people lose their homes!

The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour

Beil, M. (2009). The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour. New York, NY: Random House Children's Publishing.

Plot summary: The story begins with Sophie St. Pierre staring out the window of Mr. Eliot's English class and suddenly screaming loudly because she just saw the face of an old lady in the window of the church. After class Sophie decides to go check out the church that is part of the campus of her all girl school, St. Veronica's, with her two best friends Margaret Wrobel and Rebecca Chen. They have to get past the old security guard who is hard of hearing and reading Cosmopolitan, so Margaret tells him loudly that they are students from St. Veronica's, they'd like to take pictures of the church and shows him the school crest on her red blazer. That does the trick, they just can't use the camera flash. They start snooping around and run into the church deacon, Gordon Winterbottom, with whom they pretend they are admiring a painting. Finally they pick the lock of a room and find a cat Teazle, and the old lady who turns out to be Elizabeth Harriman, who lives next to the church and was looking for Teazle. She invites the girls to visit after school.

When the girls go to visit Ms. Harriman they learn about her father, a famous archaeologist who taught at Colombia for 40 years. She married a young colleague of her father's, Malcolm Chance and they had a daughter, Caroline. Caroline went off to college and began traveling with her father, Elizabeth and Malcolm divorced, Caroline went on to graduate school and married one of her father's proteges, notifying her mother by postcard and Elizabeth cut off contact with her. So Elizabeth has asked the girls for their help finding something for her. She found a birthday card from her father to Caroline on her 14th birthday, which he never got to give her because he died right before. Inside was a message to Caroline telling her that due to their mutual love of mysteries, riddles and puzzles he has created an elaborate puzzle for her to solve and at the end she will find the rare and precious birthday gift he has hidden. Sophie, Margaret, and Rebecca have a 20 year old puzzle to solve that will involve some serious literature references and math equations.

Genre: Mystery

Suggested age range: 9 to 12

Subjects/themes: Friendship, Romance, Puzzles, Literature, Math.

Awards:

• 2010 Edgar Award (nominated)

Reviews:

• Booklist (starred review, January 1, 2009)
• School Library Journal (June 1, 2009)

Character list:

• Sophie St. Pierre - Has a major crush on her friend Raf, she speaks French, her father is a French chef and she is very emotional, hence the uncontrolled scream in English class.
• Margaret Wrobel - She is one of the smartest in her class, has a slight Polish accent because she came to the U.S. from Poland when she was little and she wants to read through all 70 volumes of the Harvard Classics.
• Rebecca Chen - She is a talented artist, has to babysit her brother and sister because her mother just lost her job and might have to leave St. Veronica's because of the high tuition if her mother doesn't find a job soon.
• Mr. Eliot - Huge Charles Dickens fan, teaches English, throws a Dickens banquet every year and this year Sophie, Margaret, Rebecca and Leigh Ann are performing a skit. He helps the girls solve some of the riddles thanks to his knowledge of literature.
• Leigh Ann Jaimes - She is new to St. Veronica's, is friends with the girls but Sophie doesn't know if she likes her because she is pretty and she might like Raf.
• Malcolm Chance - Ex-husband of Elizabeth and interested in the puzzle the girls are trying to solve, but we don't know if he can be trusted.
• Rafael "Raf" Arocho - Does he like Leigh Ann or Sophie? He is friends with the girls and helps them with the puzzle.
• Gordon Winterbottom - Church Deacon, smells of cigarettes, knows a lot about the church like what items are valuable.

High-interest annotation: Go on a hunting expedition with the Red Blazer Girls on their very first investigation! They will be solving puzzles, riddles and math equations while searching for the extremely valuable Ring of Rocamadour.