Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Brash Blonde by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey

by Carol1 Comment
I do love a Holmes remake. Sherlock Holmes doesn't exist here, either as a fictional character or a real person, as he does in so many other stories. Marty and Irene make him up to explain their investigating to the cops (Lastrade) and coroner (Watson). The names are familiar, but only bear a passing resemblance to the originals. This is a fun mystery. The aunt who was murdered was not a nice old lady. There were plenty of people who may have been happy to see her dead. As a mystery it was okay, plenty of clues and suspects. I did guess who the killer was, but that didn't make the mystery any less enjoyable. Marty is our detective and Irene is her sidekick - her rich, smart sidekick. I like that this re-imaging puts the women in charge. Marty is observant and interested in a variety of topics. Irene is a bit over-enthusiastic, she's the one who kind of instigates the whole Holmes...
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On Our Way to Oyster Bay by Monica Kulling

by Carol3 Comments
Good points: Excellent introduction to Mother Jones and her cause. To be honest, I had never heard of her before and found her fascinating. Told from a kid's point of view, allowing children to relate Takes others' problems, like child labor, and reminds us that Americans have dealt with the same issues Very good artwork, detailed and added to the story Includes factual information for parents/adults at the end Gives a call to action encouraging children that they can make a difference in the world Negative points: I can't see this one being any kids favorite. It's good and historical, just not engrossing. May need some explanations, depending. Some kids may not be familiar with the sewing machinery terms, some may not even be familiar with what a strike is. It's disappointing that the kids don't actually get to meet President Roosevelt. Overall: A good one to borrow from the library. A must-buy for an elementary school classroom library.  ...
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Arsène Lupin, The Gentleman Burglar by Maurice Leblanc

by Carol2 Comments
4½ stars for the story, 2 stars for the translation Arsène Lupin is simply a fabulous character. He's a thief, but suave and brilliant and a "gentleman." I just wish this translation by Nicolae Sfetcu had been better. The collection includes the first nine stories: 1)   The Arrest of Arsene Lupin 2)   Arsene Lupin in Prison 3)   The Escape of Arsene Lupin 4)   The Mysterious Traveller 5)   The Queen’s Necklace 6)   The Seven of Hearts 7)   Madame Imbert’s Safe 8)   The Black Pearl 9)   Sherlock Holmes Arrives Too Late Lupin gets arrested, organizes a heist from jail, and escapes from jail. He solves a couple of mysteries, in order to steal the items himself of course and even outwits Holmes. I truly enjoyed the stories. They're fun and light. This particular translation is not well done though. Aside from not being particularly smooth, the pronouns seem to get mixed up a lot - him and her almost become interchangeable, which is more than a little annoying. I could follow the story, and see...
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IQ by Joe Ide

by Carol4 Comments
Isaiah Quintabe - IQ - is Sherlock, if Sherlock was a young black man (at least I think he's black) in modern-day LA who actually cares about the people in his community. He's brilliant, uncorruptible, and determined. He understands people and their feelings and motives. He does his research and plans ahead as well as he can. He finds people and things, deals with cases the police can't or won't. Problem is, he will only take what people can afford in payment, so sometimes it's money, but more often it's muffins or a chicken. Isaiah's side-kick, Dodson, is an interesting guy. He's cocky and more likely to play the angles than Isaiah. Not exactly a Watson, but help nonetheless.He's take the case of a rapper in order to make some money. I though the mystery was well-done. There were several suspects and the hit man was a nasty piece of work. I didn't guess who the would-be killer was, but the...
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Newspaper Hats by Phil Cummings

by Carol2 Comments
Newspaper Hats is a touching story. Georgie's grandfather is losing his memory and sometimes doesn't even remember her. She and her father go to visit him in the nursing home and Georgie asks her grandpa if he remembers her. Grandpa looks at the photos in his room and tells her some of the things he does remember. Finally she picks up a photo of Grandpa, Georgie and her dad where Georgie is wearing a paper hat. Grandpa does remember how to make paper hats and it provides a connecting point for the family. It's a gentle story that I think would be nice to read with kids who are dealing with a similar situation as Georgie, where someone in their family can't remember as well as they used to, whether it be to due to Alzheimer's or something else. It can be tough for adults to see someone losing their memory, but it's difficult for kids to and they have less...
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The Bay – The Tenderloin by Trent Kennedy Johnson

by Carol2 Comments
At least "The Tenderloin" is short. I actually expected to like it; the blurb sounded good: decent cop who may end up charged with murder. Turns out the affair was a couple of years ago and Cole's still obsessing over her. He's also got a major inferiority complex thanks to his dead father and we have to hear over and over how he imagines his dad giving him a B- or exhorting him to more or less be a man. We've got bad guys and worse guys, cops who just don't care about their jobs and are more worried about today's dinner order - Italian in case you wondered. There's a casino in a church, torture, rioting, a dangerous, overwrought lover (other than Cole). Actually, it was almost okay, if a little confusing, until the end, when we get the orgy and the "to be continued." I know this is just episode one, but absolutely nothing was wrapped up. I...
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