Middle Grade Review: Frankie Dupont and the Lemon Festival Fiasco

School's out for my boys and I've already lost track of the days of the week...so here's my Wednesday review, a day late and a dollar short.

Title: Frankie Dupont and the Lemon Festival Fiasco

Author: Julie Anne Grasso 

Publisher: Julie Anne Grasso, 2015, 135 pages (ebook 51 pages).

Source: I was given an electronic review copy in exchange for my honest review and participation in the blog tour.

Publisher's Summary:
Hot off cracking his first official case, Frankie Dupont is on the scene when his new teacher takes ill. The pint-sized detective suspects a classic case of sour grapes, but the evidence leads him to the one place he wouldn’t mind avoiding for the rest of his natural life.

Enderby Manor has a few more secrets up her sleeve, and as Frankie begins to unravel them, he uncovers a plot stinkier than a sardine sandwich. 

Review:
The second volume in the Frankie Dupont mysteries is as engaging as the first, and a bit more grounded in reality. Although I felt a bit of confusion at the beginning over some issues at Frankie's school (which maybe weren't so grounded in reality), once the story shifted over to Enderby Manor we sail quickly through the development of the mystery with a bit of fun and a few mild thrills. I found the malefactor easily, and was a little surprised that Frankie didn't, but his missteps lend interest. Frankie learns a thing or two about leaping to conclusions, and saves the day, as usual!

The illustrations, by Alexander Avellino, add a nice touch to an engaging story for younger readers.

Recommendation: 
Frankie Dupont is for a little younger reader than my reviews usually target. I'd say this would be for the 7-9 set, those transitioning from chapter books to novels. For boys or girls who like a little adventure and a little mystery, without anything scary.   

 

About the Author: Julie Anne Grasso

With a background in paediatric nursing, Julie Anne Grasso spent many years literally wrapping children in cotton wool. Every day she witnessed courage and resilience from the tiny people she cared for, which inspired her to write stories to entertain them. A science fiction nerd (she even owns a TARDIS), cupcake enthusiast and lover of all things mystery, she lives in Melbourne with her husband Danny and their little girl Giselle. Most days she can be found sipping chai tea and dreaming up wonderful worlds that often involve consumption of cupcakes.

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Full Disclosure: I was given a copy of  Frankie Dupont and the Lemon Festival Fiasco as a blog tour participant, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising." 

Early Middle Grade review: Snort and Wobbles

      


Title: Snort and Wobbles
Author:  Will Macmillan Jones
Publisher: Ebook only, 2014. 67 pages

Summary:  
Wobbles is eight years old and feeling a bit out of things as the family (Mom, Dad, older brother) adjusts to a new home. When she wanders to the end of the garden by the creek (where she's not supposed to be), she finds some surprising friends--Snort the Dragon, a talking rosebush, and more. And when her brother goes missing, they go to the rescue!

Review:
The author is better known for his fantasy novels (not for children), the Banned Underground series, and some of his delightful and outrageous sense of humor shows up here.  What lurks under the smooth lawns of suburbia? Wobbles is about to find out, and we are lucky enough to be invited along. The story unfolds with no wasted time or words, as befits a book for young readers. I think there is just the right amount of excitement and danger, not to mention humor, to keep those readers turning pages. And I think Jones has pegged the little-kid way of thinking pretty well, with the sort of round-about reasoning and an open-minded acceptance of things adults would disbelieve that characterizes the young

The book is well-edited, meticulously proof-read, and formatted well, with no issues on my Nook.

Recommendation:
This book is for younger elementary age kids, in keeping with the 8-year-old protagonist and the brevity of the story. It is also for anyone who loves the absurd, and is happy to take dragons and more in stride.

Full Disclosure: I bought Snort and Wobbles of my own free will, and received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

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Review: The Boxcar Children Beginning

 

Prequel to the "Boxcar Children" series, by Patricia MacLachlan (author of Sarah, Plain and Tall).  Early Middle Grade historical fiction, approx. 140 pages.

First things first: I did not grow up with the Boxcar Children (not sure why; I just didn't), and have only read a few of the original books by Gertrude Chandler Warner.  But I totally sympathize with Ms. MacLachlan's desire to know more about the children and where they came from.

In this simply written story, MacLachlan tells of the months before the children become orphans (you guessed that from the title, right?) and hit the road on their own.  She tells of their life on the farm, working hard to make ends meet, but happy and comfortable enough as a family to welcome others into their lives and home as the poor displaced by the Depression begin passing.

In many ways, the story reminded me of my ancient Bobbsey Twins books.  The children manage more adult things than you'd expect (again, we knew that of them).  They even put on a circus (that was the biggest "Bobbsey" moment for me) with simple tricks and a cow dressed as an elephant.  Oddly, the adults in the book don't seem to question the kids' decisions very much.  In particular, when the children decide they must run away rather than trying to contact the grandfather they believe doesn't like them, they confide in their neighbors.  To my surprise, never once do those adults ask if they are doing the right thing.  I can see them ultimately deciding that the decision is for Henry and Jessie to make, but I did expect a little pushback.

Ultimately, it's a sweet, not terribly real (despite historical details) story that takes about an hour  to read and offers one answer to the mystery implied in the opening lines of The Boxcar Children: "No one knew them.  No one knew where they had come from."  Beats the heck out of the hundreds of generic spin-offs written over the years to keep the franchise going and "update" the characters.

Three stars.