mystery novels

Tag: mystery novels

April 5, 2019 by Betsy Bird

Wait… That Book Was Good! Flashback 2006: Enola Holmes

Today we're going to try out a new series. Jump into the wayback machine with me, and let's revisit books that came out more than a decade ago, that were stellar at the time. Does anyone remember them today? Do kids still find them in libraries? Bookstores?

February 6, 2019 by Betsy Bird

The Girl Sleuth Trope: An Ode to Victoria “Vikki” Allen of The Bloodhound Gang

When I was a kid my favorite detective was Vikki from The Bloodhound Gang. In her honor I create a booklist of the great Black girl sleuths of today.

August 12, 2013 by Betsy Bird

Review of the Day – Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Lockwood & Company: The Screaming Staircase By Jonathan Stroud Hyperion Books for Children $16.99 ISBN: 978-1-4231-6491-3 Ages 10 and up On shelves September 17th I’m sick of historical fiction. I’m sick of contemporary fiction. I’m sick of realism and science fiction. Fantasy I watch with a wary eye. I don’t always feel this way but […]

Review of the Day: One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

February 12, 2013 by Betsy Bird

One Came Home By Amy Timberlake $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-375-86925-9 Ages 10 and up On shelves now I like children’s books that sock you in the gut. Not the books that telegraph their hits or do the old one-two punch you can see coming from a mile away. No way, man, I’m talking about the books […]

Review of the Day – All the Wrong Questions: “Who Could That Be at This Hour?” by Lemony Snicket

September 24, 2012 by Betsy Bird

All the Wrong Questions: “Who Could That Be at This Hour?” By Lemony Snicket Illustrated by Seth Little, Brown and Company $15.99 ISBN: 978-0-316-12308-2 Ages 9-12 On shelves October 24th Last year I was running a bookgroup for kids, ages 9-12, when the subject of children’s books adapted into films came up. We talked about […]

Review of the Day: Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

May 3, 2012 by Betsy Bird

Three Times Lucky By Sheila Turnage Dial (an imprint of Penguin) $16.99 ISBN: 978-0-8037-3670-2 Ages 9-12 On shelves May 10th The Southern Girl Novel. It’s pretty much a genre in and of itself in the children’s literary world. Some years produce more of them than others but they all tend to follow the same format. […]

Review of the Day: The Great Cake Mystery by Alexander McCall Smith

January 23, 2012 by Betsy Bird

The Great Cake Mystery: Precious Ramotswe’s Very First Case By Alexander McCall Smith Illustrated by Iain McIntosh Anchor Books $12.99 ISBN: 978-0-307-94944-8 Ages 7-10 On shelves April 3rd There was once a time, best beloved, when the early chapter book section of your local lending library was a veritable wasteland of white characters. Oh, every […]