Do you have an emerging reader who is ready for easy chapter books? Does he or she love mysteries? I have a fun, new multicultural book (and eventually a series) for you to check out. It is The Book Bandit by Caron Pescatore and illustrated by Amanda Neves. It is part of the A Phoebe Chen Mystery series.
From the Publisher:
A Phoebe Chen Mystery: The Book Bandit Written by Caron Pescatore & Illustrated by Amanda NevesAges 7+ | 136 Pages | Publisher: Pesky Books 4Kidz | ISBN-13: 9781958043097
Publisher’s Book Summary: Phoebe loves anything that involves brainstorming, like jigsaw puzzles, riddles, and word searches. Her lifelong dream is to solve mysteries like her detective father—or ND, her favorite girl detective. So when a friend’s prized autographed book disappears, Phoebe immediately offers to take on the case.
Enlisting the help of her BFF, Phoebe gets to work searching for clues, interviewing witnesses, and compiling a list of suspects. But when the evidence implicates a friend, she realizes being a detective isn’t all fun and games. Phoebe must find concrete evidence before she points the finger. Can she do it, or will the book bandit get away with the dastardly deed?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR
Caron Pescatore was born in the United Kingdom. She spent her childhood in Jamaica before migrating to the United States. After practicing as a registered nurse for several years, she entered law school, getting her J.D. in 2001. She worked as an attorney for years before leaving the profession to become a stay-at-home mom—her most challenging career to date. Ms. Pescatore recently returned to law and now works for Legal Aid. Her favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and watching true-crime shows. At present, Ms. Pescatore lives in Florida with her husband and children.
For more information, visit
- https://caronpescatore.com/.
- https://www.tiktok.com/@caronpescatore
- https://www.instagram.com/caronpescatore/
From Me:
This is such a fun book. It is about friendship as well as mystery. Phoebe Chen's father is the head of the detectives at the local police department, and she loves Nancy Drew mysteries. She loves to solve mysteries and when her friend's book goes missing she and her BFF are on the job. Phoebe loves to play the bad cop and keep a tough reputation. Her BFF Luanna however likes to find the good in everyone and Phoebe tells her she is the good cop in their duo. Luanna's father is also a detective at the local police department.
Throughout the story they go looking for clues and questioning suspects. It isn't until the very end that Phoebe realizes what happened to the book and the good news is no one is the bad guy! I love that the stories shows how the girls work through the clues and solve the mystery. There are various conversation points throughout the book. One of the characters keeps her autographed books under lock and key whereas Becky loves carrying her autographed book with her and rereading it. She doesn't understand owning a book and not reading it. This would be a fun point to discuss with a class.
The girls go to interview friends but also a fifth-grade boy they have not talked to before. They are in third grade. Of course, there is also a discussion about safety to be had but it is obvious in this town that was not a concern. There is also the discussion of ice cream. Phoebe seems a bit obsessed with it and likes to discuss flavors. Some kids will enjoy bringing this to discussion as well as their favorite flavor.
I love that the characters are multicultural. Throughout the book there are various races and yet it is not emphasized besides in descriptions and names. There are also illustrations in the book thus making it an easier chapter book for emerging readers, but it is a level above the first chapter books. I hope you will check out this fun book and series. The story is well written, and I think kids will really enjoy it.
Giveaway:
Enter for a chance to win a paperback copy of The Book Bandit, autographed by Caron Pescatore.Four (4) winners receive:
- A signed paperback copy of A Phoebe Chen Mystery: The Book Bandit
Thank you for the lovely review!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this lovely article with us. We appreciate your support and participation for Multicultural Children’s Book Day very much!
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