It is after Labor Day, so that means fall is about to begin. I can feel it in the air even though the leaves haven't really started to change yet. We have three new fall/Halloween/thriller mysteries for different ages perfect for the upcoming season! Two are for the younger to middle grades and the third is a young adult book. We will start with the second book in the Squirrel Lock Holmes series. It is a graphic novel style book for early readers. We reviewed the first one here. The second one is Squirrel Lock Holmes: Mystery at the Corn-y Maze by Ashley Belote. It is recommended for ages 6 to 9.
Publisher's Summary:
Squirrel Lock Holmes #2: Mystery at the Corn-y Maze is a part of the Squirrel Lock Holmes A Stepping Stone Book ™ collections.It's a mystery, my dear Watson! Detective Squirrel Lock Holmes and her trusty sidekick Mole Watson are on the case for some forest animals that have gone missing in a corn maze in this hilarious graphic novel chapter book series.
THE CASE OF THE CORN MAZE
Victims: a bat, a bear, and a chipmunk (oh my!)
Scene of the Crime: A corn maze
Suspects: Gulp. . . GHOSTS!
Detective Squirrel Lock Holmes and her partner in crime-solving -- Mole Watson -- are experts in finding lost things. But can they find THREE missing animals? If they do, it will be A-MAZE-ING!
Early chapter book readers will laugh along at the problem-solving skills of the silliest sleuths in the forest in this full-color graphic novel.
From Me:
Squirrel Lock Holmes and Mole Watson are back to help their friends solve mysteries. Watson has his humor -- often word play that will have the readers giggling and enjoying. In this fall themed mystery there are missing animals. They went missing after going into the corn maze! Many are thinking the corn maze is haunted. Will the detectives be able to find the missing animals or will the ghosts get them?
I love how this book provides the story through conversation and a graphic novel. It is full of action and fun. The clues in this book are the things the animals like and the footprints. However--SPOILER ALERT--the best part is why the animals disappeared--they are hibernating! Therefore there is a STEM component to the book where it teaches about hibernation as well as other animal traits. SPOILER ALERT END The book is perfect for a fall read and is more than just a fun book to laugh at since it teaches about animals and their habits. It is perfect for an individual read or story time read. At the end of the book are activities like mazes, drawing instructions and more!
Our next book is a book with eight different mysteries for the reader to solve! It is recommended for ages 5+. The book is The Vampire of Mount Drakk by Paul Martin and illustrated by Camille Roy.
Publisher's Summary:
Vampires, wizards, and werewolves, oh my!Detective Agatha has been summoned to solve a series of spooky goings-on that have left many stumped and terrified. But nothing will stop Agatha from bravely trekking across a haunted island, entering a polluted mine, or even talking to werewolves to crack the cases. Young readers are invited to join Agatha in her missions: look for clues, identify suspects, and come up with solutions! This illustrated interactive mystery with gatefold flaps is perfect for budding sleuths.
Key Features:
•8 highly engaging mysteries with solutions
•Detailed illustrated scenes provide opportunities to develop observation skills
•Helps sharpen thinking and reasoning skills
•Perfect for children aged 5 and up who enjoy solving puzzles
•Fun family read-aloud and activity book
Ideal for fans of The Agatha Case Files: Welcome to Kittyville!
From Me:
This fun book has eight mysteries for readers to solve. I think five-year-olds may struggle to solve on their own but could be done as a family or with someone older. The first page of each mystery introduces it. The second page has a picture of the exterior of the scene of the crime/mystery and the pages unfold to show the interior of the same picture as well as provide the steps to investigate. The mysteries require the reader to be observant of the pictures and details. The fold-out page also reveals the suspects and witnesses. The final page for each mystery is the "Crack Open the Case" page with the last steps and where to check your answers.
This is a fun book that can keep kids engaged for quite a while. It will work on their observation skills and help them pay attention to details. It is perfect for a family to solve together or for independent work. It is also perfect for the classroom to give the student who finishes early on a task. The mysteries are fun and thriller themed!
Our final book is a young adult thriller. Let's face it, for young adults, Halloween tends to be about scary movies and books, and this one is an interesting one. It is 21 Days of Fear by Hervé Commère. It is recommended for ages 14+.
Publisher's Summary:
An instant New York Times bestseller!A teen is offered the chance to reunite with his missing sister in this heart-wrenching young adult thriller told in a unique format, with chapter-a-day reading perfectly paced for amping up the chilling suspense!
What would you do to bring your sister back from the dead?
After Lucas’s sister mysteriously disappeared right under his nose ten years ago, his family was torn apart. His mother has been lost in a deep depression, his father unable to speak of what happened, and Lucas trapped in his guilt…until he receives a note that changes everything. He has twenty-one days to find out the truth. Twenty-one days to save his sister…if she really is still alive. Twenty-one days to figure out if he can sacrifice everything to bring her home.
Every action is watched, every choice counted. Can he save his sister without losing himself again?
With this book’s unique format, each of the twenty-one chapters is sealed by its own perforated enclosure that readers can gently tear open—by hand or with the help of a ruler—to move through Lucas’s story with him.
From Me:
Each chapter is in an envelope and begins with a letter. Lucas's sister disappeared ten years earlier. His family fell apart and now someone is saying he has 21 days to save her life. He doesn't know who to trust or what to do. He just moved to London from France to start his life over and his past came calling on the first night.
The book is thrilling and a page turner. The reader and Lucas do not know who to trust. There is a relationship starting with a girl he meets in a bar. His coworkers do not seem to like him. He is really not doing well at being an employee because these letters are really distracting him. There are threats as well as horrible deeds he must do to try to solve the mystery and find his long-lost sister and possibly save his mother's life as well. The letters also have him digging around in his memories of the past. What really happened ten years ago? Were his parents telling him everything? It is a thriller and will have young adults enjoying and wanting more!
