The coziest of Mysteries for MG

I’m really suspecting there is no CM Surrissi. It’s Quinnie Boyd who is writing these mysteries. After all ,how else could the 13 year-old voice be so true? Quinnie Boyd in A Side of Sabotage has grown up, now dealing with friends who both want to be her special friend, the upcoming departure of her first boyfriend and now a sabotage at her Dad’s restaurant. That’s a lot for her to deal with, but she does, in the same funny, insightful way I expect from her. By the way, I guessed wrong when I figured out who was sabotaging Gusty’s. I was tickled to see, when I looked back, that the answer was there all along. That’s what good mysteries do, don’t they?

My first Fantasy

When I worked as a children’s bookseller, I steered kids away from fantasy for a simple reason: I thought I didn’t like the genre. Then came His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. The Golden Compass, the first in the series, blew me into fantasy land. Children are disappearing in 12 year old Lyra’s world. Scrappy Lyra, decides to solve the mystery and rescue them. That’s enough of the plot to start.But what I can tell you is thatWhat drew me into to this parallel universe were the daemons. In this world, souls take the form of animal companions. Besides being help mates, they reflect one’s character. The diabolical Mrs. Coulter, Lyra’s mother, has a vicious golden monkey. Lyra’s on again off again father has a snow leopard for his daemon.If you want to go somewhere else, this is the series for you. I’d recommend it for good upper elementary readers and above and of course, us. 

Read the Book that changed me into a cat lover.

Mr. Puffball: Escape from Castaway Island is full of magic. It’s not just the slyly adorable artwork or the tongue in cheek narrative. The magic is in the details! Kids will read every word, not wanting to miss details like adding a bucket of butter for cake batter or the chattering of dolphins, written as “cute dolphin noises.” As a reformed cat-hater, (yes, Mr. Puffball brought me to the other side), I was sad to see the story end. Maybe cutie pie Pickles will carry on the adventure. I hope so!

The Rabbit Listened

by Cori Doerrfeld

Take a child’s ordinary catastrophe…

add a murder of crows…

an inquisitive chicken…

and a bunch of other animals…

(You’ll recognize them grownups in disguise.)

You’ll have a story about disappointment

and what it really takes to mend a heart.

#how to heal a broken heart