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The Vanishing Violin (2010)

by Michael D. Beil(Favorite Author)

4.01 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0375861033 (ISBN13: 9780375861031)

languge

English

genre

Middle Grade & Children's

publisher

Knopf Books for Young Readers

series

The Red Blazer Girls

review 1: Much more predictable story than The Ring of Rocamadour (I had the violin thief's identity figured out about halfway through the book), but the puzzles in this one were more challenging. I like that the girls' social circle continues to expand, allowing readers to get to know more characters. Despite the predictability of this book (and it likely would not be predictable to a target-aged reader), I think the Red Blazer Girls series is one of the better middle-grade mystery serials available right now. Michael Beil has created four (and now five!) very likeable, if not always believable, protagonists.
review 2: This is the second title in the Red Blazer Girls series- 4 young girl sleuths who attend school in New York City. I love this series! Again, this book... more has clues, this time mostly of the cipher-type, which lead the girls through the mystery to the conclusion. They solve the entire mystery by the clues mysteriously given to them. When I neared the end I thought that I was going to be terribly disappointed when I saw where it was going but no, the author pulled it off and it turned out to have a fantastic ending. The girls are 12-going-on-13 years old so the series' target age is mid-grade; however, I thought the clues and ciphers clever enough to interest a much older audience (as I am). This is another "locked room" mystery: as the title suggests, a valuable old violin disappears from the music shop nearby the school. The doors are both locked, the alarms on, and nothing has been disturbed except for the missing violin. This mystery is separate from the clues that lead them to an even older mystery of another valuable violin stolen a good 50 years earlier! And added to that, Sister Bernadette, Principal at St. Veronica's, "hires" them to find out who has been secretly cleaning and remodeling the school at night! They solve all of the mysteries and all the details are nicely explained. I will definitely be buying the other titles in this series. less

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