Welcome back to the Kid Lit Blog Hop #18
Some of you may have noticed I am on a bit of a middle grade mystery binge at the moment. I can't get enough of them. I do have an alterior motive but I am not quite ready to reveal why.....Oh the mystery.
Todays review is for a great middle grade mystery.
Shirley Link and the Safe Case by Ben Zackheim
Description:
I put on my kindest face for the poor man. I even smile a little. Marie slashes
her fingers across her neck, telling me to stop with the fake grin. She must
think I look creepy again. I keep smiling, though. I need to practice. I have a
problem with people thinking I'm mean. - Shirley Link
And so it goes, for Shirley Link. Brilliant, brazen and still a whole year
away from her driver's permit. Sure, she's only 14 years old and has homework to
do, but she'll put it aside for the right mystery!
Shirley Link's kickoff adventure pits her against a thief who's stolen
thirty thousand dollars from her school's safe. Usually, she'd wrap that kind of
case up before The Big Bang Theory. But there's one intriguing, frustrating
detail. The half-ton safe disappeared too! Shirley must find the culprit
quickly, or else her beloved principal, Mr. Reese, will lose his job. As she
digs deeper, Mr. Reese looks more and more guilty. Will Shirley save him, or get
him tossed in jail?
My Review:
Well, to preface this review I must tell you of my absolute love of the TV series Veronica Mars, so when I found this book I was absolutely delighted. Shirley is the middle grade equivalent. She is smart, witty and has awesome observation skills, but of course is completely and utterly misunderstood by most of her teachers. Her friends totally get her though and I loved the way the author portrayed Shirley and her friends accepting each others quirks and working to their strengths.
The mystery was fast paced, funny and very cleverly done, but I can't go any further without offering spoilers. I liked Shirley from the get go, along with her crazy cop mum and eccentric dad.
This was a quick clean read, with a dash of unrequited love and a smidgen of mild violence. Just another great example of a very cool middle grade mystery which I think reluctant and avid readers would really enjoy. I recommend if for children aged 10+
Where to find Ben:
Follow on twitter: https://twitter.com/zackheim
Website: http://benzackheim.com/
More Books by Ben:
Where to find Ben:
Follow on twitter: https://twitter.com/zackheim
Website: http://benzackheim.com/
More Books by Ben:
But wait, there's more.
Ben is generously offering all 3 books to 5 lucky entrants, so hop on down to enter the rafflecopter.
Welcome to the 18th Kid Lit Blog Hop. The Kid Lit Blog Hop takes place on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of each month. We have managed to create a dynamic and engaged community of children's books bloggers, authors, publishers, and publicists, as well as parents seeking out their next great read. So, you are more than welcome to link in and take some time to make some new friends. A big, big, big THANK YOU to all of you who abided by the new rules. I definitely noticed much more visits among everyone who participated. It is so much fun to develop relationships with all you wonderful people who participate in the Kid Lit Blog Hop time after time. I know that sometimes we are busy, but even if you visit just a couple people, it will make a big difference in your experience with being part of the Hop. Please join me in welcoming back our co-hostess for this Hop, Ramona from Create With Joy. Welcome Ramona! Please be sure to give each of our hostesses a visit to say a quick hello!
Happy Hopping everyone and enjoy the Hop!
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Kid Lit Blog Hop Rules *Please Read*:
1. We ask that you kindly follow your hostesses and co-hostesses. You can follow us any way you choose (Email, GFC, Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pinterest, etc.), but we've added our preferences below. If you could just give us a quick "follow" or "like" that would be much appreciated! Make sure to leave us a message if you are following us (i.e., on Twitter or Facebook or on our websites) and we will be sure to follow you back. Thanks! :-)
Hostesses:
Co-Hostesses:
2. Link up any Kid Lit related post. This can be a link to a children’s book review, a discussion about children’s literature/literacy, or a post on a recently-read children’s book or one that you love from your childhood.
* Don't link directly to your blog, it must be a specific post*
* For Authors, we prefer you to link to your blog if you have one *
* Make sure you include an image relevant to the POST (e.g., book cover), not your blog button or photo of yourself.*
* Feel free to link more than one post.*
3. Please visit AT LEAST the TWO LINKS directly ahead of your own and leave them some love in the form of a comment. We are trying to build a community of bloggers, readers, parents, authors, and others who are as passionate about children’s literature as we are so please CONNECT and follow any or all of the blogs that interest you!
4. If you like, grab the button above and put it somewhere on your blog, preferably the post you're linking up. If you'd prefer, you can just add a text link back to this Hop so that others can find it and check out all these great book links!
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Interested in co-hosting the Kid Lit Blog Hop? Please email renee @ motherdaughterbookreviews (dot) com and put Co-Hosting Blog Hop in the subject line.Happy Hopping!
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