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tcbueti's review
4.0
What fun! Love the smart, funny narrator and her friends as they solve a 20-year-old puzzle, sneaking around a NYC church, texting, riding subways and meeting at their favorite coffee spot. Nancy Drew lives, but she's hip and imperfect.
The mystery was just puzzling enough. Love that it includes math!
The mystery was just puzzling enough. Love that it includes math!
jessalynn_librarian's review against another edition
3.0
A fun mystery for the middle school set - especially kids that enjoy solving puzzles as they go along. The audio version was a little disappointing - some overly fake accents and such - but it might go over better with kids. I might continue with the series, but in print.
karmatic's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
quietjenn's review
3.0
a promising start to an assumed mystery series for kids/tweens. not quite as good as i was hoping, but still enjoyable and can easily take its place on the shelf of kid-solves-puzzles-to-find-long-hidden-treasure of which i am somewhat enamoured. the voice isn't totally there, however, and i agree with other reviewers who found the math stuff somewhat didactic. there's a lot of potential here though, and it hits far more often than it misses, so i'm looking forward to whatever else beil offers.
lauralynnwalsh's review
4.0
I enjoyed this one. It isn't especially profound, but it is interesting and well paced. Recommended for girls, especially, who like mysteries.
eamesreview's review
4.0
Middle school me would have loved this story. The audiobook narration was not great.
literallytara's review
3.0
Sophie, Margaret, and Becca are three normal seventh grade girls attending a normal Catholic school (St. Veronica's) in New York City. One day they stumble upon an old woman with a puzzle to solve -- a puzzle created twenty years before for her estranged daughter. The puzzle was never solved and Mrs. Harriman enlists the girls to go on the adventure and recover the hidden prize at the end.
The puzzles in the book range from word problems to literature trivia and math equations, and they are exactly appropriate for a bright middle school student. Unlike most of the books I read, this is quite solidly a middle grades novel. YA's would be too mature for the story.
By far, I loved the characters the most. Sophie, Margaret, and Becca are normal girls that I would want to be friends with. They are bright, yes, but a little sassy and a little lost when it comes to boys. The narrator on the audio book, Tai Alexandra Ricci, nailed the voice and tone of the story without sounding too juvenile (unlike the obnoxious narrator in The Lightning Thief).
Final Grade: C While it was a cute story with likable characters, it didn't blow my mind. I'm grading it as C against other middle grades fiction, not against all fiction, since the novel knew so clearly which audience it wants to reach. There's a very small portion of middle-class middle-school girls who would appreciate the novel, and they would love it. I am not a middle school girl anymore, so it fell a bit short for me. This is a short-ish review because I just don't have much more to say!
The puzzles in the book range from word problems to literature trivia and math equations, and they are exactly appropriate for a bright middle school student. Unlike most of the books I read, this is quite solidly a middle grades novel. YA's would be too mature for the story.
By far, I loved the characters the most. Sophie, Margaret, and Becca are normal girls that I would want to be friends with. They are bright, yes, but a little sassy and a little lost when it comes to boys. The narrator on the audio book, Tai Alexandra Ricci, nailed the voice and tone of the story without sounding too juvenile (unlike the obnoxious narrator in The Lightning Thief).
Final Grade: C While it was a cute story with likable characters, it didn't blow my mind. I'm grading it as C against other middle grades fiction, not against all fiction, since the novel knew so clearly which audience it wants to reach. There's a very small portion of middle-class middle-school girls who would appreciate the novel, and they would love it. I am not a middle school girl anymore, so it fell a bit short for me. This is a short-ish review because I just don't have much more to say!
ghumpherys's review
4.0
This was a fun kid's mystery with lots of treasure hunt-type clues (I listened to the audio version). I loved all the language & math puzzles that were included for the reader to figure out along with the main characters. I also liked how the girls did not hesitate about asking adults (teachers, parents) for help -- they weren't just off sneaking around all by themselves. It's great to see a book with several positive adult-children relationships. I will definitely recommend this book to my kids.
elspethmigliore's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It's not one of my favorite books of all time, but I absolutely love this book. I've loved this book since I was in 2nd grade, and I'll continue loving it now.
It's definitely meant for middle-schoolers, but the references are to shows, books, and movies that are more mature (I've been reading this series for years and years, but the references are only starting to make sense now.)
Anyways, this book is so fun and is truly realistic to middle-school life, which makes it even better. The mystery is also perfectly played out, and it's not dimmed down for younger audiences.
I love every single character (with a few exceptions), so I never get bored reading it.
definitely reread material ✅
It's definitely meant for middle-schoolers, but the references are to shows, books, and movies that are more mature (I've been reading this series for years and years, but the references are only starting to make sense now.)
Anyways, this book is so fun and is truly realistic to middle-school life, which makes it even better. The mystery is also perfectly played out, and it's not dimmed down for younger audiences.
I love every single character (with a few exceptions), so I never get bored reading it.
definitely reread material ✅
molliekay's review
4.0
What a smart mystery! Four girls put their heads together to solve a twenty-year-old mystery with elements of classic literature, math, and art. A great way to reignite passions for mysteries in children's literature.