A review by alanabie
Calendula Proof: MAS Adventure #45 by Steve McManus
3.0
Calendula Proof by Steve McManus is, simply, delightful.
Calendula Proof by Steve McManus is, simply, delightful.
It turns out that this is not in fact the 45th installment of these books, but it’s only the second. The book definitely fooled me! The story and scene felt lived in. The kids constantly called back to old adventures, and I accepted that I had dropped in on the latest of an installment mystery series like Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.
The mystery itself was intriguing and funny, although littered with lucky breaks and coincidences to make sure the kids were always on the right trail. I did especially like that there were chapters from the bad guy’s perspective. His chapters were my favorite, and the writing there had a different feel than the rest of the book, so it really stood out. It had a decent maturity to it, so even as an adult I didn’t feel bored reading it.
I would say that the cast is a little large. We’re thrown right into the story, and it seems like of the seven kids, Gustavo and Lola are the ones with distinct personalities. The other four boys mostly blend together, and “Tag Along Taylor” is only noticeable as she’s such an unwilling participant. I think it would benefit from more deliberate characterization early on, so I felt like I knew who was who.
Calendula Proof by Steve McManus is, simply, delightful.
It turns out that this is not in fact the 45th installment of these books, but it’s only the second. The book definitely fooled me! The story and scene felt lived in. The kids constantly called back to old adventures, and I accepted that I had dropped in on the latest of an installment mystery series like Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.
The mystery itself was intriguing and funny, although littered with lucky breaks and coincidences to make sure the kids were always on the right trail. I did especially like that there were chapters from the bad guy’s perspective. His chapters were my favorite, and the writing there had a different feel than the rest of the book, so it really stood out. It had a decent maturity to it, so even as an adult I didn’t feel bored reading it.
I would say that the cast is a little large. We’re thrown right into the story, and it seems like of the seven kids, Gustavo and Lola are the ones with distinct personalities. The other four boys mostly blend together, and “Tag Along Taylor” is only noticeable as she’s such an unwilling participant. I think it would benefit from more deliberate characterization early on, so I felt like I knew who was who.