by Linda Fairstein
4Rbooks: 4/6, 4-8
Amazon: 4.3/5, 3-7
Goodreads: 3.39/5
Common Sense Media: 4/5, age 10+
Synopsis:
When your mother is the police chief of New York City, it's hard not to have a detective's mentality and get excited about solving mysteries and crimes. 13-year-old Devlin Quick is ready to spring into action when her new friend, exchange student Liza, swears that she saw a man steal a page out of a rare, antique book of maps. The two of them, with the help of Devlin's friend Booker, begin a race to discover the man's identity before he gets away with his crime.
With the help of Devlin's grandmother, Mrs. Quick's connections to the police department, and Devlin's ability to decipher clues, the three teenagers learn all they can about historic maps and the world of libraries, museums, and colleges that display them. They also learn about the underground business of stealing rare artifacts and selling them. Eventually they discover a likely suspect, and where his next theft might occur.
What seems to be a fun summer adventure turn serious when they discover the thief in the middle of the crime.
Parent Guidelines:
College student Natasha lives with the Quicks after being rescued from a human-trafficking ring.
Liza thinks she sees a man tear a page out of an important library book and Devlin follows him to the subway.
Devlin, Liza and Booker act as amateur detectives to solve the mystery of the man stealing rare and valuable maps, against the direct orders of her mother.
Devlin uses her connection to her mother to gain access to police information.
Devlin and Liza confront the thief who then locks them in an abandon subway station. At one point he holds an exact-o knife toward them as a weapon.
Devlin's mom, and family, are protected by bodyguards because of Mrs. Quick's position as police chief.
Recommendation:
This is the first book in a three-book series, so far. I imagine I will read the other books down the road. This story had many good moments, and an exciting finish. It dragged a little in the middle as they were doing their research and working through the various systems: library, colleges, museum, police department.
Devlin is a fun character. She comes across bratty at times with a high level of confidence, but she is also a 13-year-old girl with a single mom in a high-profile, high-power job. She takes a lot of chances, and skirts around the concepts of truth and obedience as she uses the assets available to her to solve the crime. She is a trusted friend, loyal, curious, athletic, and loves to learn.
I would have added this book to my classroom and school library. I don't know if it would have worked well as a class read, but it has potential with small groups, especially with GATE and high achieving students as it provides numerous opportunities for extension activities.
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