By James Ponti
4Rbooks 6/6 grades 5-8
Amazon 4.7/5 grades level 3-7
Goodreads 4.27/6
Common Sense Media 5/5 ages 8+
340 pages
Synopsis
Alex, Yadi, and Lina are members of the Sherlock Society, a mystery club at their local middle school in Miami. Alex’s sister Zoe eventually joins them, too. They aren’t sure how they will spend their summer until Zoe comes up with the idea of forming a detective agency. Their mother, the lawyer, disapproves so instead they work with Alex and Zoe’s grandfather to see if they can solve old police cases. Their grandfather was once a reporter and still has all of his notes on unsolved cases.
They choose to go after a treasure of a million dollars supposedly buried on behalf of Al Capone who spent time in Miami before and after his arrest. They learn about the 5 W’s of reporting and writing while researching this case which eventually leads them to a remote spot in the Florida Everglades. There they come upon a different mystery. Who is dumping toxic waste into the ecosystem polluting the water and killing animals.
The Society pursues the case and not only stumbles upon the polluters, but the counterfeit money ring they have created. They attempt to gather enough evidence to convict the guilty parties, while staying out of jail themselves, and staying alive.
Parental Guidelines: low
The story opens with the children and their grandfather escaping a boat explosion and floundering in the ocean.
The children, and grandfather, pretend to be people they aren’t to achieve their goal, at times.
The children put themselves in dangerous situations with nature (alligators, pythons) and with humans (counterfeiters and industrial waste pollutants).
Alex and Zoe are not always honest with their parents.
Zoe is 13 and often speaks to her parents with an attitude.
Recommendation
I reviewed another book by Mr. Ponti last year, City Spies, #1 in a series of 6. This is also the start for a new series and I’m pleased to say I enjoyed it as much as I did City Spies and I will look forward to reading the rest of the series, when they are written.
There is so much to like about this book. The characters are diverse, believable, and likeable. Alex is the forgotten younger brother. Yadi is a former commercial star and video teach wizard. Lina is the new girl from Wyoming and dyes her hair blue in response to her parents’ divorce. Zoe is the teenage girl trying to find her way between the popular crowd, her family, and new friends.
The plot seems farfetched but works out in a sensible way as you read through the various events the lead to the conclusion. The parents are involved and an important piece to the story, both for helping, and pulling on the reins. Outside of the few “danger” situations, there is nothing I found inappropriate in this book.
There is also a ton of incidental information throughout the book about Miami, the Everglades, Al Capone, and news reporting. This is a great individual read, and would make an excellent classroom read, also.
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