Author: Julie Anne Grasso
Publisher: Julie Anne Grasso
Rating: WORTHY!
This is an hilarious middle-grade novel which starts out with gusto and a great sense of humor. Frankie is a wannabe detective. Yes, he's only 10 3/4 years old, but hey - that three-quarters is crucial! His friend and cousin Kat - who even Frankie thinks is kinda cool - has disappeared. She was last seen at Enderby Manor. Frankie's detective dad is busy on a case. Can Frankie himself find his missing cousin?
This is beautifully written, completely captivating, and gorgeously depicted chapter book, with a neat little world created for Frankie and for the weird and wonderful people he meets. He pursues his detective occupation with dedication and smarts. He doesn’t get everything right first time, but he never gives up, keeps his grey-matter steaming with thought, and he slowly but surely zeroes in on the truth - which is rather more mysterious than mysteries usually are.
When I say 'slowly, but surely', that doesn't mean that the story is slow. No - it moves at a cracking pace, with something new popping up every page for Frankie to assess and deal with. I loved this story - which at first (judged by certain words which cropped up, such as 'tyres' for 'tires', 'dosh' for 'money', for example) I thought was British, but it’s actually Australian - another good reason to read it. It's not YASSITU (yet another story set in the USA)! It has a sense of humor, a warm and fresh playfulness, and a sterling protagonist in Frankie. I recommend it.
