Marvin, the beetle, is the narrator and artistic genius of this warm, humorous and intelligently written book. The story follows the adventures of Marvin and a boy named James in New York City, specifically the human/insect encounter in their apartment and at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Marvin is the artist, James is the conservator of the copies that look like ones done by a famous artist. There is also a staged art heist into which the two are drawn. The novel has just the right blend of suspense, mystery, humor, and compassion to appeal to the middle grade audience.

Awards nominated: Rebecca Caudill Award Nominee 2012

Reviewed by: cjones

Date read: 5/9/2011

ISBN-10: 0312608705

ISBN-13: 9780312608705

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Commenter: Guest, grade 0

Commenter: Sc Reader, grade 0

Max and Maddy's parents were once very famous and very successful detectives. All of that changed when dastardly Claude Sardine spread false and vicious rumors about the detective pair. Now they run an ice cream parlor with 36 flavors of ice cream. Max and Maddy follow in their parents footsteps. After winning a Clue tournament, the two children are invited to solve a crime in Switzerland. All the banks in Switzerland are being robbed by St. Bernards! Can Max and Maddy solve the case? What will happen when they come face to face with their parents' worst enemy? Read Max and Maddy and the Chocolate Money Mystery to find out. Followed by Max and Maddy and the Bursting Balloons Mystery.

Similar authors: Rob Roy

Similar books: A to Z Mysteries by Rob Roy

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 10/4/2011

ISBN-10: 159990036X

ISBN-13: 9781599900360

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Amy and Dan are invited, by golden invitation, to the reading of their beloved Grandma Grace's will. Instead of inheriting her mansion and wealth, they are asked to choose between a million dollar check and the chance to play a game that could make them the most powerful people in history. Of course they choose the game, along with 12 other family members who will do anything to win. Each book in this series is written by a different author. Maze of Bones is followed by One False Note by popular author Gordon Korman.

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 7/28/2009

ISBN-10: 0545090547

ISBN-13: 9780545090544

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Commenter: Grace, grade 5

A thirteen-year-old girl in Portland, Oregon loses all self-doubt when she is zapped by lightning, and uses her newfound courage to solve a murder mystery. Part of the Minerva Clark series

Reviewed by: sc

Date read: 4/13/2009

ISBN-10: 1582346771

ISBN-13: 9781582346779

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Thea and her dad are always on the move, from one small Cariboo town to another, trying to leave behind the pain of Thea's mom's death. They never stay long enough in one place for Thea to make friends, but when her dad gets work renovating a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake, she dares to hope that their wandering days are over. At the ranch, she makes friends with Van, a local boy, and works hard to build the trust of an abused horse named Renegade. When Thea unearths the decades-old story of a four-year-old girl who disappeared from the ranch and was never seen again, she enlists Van to help her solve the mystery. When some disturbing facts come to light, she finally starts to come to terms with the losses in her own life.

Reviewed by: caroll

Date read: 10/7/2011

ISBN-10: 1554693454

ISBN-13: 9781554693450

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