middle grade Archives - Page 296 of 363

The Great Shelby Holmes Meets Her Match
by Elizabeth Eulberg (Author)

Booktalk: Being friends with a super sleuth isn’t easy, especially when she’s nine years old and four feet tall, and full of attitude. But for eleven-year-old aspiring writer John Watson, being friends with Shelby Holmes is just the adventure he’s looking for.

In the few weeks since moving to Harlem with his mom, Shelby has been training John in the art of observation-a skill that comes in handy on the first day of school. John’s new teacher, Mr. Crosby, is acting suspiciously, and Shelby knows this is a mystery worth investigating. But as Shelby and John dig deeper, they discover that there may be someone unexpected involved–someone who may have Shelby beat.

Snippet: “I sure am! I’m up for anything!” I was feeling pretty confident as we waited for the walk signal at 125th Street. When I first started working with Shelby, she questioned my talents. But no longer! I was her man! We had this!

“Splendid, Watson! I knew that I could count on you. We’re not going to let something trivial like the law get in the way of this case,”

Wait. WHAT?!

Samantha Spinner and the Super-Secret Plans
by Russell Ginns (Author)

Booktalk: Samantha Spinner’s Uncle Paul disappeared, and here’s what he left:
* Samantha’s sister got a check for $2,400,000,000.
* Samantha’s brother got the New York Yankees.
* And Samantha got a rusty red umbrella with a tag hanging off its worn handle. The tag says “Watch out for the RAIN.”

Thanks a lot, Uncle Paul.

After all the strawberry waffles, stories, and puzzles they’ve shared, how could he just leave without saying goodbye? And what is the meaning of that mysterious message?

The answer is simple. Sam knows in her heart that Uncle Paul is in danger. And if he taught her anything, it’s that not everything is exactly what it seems. Which is why we should pay close attention to that rusty red umbrella.

The RAIN is coming and Samantha Spinner is about to find herself mixed up in some super-important, super-dangerous, super-secret plans.

Snippet: Samantha inspected her uncle’s prized trophy, which rested on a coffee table in the middle of the room. Two years earlier, Uncle Paul had taken a trip to Washington, DC, and won second prize in a hula hoop contest by keeping his hoop going for twenty-two hours. The winner was a trained monkey that twirled its hips for twenty-two hours and five minutes. Some people thought Uncle Paul should have claimed victory and demanded the first-place trophy. The competition was only supposed to be open to humans. But he seemed quite happy with second place–as if it were his first choice.