Available:*
Library | Material Type | Item Barcode | Shelf Number | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library | Juvenile Fiction Book Hardback | 120791002299265 | J KIT | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
In this funny and clever middle grade mystery reminiscent of Rear Window and perfect for fans of the Mysterious Benedict Society series, Sophie Young and Grace Yang are best friends, seventh graders, and spies.
Sophie and Grace have made a game out of spying on their neighbors. On one of their midnight stakeouts, they witness a terrifying scene at the home of their bizarre middle-school counselor Dr. Charlotte Agford (also known as Dr. Awkward).
At least, they think they do. When the girls are proven wrong, they are still convinced that Dr. Agford is hiding a terrible secret--and they're determined to find out what it is. Soon the girls are breaking secret codes, being followed by a strange blue car, and tailing strangers with unibrows and Texas accents. But as their investigation heats up, Sophie and Grace start to crack under the pressure. Will solving the case destroy their friendship?
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
"We'd only been running night missions since the start of the school year, when Grace had decided twelve was the right age to train for a real FBI career," says seventh-grader Sophie Young about the midnight spy exercises she conducts with her best friend, Grace Yang, in their sleepy town of Luna Vista, Calif. On one such night, they witness what appears to be their odd school counselor, Dr. Charlotte Agford, murdering someone in her kitchen. Armed with gadgets, Grace's full-speed-ahead attitude, and wisdom from Sun Tzu's The Art of War, the none-too-similar best friends work together to solve the mystery, which comes to light through a series of red herrings that maintain tension. First in a planned series, Kittscher's debut novel addresses the inevitable rocky periods in middle-school friendships with perceptiveness, honesty, and well-targeted humor that avoids being cartoonish. The two would-be sleuths navigate one ludicrous predicament after another, and readers should sympathize with the girls as an innocent bit of espionage lands them in some serious hot water. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Best friends Sophie and Grace get in trouble spying on school counselor Dr. Agford; but is creepy, be-wigged Dr. A hiding something, or do Sophie and Grace have the wrong end of the stick? And is the FBI really involved? Several plot developments and reversals defy credulity, but the girls' verve, and particularly their friendship struggles, make for engaging reading. (c) Copyright 2013. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Mayhem ensues when 12-year-olds Grace and Sophie spot the school counselor in the act of bloody murder. The friends have been sneaking around on imaginative, late-night spying missions for some time, but they've been pretty tame. This changes when they see the already mysterious, cloyingly sweet and very unpleasant Dr. Agford attacking something--somebody?--with a streaming red cleaver, overhear her suspicious phone conversation and then decide to call 911. The call is traced to Sophie's phone, and she takes full blame, since it turns out Agford was apparently just chopping beets. The girls, though, still think she's up to something. Agford decides to begin "counseling" Sophie to keep tabs on her, kids at school begin to harass her, and the suspense ratchets up as the girls investigate the counselor's background--and her bizarre wig. An FBI agent who at first seems likely to help begins to look threatening. Sensible and smart but socially ostracized fellow student Trista proves to be the voice of reason as Sophie's world begins to fall apart. Sophie's first-person narration rings true and makes the growing peril feel ominously real. Ample red herrings keep young sleuths and engaged readers guessing in this thrilling debut mystery. Reminiscent of the ever-compelling film Rear Window, this appealing and often spine-tingling tale will leave its audience wishing for more. (Mystery. 11-13)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
On their third midnight spy mission in the neighborhood, Grace targets friend Sophie's middle-school guidance counselor, who becomes Sophie's nemesis after they bungle the job. There is something suspicious about the woman, with her helmet-hair wig, syrupy falsetto voice, and empty eyes. Taking their detective work undercover, the girls begin meeting secretly with a self-identified FBI agent who flashes a real-looking badge. Tension builds and Sophie begins to have doubts. Even worse, she and Grace stop speaking to each other. While the story becomes a bit convoluted, and Sophie sometimes seems older than 12, her first-person narrative is engaging as she sketches her friends, family, and school in strokes that are sometimes broad but often perceptive and wryly humorous. Still, the mixture of preteen detectives and armed murderers is at times an uneasy one, straining credibility particularly at the novel's climax. On the plus side, this is one of a growing number of mysteries featuring strong, smart female characters.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist