Monday, April 4, 2011

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Chicagoland Detective Agency


Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 
Shannon Whitney Messenger decided it was time to give middle grade stories the attention they deserve, and "Marvelous Middle Grade Mondays" was born. I couldn't resist being a part of such brilliance. Others who can be counted on for a great MMGM review each week:

Chicagoland Detective Agency 1: 
The Drained Brains Caper
by Trina Robbins


Goodreads Blurb:
Raf knows Megan is trouble from the moment she steps into his mom's pet food store asking for a tarantula. But there's one thing you can count on in Chicagoland: weird things happen several times a day. Megan is a vegetarian, manga-reading haiku writer. She definitely doesn't fit in at Stepford Academy, her new summer school. The other students are happy to be in class. Too happy. And everyone looks and acts exactly alike. That's weird. Megan is determined to dig into Stepford's secrets, but soon she's in way too deep. Raf may be the only human being she knows who can help. But with zombified students, very mad scientists, and the school psychiatrist on their trail, they're going to need a whole lot more help. We did say that Chicagoland is weird...

Chicagoland Detective Agency 2: 
The Maltese Mummy
*just released April 1st, 2011* 
 
Goodreads Blurb:
A friend has vanished, a mummy's amulet is missing, and there's a weirdo out there looking for human brains and hearts. The Chicagoland Detective Agency—run by Megan, Raf, and his talking dog Bradley—have more than enough cases on their hands (and paws). But Megan's too busy for private-detecting. Her haikus have won her tickets to meet drop-dead gorgeous rock star Sun D'Arc. Raf is sure that Sun is too good not to really be bad. He must be involved in one of their cases. But which one?
These are fun books for kids who love the Bone series by Jeff Smith and other comic-style stories. They are surprisingly full of voice and provide an appealing detective story format for middle readers. Despite being in black and white, the graphics (by Tyler Page) are very well done. I love the characters! Megan and Raf are funny and totally likable, and Bradley is too cute for words.

My 3rd grade son and surprisingly, my 6-year-old daughter, enjoyed both books. I recommend them, especially for reluctant readers and comic fans.
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25 comments:

  1. S.A. LarsenッApril 4, 2011 at 4:23 AM

    The graphic characteristics of the covers reminds me of a cartoon when I was a kid. Just can't think of which one. These sound fab!

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  2. Charmaine ClancyApril 4, 2011 at 4:33 AM

    These look like a LOT of fun, I think Matilda would enjoy them :)

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  3. RHYTHM AND RHYMEApril 4, 2011 at 4:52 AM

    This seems like fun, there is many books we can't get over here even on Amazon, shame really.

    Yvonne.

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  4. Natalie AguirreApril 4, 2011 at 5:19 AM

    Sounds like a great series. And reminds me how cool the plots are in middle grade. Thanks for sharing this.

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  5. Theresa MilsteinApril 4, 2011 at 5:30 AM

    My son loved the Bone series and he's really into Zombies now. I'll have to look these up.

    Thanks for another great middle grade find!

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  6. JanaApril 4, 2011 at 6:04 AM

    Looks great Shannon! Hope that you had a great spring break!!

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  7. Old KittyApril 4, 2011 at 6:11 AM

    Megan sounds amazing!! I love her already!! Yay!!!

    Thanks for the intro to this series!! It's certainly different and just great to know about!! Take care
    x

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  8. Kelly PolarkApril 4, 2011 at 7:04 AM

    Those sound super fun! Is Chicagoland like in the Chicago suburbs? Just curious as I'm in a small town suburb of the suburbs. :)
    Love Middle Grade Mondays!

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  9. Tales of WhimsyApril 4, 2011 at 9:00 AM

    These look like such fun!

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  10. DianeApril 4, 2011 at 9:01 AM

    My daughter loves mysteries too, so I'm sure she'd like it. :O)

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  11. Laura S.April 4, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    Sounds like a fun read! You always pick great books for this feature.

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  12. Jennifer ShirkApril 4, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    Oh those blurbs were so fun reading, I can imagine the books must be fun too!
    My dd would LOVE these!

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  13. Myrna FosterApril 4, 2011 at 11:30 AM

    Thanks, Shannon! My son would love these. He's in the same grade as yours.

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  14. AnonymousApril 4, 2011 at 12:08 PM

    I don't have any MG readers in my house but these covers look like so much fun, I may just have to read them myself!

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  15. Catherine DentonApril 4, 2011 at 1:11 PM

    This looks like a chilling read! :)
    My Blog

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  16. Golden EagleApril 4, 2011 at 1:34 PM

    It sounds like a cool book! (And I love Bone.)

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  17. ali crossApril 4, 2011 at 2:34 PM

    Ha! These sound fun - thanks for the heads up!

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  18. Robyn CampbellApril 4, 2011 at 2:50 PM

    These look great, Shannon. I like Megan and her private-detecting. Too cute. :0)

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  19. Susan Kaye QuinnApril 4, 2011 at 3:14 PM

    Being a Chicago-lander, I'm going to have to get these for my boys! Thanks for pointing them out!!

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  20. Joanne R. FritzApril 4, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    Oooh, I love talking dog stories!

    BONE is really popular at the bookstore where I work, but I haven't seen these CHICAGOLAND books. They sound cool. I'm always looking for more detective stories besides Encyclopedia Brown!

    Stepford Academy, eh? Like the Stepford Wives only, um, with kids.

    Thanks, as always, for the link.

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  21. AnonymousApril 4, 2011 at 8:27 PM

    Most EXCELLENT! I will for sure get these for the Bone series lovers in my book club! Thanks, Shannon! Um, and here's an extra!!! in case I didn't use enough of them, lol.

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  22. Sherrie PetersenApril 4, 2011 at 8:50 PM

    These sound like fun books and I'd never heard of them. Excellent!

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  23. Ishta MercurioApril 4, 2011 at 9:16 PM

    Oh, I've never heard of these - but my son was eyeing the BONE series the other day, and he loves mysteries, so maybe I'll check this series out! Thanks for the spotlight! Awesome, as always!

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  24. Sharon K. MayhewApril 4, 2011 at 11:25 PM

    I'll have to look for them Shannon. I haven't bought any graphic novels yet. :)

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  25. Lenny LeeApril 5, 2011 at 5:57 AM

    hi miss shannon! those books look like lots of fun. i got them on my wanna read list.
    ...hugs from lenny

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