The Red Blazer Girls Vanishing
This is a delightful book. It's actually the second mystery featuring the "red blazer girls" (so named for their NYC private-school uniform), but I listened to this one first and didn't feel like I missed a thing (however it did make me want to go back and read the first one). These middle-school girls are a little snappy (think Gilmore Girls-type dialogue), but they are really fun, too. I wonder if author Michael Beil grew up with sisters or has tween girls of his own, because he's right on with the characters.
They are smart and talented -- the kind of girls you'd want your daughters to hope to be, instead of the latest Disney teen sensation.
Though they act and experience life as the kids of today do (complete with cell phones, laptops, and an overachieving level of involvement), this book also reads as somewhat of a classic kid's book -- the kind that I would have liked when I was 12 (and the kind I like right now).
The girls are hot off of solving their first case, The Ring of Racomadour, when the nun at their school asks them to help her figure out who is responsible for all the unexplained goings on in the school. In the midst of investigating this, the girls get pulled in to another mystery when Rebecca (the musical one), is sent a mysterious letter directing her to find a rare violin.
The mystery unfolds as more notes are sent, and it involves wordplay and puzzles, which would be fun for the reader to try to discover on her own, or marvel at Margaret (the brainy one), as they discover the answers, and is probably the one drawback, though slight, to the audio version.
Highly recommended.
AUDIO NOTES: The narrator did a great job of sounding like a teen. Sometimes this can be hard. She was bright and upbeat and made listening to it a joy -- so much so that when my 12-year-old did go back to book one, The Ring of Racomadour she selected the audio version of that as well.
A Kid's Review
BalasHapusI'm 11, read a lot, and this is one of my all-time favorites!!, June 25, 2011
BalasHapusI have just finished reading The Red Blazer Girls - The Vanishing Violin, and it is one of my all-time favorites! This book is three mysteries intertwined into one. In this book, four seventh-grade girls from St.Veronica's School in Manhattan uncover a rare and valuable violin, catch a criminal, and find out who has been breaking into thier school, and oddly enough, re-decorating it! This book was very unpredictable and suspense filled. Just when I thought I had figured out one or more of the mysteries, it turned out not to be the person I thought it was! This was an amazing book and I would recommend it to anyone, and it is a definite must read for those who like code-breaking!
BalasHapus
BalasHapusAs soon as I finished book 1 of this series (The Ring of Rocamadour), I had to start book 2. This one takes readers on another thrilling journey into the world of music and literature, making the classics hip, relevant, and fun! Since two of my children take music lessons, I love how the girls form a band as they simultaneously try to solve multiple mysteries.
BalasHapusThe clues in this book are fascinating, and especially will interest any readers who love logic puzzles or secret codes. I especially enjoyed how the clues appeared all over New York City. I don't live anywhere near there, so it allowed me to adventure and explore along with the characters.
I'm ready for book #3!
5.0 out of 5 stars
BalasHapus3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
BalasHapus
BalasHapusThis is a delightful book. It's actually the second mystery featuring the "red blazer girls" (so named for their NYC private-school uniform), but I listened to this one first and didn't feel like I missed a thing (however it did make me want to go back and read the first one). These middle-school girls are a little snappy (think Gilmore Girls-type dialogue), but they are really fun, too. I wonder if author Michael Beil grew up with sisters or has tween girls of his own, because he's right on with the characters.
BalasHapusThey are smart and talented -- the kind of girls you'd want your daughters to hope to be, instead of the latest Disney teen sensation.
Though they act and experience life as the kids of today do (complete with cell phones, laptops, and an overachieving level of involvement), this book also reads as somewhat of a classic kid's book -- the kind that I would have liked when I was 12 (and the kind I like right now).
The girls are hot off of solving their first case, The Ring of Racomadour, when the nun at their school asks them to help her figure out who is responsible for all the unexplained goings on in the school. In the midst of investigating this, the girls get pulled in to another mystery when Rebecca (the musical one), is sent a mysterious letter directing her to find a rare violin.
The mystery unfolds as more notes are sent, and it involves wordplay and puzzles, which would be fun for the reader to try to discover on her own, or marvel at Margaret (the brainy one), as they discover the answers, and is probably the one drawback, though slight, to the audio version.
Highly recommended.
AUDIO NOTES: The narrator did a great job of sounding like a teen. Sometimes this can be hard. She was bright and upbeat and made listening to it a joy -- so much so that when my 12-year-old did go back to book one, The Ring of Racomadour she selected the audio version of that as well.
BalasHapus