The Karate Class Mystery

Invisible Inc. #5

by Elizabeth Levy, Denise Brunkus (Illustrator)

Invisible Inc., the mystery-solving trio with an invisible friend, is back on the case. They must help Justin find his missing karate belt--he can't do anything right in karate class without it.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens

48 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1996

About the author

Elizabeth Levy has been writing and publishing books for over thirty years and sometimes now she meets kids whose parents read her books when they were children! She has written over 80 books, a number that continues to surprise her, as it surprises her how long she's been at it.

Over the years they've printed lots of her books - over five million of them.

She loves to try writing different types of books - everything from funny mysteries to novels about kids who get in trouble to history.

One of the most pleasant surprises about writing is that she's been invited to travel all over the country and even the world speaking to children, teachers, and librarians. She's made some wonderful friendships and gotten lots of ideas for her books. One of the most special treats is that kids have drawn wonderful pictures of one of her favorite characters, Fletcher.

She grew up in Buffalo, New York, then went to Brown University, where she majored in history. When she graduated, she came to New York City and worked for ABC-TV and then for Senator Robert Kennedy. She has lived in New York ever since, and she loves it. She knows all the best places for salami, she has run four marathons, and she has completed many 5-borough bike tours, so she thinks she really knows this place well.

At certain times of the year, she can be found out at Shea Stadium watching her team, the New York Mets. She has always loved baseball.

Mostly she enjoys hanging out with her friends. They spend lots of time going to movies or plays, playing sports, having meals together.

When she's alone and not writing, she is usually reading. She reads mysteries a lot, always has, which is probably why many of her books are mysteries.

Reviews

[Lil E Boy]

it is not good to lie

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

A kid who can go invisible? What will they think of next? Maybe if I'd read the first 4 books I would have enjoyed this more.

[Kathleen Pine]

Three friends solve mysteries together in this book series and call themselves "Invisible Inc." One of the three, is an invisible boy, giving them their distinguishing name. In this book, Justin takes up karate and looses his special karate belt and he can't seem to do well without it. The team comes together to try and determine who stole his belt. An envious new member attempts to weasel her way in to the crowd and distracts the group by presenting them with potential "thieves" to distract them from the truth! Eventually after weighing several options and looking at what seems to be all possibilities Invisible Inc. comes together and solves the mystery.

This book uses suspense in a nonthreatening way to engage older children in an exciting mystery. It shows that when friends work together they can accomplish anything. Additionally, an important moral this book underlies is to believe in yourself, and that the answers are within you.

Questions:
- Why do you think someone took Justin's belt?
- Why do you believe Justin has forgotten how to do all of the karate moves?
- Who do you think took the belt?
- What is a good luck charm?

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the fifth story in the Invisible Inc. series by Elizabeth Levy and Denise Brunkus. The stories in this series are implausible and a little strange, but entertaining nonetheless. Our girls enjoyed solving the mystery before the children in the story do and we enjoyed reading this book together.

[Deborah Harris]

AR Quiz No. 89944 EN Fiction
Accelerated Reader Quiz Information IL: LG - BL: 3.1 - AR Pts: 0.5
Accelerated Reader Quiz Type Information AR Quiz Types: RP

[Shiv · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible book!

[K.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for a karate lover like C.