Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
When a movie starring tween heartthrob Seth Ryan starts filming in Park Slope, everyone gets movie mania-including Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair. Though her plans to become a movie extra don't quite work out, Maggie manages to capture Seth's attention and he seeks her out at the Pizza Den to talk. But just when Maggie's life is feeling like a romantic comedy, Seth disappears! Everyone thinks he's been kidnapped, but Maggie knows better. . . .

This young Nancy Drew is back, along with her twin brother and dog-walking business, in a second mystery that shines a spotlight on her super-sleuth skills. Leslie Margolis's pitch-perfect tween voice will leave fans begging for more of this loveable heroine.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 7, 2012

58 people are currently reading
183 people want to read

About the author

Leslie Margolis

31 books122 followers
Leslie Margolis is author of numerous books for children, including the Maggie Brooklyn Mysteries and the Annabelle Unleashed series. Her novel, Boys Are Dogs, was turned into the Disney Channel movie Zapped, starring Zendaya. Leslie’s most recent books, If I Were You, We Are Party People and Ghosted, are published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Leslie lives in Los Angeles with her family. Her two kids have read some of her books, and think they are okay. For more information, please visit www.lesliemargolis.com.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
174 (46%)
4 stars
121 (32%)
3 stars
59 (15%)
2 stars
12 (3%)
1 star
12 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
4 reviews3 followers
October 21, 2018
Omg this book is absolutely amazing!! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend if I had to. Thanks so much Leslie Margolis and please continue this book? I would love to read more!!
Profile Image for Brett.
1,759 reviews14 followers
January 28, 2013
Another cute mystery for lower middle grade girls who love Nancy Drew but want something a bit more updated. Dogwalker & sleuth Maggie Brooklyn is not as excited about being an extra in a movie being filmed locally as her friends, who all have huge crushes on the star. But then he's kidnapped, & now Maggie is on the case, along with help from her friend-crush Milo, her best friend Lucy, & her brother Finn.
I'd probably recommend this to anyone who liked the Suzanne Snow mysteries.
Profile Image for Liv.
14 reviews
February 19, 2018
A great read if you just want a break from massive novels, and just want an easy read. With a great plot and storyline, it is definitely one that you should try.
Profile Image for okas.
55 reviews
June 30, 2024
I loved the plot twist at the end!
Profile Image for Alex  Baugh.
1,955 reviews128 followers
September 10, 2012
From the Publisher:
When a movie starring tween heartthrob Seth Ryan starts filming in Park Slope, everyone gets movie mania-including Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair. Though her plans to become a movie extra don't quite work out, Maggie manages to capture Seth's attention and he seeks her out at the Pizza Den to talk. But just when Maggie's life is feeling like a romantic comedy, Seth disappears! Everyone thinks he's been kidnapped, but Maggie knows better. . . .
This young Nancy Drew is back, along with her twin brother and dog-walking business, in a second mystery that shines a spotlight on her super-sleuth skills. Leslie Margolis's pitch-perfect tween voice will leave fans begging for more of this lovable heroine.

My Thoughts:
Vanishing Acts is the second Maggie Brooklyn mystery in a series and I have to confess I didn't read the first volume. But that's OK. Like all series books, this was a pretty good stand alone story and references from the first book were easily understandable.Seventh-grader Maggie Brooklyn live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY. Having earned a reputation as an amateur sleuth in the neighborhood, one chilly October morning Maggie is confronted with another mystery. Some has been throwing eggs at the dogs being walked in Prospect Park and now Maggie's former best friend Charlotte demands that she solve this mystery, too. And that is just the beginning.

Oh, wait, egged dogs aren't the beginning. The beginning is when a life-sized man-shaped balloon, dress in a black suit and tie, hits Maggie on her way to school in the morning. Before she knows what's hit her (and the dogs), Maggie find herself with three mysteries to solve - balloon man, egged dogs and the disappearance of Seth Ryan, teen heartthrob, who just happens to be making a movie in Prospect Park.

Of course, the mysteries aren't terribly difficult to solve. Maggie is more of a junior league Nancy Drew, but there is lots of other action apart from the mysteries. There is Maggie's twin brother, Finn, her friend Lucy, who seem to be much friendlier with each other lately. And there's Milo Sanschez, a boy with a big crush on Maggie. But will Maggie notice of what is going on right up her eyes or is she too wrapped up in her cases.

Vanishing Acts is a fast, fun story about a smart, sassy girl who life is good, but far from perfect. In fact, at times it feels like a situation comedy, but that's fine. This isn't meant to be a terribly serious book. As an adolescent character, Maggie is funny, clever, resourceful, responsible, but not overly so, and she's also a bit of an entrepreneur with her dog walking business as a way to earn some extra money. Brooklyn is my hometown (I'm from Flatbush, not Park Slope) and one of the things I really liked was how Margolis captured that diversity that is so very Brooklyn. In fact, I think this is a perfect middle grade book, ideal for some light reading whenever time allows in the busy lives of middle schoolers.

Maggie Brooklyn has her own website where you can learn more about Maggie and her world (be sure to check out the map that shows all the important places in her life.)

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was obtained from the publisher

Vanishing Acts was originally reviewed on http://randomlyreading.blogspot.com/2012/09/vanishing-acts-by-leslie-margolis.html/a>
Profile Image for Shazzer.
766 reviews23 followers
March 3, 2012
As posted on Outside of a Dog:

Maggie Brooklyn Sinclair is back with two more mysteries to solve (three if you include the ongoing mystery that is boys). First of all, someone is egging dogs in the park, and Maggie is put on the trail by an older classmate. Secondly, super famous movie star Seth Ryan has gone missing from the set of his latest movie, filming in Brooklyn, and Maggie is on the hunt to track him down. Could the two cases possibly be related? All this and more is packed into the slim volume of the second Maggie Brooklyn mystery, which is just as enjoyable as the first. Though I figured out both mysteries fairly early on, I was entranced enough by Maggie's moxie to finish the book in one sitting. The mysteries could have been a bit more mysterious, but Margolis' handle on her characters is spot on, getting the downright oddness of adolescent behavior, girls and boys, in an entertaining way. This is a great book to recommend to animal lovers who like digging in to a mystery.
Profile Image for Malia C..
74 reviews1 follower
September 2, 2014
I really liked this book! My favorite thing about it is that it is a mystery that takes place in our time and all the details and how it seemed real. I thought that the author used a lot of details to describe Maggie's life and not just her perspective, but all her perspectives, too. Also, she foreshadows a lot which was good and bad. The author didn't really give away the ending but it was kind of obvious that her twin brother and her best friend have started dating. But, I think the most important thing is that she didn't give the end away. That doesn't mean there aren't any clues though! I would recommend this book mostly to girls who like mysteries and a little mushiness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Danceaw18zendayafan.
64 reviews5 followers
May 2, 2014
Leslie margolis is my favorite author. She has one of the books I haven't quit on. I have quit on stargirl because it was to boring, I quit on the wedding planners daughter because I read the second books first and the Cupid chronicles was much better and I knew everything, and I quit on Benedict society because I didn't "get" it. Sorry the spoiler was deleted! It wouldn't have done anything good anyway!
Profile Image for Lucee.
1,411 reviews44 followers
June 15, 2014
Another incredibly enjoyable Maggie Brooklyn Mystery book. This book was no less enjoyable than the first book, and the next book will no doubt be just as enjoyable. We got to know Milo better in this book, and his relationship with Maggie is more concrete in this book. We also find out what's going on between Lucy (Lulu) and Finn. I had no idea who the culprit was until the end, which was very satisfying. I would recommend this to any girl who enjoys a good light mystery.
89 reviews4 followers
February 20, 2012
This is one of my favorite books yet, it ties in my two favorite things, animals and mysteries!
Profile Image for Reese.
3 reviews
April 23, 2013
It was okay. I kinda of figured out what would happen half way through but I enjoyed it none the less.
Profile Image for Annika.
71 reviews
May 17, 2013
It was good. One problem, it says it is a mystery. Not enough mystery on my standards , but that's coming from a girl who's first big books were Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys! :D
Profile Image for Joanie.
32 reviews1 follower
October 1, 2015
OMG this was the best mystery book ever there are 2 mysterys going and they really are good mysterys the girl is just a normal four but a great detective!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.