The Case of the Snack Snatcher

West Meadows Detectives #1

by Liam O'Donnell

Meet a third-grade detective who loves logic, facts, and solving mysteries. He does not love new things. Unfortunately, everything is new this Myron has a new baby sister, his family has moved across town, and now he’s starting his first day at a new school. But when the school kitchen is burgled, leaving the morning snacks nowhere to be found, Myron gets his chance to crack the case with help from his classmates from Resource Room 15.Myron’s unique perspective from the autism spectrum makes him a top-notch sleuth. Similarly, the other kids in his resource room demonstrate creative problem solving and unique talents that come in handy for the case. Together with his detective partner, the hyper-energetic Hajrah, and tech-savvy Danielle, known as “Glitch,” Myron gets to the bottom of the mystery — all while trying to avoid the school bully, Sarah “Smasher” McGuintley, who’s intent on sabotaging their efforts. Black-and-white spot illustrations accompany the text in this fun and accessible page-turner for independent readers.

Genres: Mystery, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Childrens, Chapter Books, Middle Grade, Drama, School

Hardcover

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

I’m an award-winning author, educator and literacy advocate. I have created over 35 graphic novels and books specifically for reluctant readers, including Max Finder Mystery, Graphic Guide Adventures, Geeked Out Mysteries and two new series Tank & Fizz and Battle of the Blocks.

Visit liamodonnell.com and say hi! That'd be awesome.

Reviews

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Third grader Myron loves solving mysteries, and he notices details that others miss, but many situations make his brain itch. Myron is autistic, as he tells a girl in his new class, and it means that his brain works differently than others. This mystery for young readers shows a diverse elementary school with many types of learners, in a fun school-based mystery reminiscent of the “A to Z Mysteries.”

[Shelby Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

West Meadows Detectives #1: The Case of the Snack Snatcher is a mystery book that offers the unique perspective of a child on the autism spectrum, Myron. On the first day of third grade at his new school, there is a burglary! The snacks have mysteriously gone missing. Myron's detective skills partnered with his new classmates make for a perfect match to crack the case.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend the West Meadows Detective series to anyone. It offers a representation of students on the autism spectrum, which I personally haven't seen in other books before. I babysit for three boys on the spectrum and think they would enjoy this book as well. I hope to read it to them someday.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely kid's mystery with a variety of inclusive characters and an autistic lead. A great start to a new series. I'm reading the next one too

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great kids book. Main character is autistic. Very inclusive.

[Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I like to read different fiction genres, I find middle grade/children's books very lovely and they become my favorites very quickly.

This book was really promising. Myron is a boy you learn to love and understand through the pages. He has a different way of learning, so his point of view was unique and very pleasant to read. The other characters were sweet and compliment Myron perfectly.

However I complain about the story. I felt like it needed more character development and also more mystery. It's a great book for kids and I hope it gets better with the next books.

I won this book through GoodReads and I thank to the publisher for providing me this copy but this fact didn't influence the review.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myron and Hajrah have brains that work differently but they work together to find out who is trashing the school kitchen. I love the term "neurodiversity" to describe these wonderful students. Grade 3-4

[Judy Wollin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myron is anxious. New shirt. New Shoes. New School. Myron’s class is in room 15. There are only four kids in the class. In the afternoon Myron joins a bigger class with 22 kids. Day one is thrown into chaos when the school kitchen is trashed, and the morning snacks go missing.
Myron meets the licorice eating Hajrah who is hiding in the cupboard in the kitchen. Hajrah is one of Myron’s classmates. She tells Myron she’s in room 15 because she “too jumpy”. Myron tells Hajrah “I’m autistic…My brain works differently.” Hajrah is impressed and is sure having a brain the works differently makes Myron a great detective. She joins Myron as his assistant. Myron isn’t so sure he wants or likes working with an assistant.
Glitch stole things last year. She’s suspect one. Did she steal the snacks? If not, Glitch who did? Why is Smasher so keen to stop Myron finding the answer? Can Myron work with Hajrah? Can they find the snack snatcher before more snacks go missing?

I enjoyed the inclusion of the range of characters that brought their unique perspectives to the fore.
Recommended for 8+. A great book to read together and to explore and build empathy around inclusion.

[Amanda Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging mystery book for early readers. Quick format and simple sentences appropriate for 1st-3rd. Seemingly simple mystery story, with a few extra interesting details that takes it beyond the obvious.

The addition of autistic and ADHD characters is a nice touch and I'm glad to see these characters starting to appear in more mainstream novels.

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myron is a student on the autism spectrum, which makes him an excellent detective since the observations he makes are super detailed. In this book, we follow Myron on his adventure to solve the case of who stole the missing snacks from the school cafeteria. This story is perfect to have on a classroom bookshelf because of the representation and heart-warming story.

[Skylar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second grade class I’m interning with read this book to talk about the mystery genre. I think that this book was so easy to follow and entertaining for them!! I liked hearing their thinking and just having little book talks about the book. Reading it with them, I got to dive in to a children’s chapter book, which I haven’t done in years! It was a cute read !!

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

My 4th grader suggested I read this book. He is really into mysteries and detective books. He loved this one. I think he could relate, to some degree, with the main character (who is Autistic) in how he is very attentive to clues.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very enjoyable mystery for young readers. Nice sprinkling of clues and information to make it solvable but not too easily predictable. I also liked that the main characters were neurodiverse. It presents a unique perspective.

[Jennifer F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very delightful, the story kept us entertained and guessing until the end. It was especially nice to hear Myron's internal dialogue; my son isn't on the spectrum, but like most kids he is very literal and Myron is, too.

[Lisa's Book Corner · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining early chapter book featuring Myron, a child with ASD who is also a kid detective, as well as his neurodiverse classmates in the Spec Ed classroom at West Meadows Elementary School. Heartwarming and enjoyable. Highly recommend.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neuro-diverse characters who use that diversity to enhance their abilities, rather than treat them as disabilities. I like it.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book will inspire quite a bit of discussion - why are four kids placed in a special class by themselves for part of the day because they are different?

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was good

[Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mystery series for 2nd - 3rd graders. The positive thing about this series is the first person narrative from the main character who is autistic.

[Megan Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun read aloud. My boys love this series

[Emily Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adored the characterization in the first two chapters, but (spoiler alert) I think the whole "animals did it" plot is played out.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great chapter book mystery with a 3rd grade main character who is autistic. He befriends a classmate, and they become partners in the detective business. Myron has an authentic voice. It's great to see the diverse group of characters to make this story complete. Myron doesn't let anything hold him back!

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myron an autistic third grader faces the challenges of entering a new school. Before long he meets Hajrah, an outgoing hyper girl who ends up in room 15 with him because as she tells him, "I bounce around too much." Myron prides himself on his detective skills, his super sleuthing powers of noticing details, and keen sense of smell. He is fascinated with mysteries, relishing the process of creating his own Mystery-o-pedia book, which lists the names of the greatest detectives and their best cases. He even names his basset hound Columbo. So.. when Myron and Hajrah learn about the case of the ransacked kitchen with the stolen snacks, they know they've found an important mystery to solve. Told with convincing realism, characters Myron and his partner Haijrah build a suspenseful page-turning easy to read mystery kids will enjoy reading. The expressive cartoon like illustrations by Aurelie Grand portray a multicultural set of characters that enhance this mystery.The depiction of Myron's strong sleuthing skills inherent in his autism makes this a positive fun book for all kids to enjoy.

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myron starts a new school year (which he hates, because he doesn’t like changes) and he immediately finds a mystery to solve (which he loves, because he is a 3rd grade detective). Myron doesn’t make friends easily and doesn’t understand why people sometimes speak the way they do, because he has autism. But Myron finds that one of his classmates becomes a friend and his exacting nature helps them solve the mystery of the snack snatcher.
http://julianaleewriter.com/the-cybil...

[Drew Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read (1 hour) and not very exciting. It didn't have any suspense. Most mysteries have suspense. The author gave away too many clues. I knew who did it half way through the book. It also wasn't very funny.

I did like the character Hajrah. She is really curious, adventurous, asks questions and doesn't wait around before doing things — like me.

I think it would be a exciting to a 5 or 6 year old, not a 9 year old.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Myron has to change schools and he does not like change. However, the first day of school also brings a mystery; someone has stolen the snacks and ransacked the kitchen. Myron is intrigued, and along with his new friend Hajrah, decides to solve the mystery.

[Alice Kuhn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myron is a little worried about his first day at a new school. No time for that! On his first day Myron Myron gets involved in a mystery. Someone is stealing food from the school cafeteria. With help from his classmate Hajraha the try to solve the mystery. Great book for 3rd grade and up.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young readers will enjoy following the clues to find out who is breaking in to the school's kitchen.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good for fans of a-z mysteries

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good mystery for readers ready to graduate from beginning readers.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the main character but was unimpressed with the mystery itself. More thoughts here: http://www.sunlitpages.com/2016/02/th...