Alibi

by Kristin Butcher

Fifteen-year-old Christine is visiting her eccentric great-aunt in historic Witcombe, where a pickpocket has been victimizing tourists. Aunt Maude owns an antique store and also runs the town's ghost walk, which gives Christine the opportunity to meet local characters and visitors, including a mysterious young man who seems to know far too much about the crimes. When the pickpocket targets Aunt Maude's store, Christine is determined to find out who is behind the thefts. Her search takes her through the nooks and crannies of the quaint town full of stories, and she unearths more than one surprise.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult

120 pages, Library Binding

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[D · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Alibi" by Kristin Butcher is a book written for reluctant readers. It is a small and short book, so I will be judging it as I would a short story and on the basis of if I would recommend this title to teens that have trouble getting into books. Kristin Butcher has written many books before this one, including other titles for reluctant readers.

"Alibi" is about how Christine happens upon a mystery while staying with her Aunt Maude in Witcombe. There have been a string of robberies in the surrounding towns, and Christine starts believing it may be the mysterious boy that showed up last minute to Aunt Maude's ghost tour.

Despite the length of the book, Kristin manages to fit a lot of character and story into the pages. Aunt Maude is the fun, crazy aunt many of us have or wish we had, there are these creepy yet cool old lady twins that make a few appearances, and mainly Aunt Maude carries the story. The mysterious guy, Simon, was not as colorful as the rest of the characters, but I did enjoy his scenes. Finally, Christine was mostly okay. I personally do not like shrillness and quick anger as characterizations for a lead female character, but I don't believe it takes away from the story.

I would definitely recommend this book to kids in middle school and above that have trouble reading.


Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Great
Recommended: Recommended*
Level: Middle school +

*I would say this rating depends on your teen community.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hi-lo book with a feel of a cozy mystery written for young people? Sign me up! I liked this book, which wasn't much of a surprise as the author is becoming one of my favorites. A bit of robbery, some ghost stories, and a cast full of interesting characters make this the perfect summertime reading for mystery lovers. I suspected the ending long before it came, but didn't care because it was so much fun to see how the whole story played out. Definitely hunting down anything else I can get my hands on by Ms. Butcher...

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of silly but fun.

[Sivyu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kristin Butcher. Alibi (2014). Set in modern day Witcombe, British Columbia, Canada, fifteen year old Christine is spending the summer with her 71 year old great Aunt Maude. Aunt Maude is an antiques shop owner by day who begins to give a Ghost Walk Tour of the small tourist town at night. As soon as Christine steps off the bus, the mystery begins. There have been a rash of robberies in the surrounding areas. When the crimes reach Witcombe, Christine who fancies herself an amateur detective starts to investigate and take matters into her own hands. She meets the mysterious Simon who has something up his sleeve. But is he the thief? If it's not him, who could it be? The book is fast paced with twists and turns. I enjoyed the descriptions of the small Canadian historic tourist town. The characters were fun, especially Aunt Maude. It's good for hi-lo because it is written at a fourth grade reading level, but has an interesting topic with teenage characters that will engage reluctant readers. It looks like an "average" YA book, so older readers won't be embarrassed to carry it around. Target audience: 14 years+

[Diana Stevan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little mystery, suitable for 10-14 year old readers who like a good story but not one they have to struggle with. When 15 yr. old Christine visits her colourful Aunt Maude, she discovers not only more of her aunt's quirkiness but also some of her own hidden talents as a detective. With a thief playing havoc in the community, Christine checks out a hot young man who is not all that he appears to be, and a few other suspicious visitors who deserve a second look. I've read a number of Kristin Butcher's books. She never disappoints.

[Dalton Dachelet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book wasn't bad but it was very mysterious and different. I actually loved how Kristin Butcher wrote the book because she wrote it so even if you skipped pages you could still understand it. I liked this book because the main character Christine is wondering why all the robberies are happening and who is sneaking into this old house. The only thing that could make it better is if there was more action because the only thing that happened was the robberies. That was my review on Alibi.

[Shannon Rickert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love all books that in the orca collection. They are great for reluctant readers. They have a good story and have good meaning.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short mystery with some nice figurative language that fits the story line and the characters. Things are not always what they seem!

[Gena Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book. Oh, my goodness! It kept me on edge the whole time! I even had that feeling when you nervous walking through fear forest. I'm glad thief wasn't the cute guy, Simon. Even though I kind of thought it was him and the twins working together. I thought it was all of them because of the title Alibi. When they set a trap up to see who was the thief, that was just CRAZY! I never in a million years would have thought that there was a set of identical triplets working together. This book was suspenseful and REALLY good!

[Alison Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A minute mystery for readers wanting a quick 'who dun it' book. I always like twist endings!

[Carol Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gripping but easy-to-read mystery story concerns Christine, a 15-year-old girl who goes to stay with her aunt in a charming little town in western Canada that is experiencing a rash of burglaries. During the course of her visit she helps solve the mystery of who is robbing and burglarizing people and shops in the area. The suspense keeps one turning the pages, and the brevity and simplicity of the story will also appeal to reluctant readers. Charming, well written, and easy to read. A good addition to collections serving reluctant readers at the middle-school and high-school levels.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Orca Currents title is about 15-year-old Christine who goes to stay with her aunt in a small town during summer vacation. Her aunt Maude runs an antique shop and conducts ghost tours in the small, touristy town. A string of robberies in nearby towns soon extends to their town as well. Christine is determined to catch the thief because one of the robberies happened in her aunt's store!
A savvy reader will quickly figure out the solution to the mystery, but it is still a satisfying read with interesting characters.

[J. S. Seebauer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this book up as Orca is so popular at my school and I don't have this one. Must admit I've not read a lot of Orca series books so this was my second.

Overall it was good. Not great but good. Storyline is easy to follow but does have a few gaps. Characters are developed enough to be engaging. Plot was quality.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, fast-paced, engaging "whodunnit" style mystery for reluctant middle-level readers.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay story. It will isn't much different from other mysteries I have read. When I picked it up I was hoping for a little more action then I got. Overall it was a decent and shirt read.

[S.E. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was predictable.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

More a short mystery. Easy read.

[C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast-paced mystery; easy reading for struggling readers, but with enough plot (and some character development) to be an appealing quick read for anyone.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery read for middle school students. Good plot and somewhat fast paced.