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Friday Barnes #1
Girl Detective
When Friday Barnes solves a bank robbery, she uses the reward money to send herself to Highcrest Academy, the most exclusive boarding school in the country--and discovers it's a hotbed of crime!
Soon she's investigating everything from disappearing homework to the terrifying Yeti haunting the school swamp. But the biggest mystery yet is Ian Wainscott, the handsomest (and most arrogant) boy in school who inexplicably hates her. Will the homework be found? Can they ever track down the Yeti? And why is Ian out to ruin her?
With black-and-white art throughout, this is the launch of an exciting new mystery series!
Soon she's investigating everything from disappearing homework to the terrifying Yeti haunting the school swamp. But the biggest mystery yet is Ian Wainscott, the handsomest (and most arrogant) boy in school who inexplicably hates her. Will the homework be found? Can they ever track down the Yeti? And why is Ian out to ruin her?
With black-and-white art throughout, this is the launch of an exciting new mystery series!
272 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2014
138 people are currently reading
1722 people want to read
About the author
R.A. Spratt
46 books364 followersR.A. Spratt is an award-winning author and television writer. She lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 297 reviews
March 16, 2021
I don't pick up a lot of middle-grade fiction, but every now and then, something piques my interest somehow and I dive in. I love when it turns out as well as this one did.
The tone of this book flows right from the start. It's a mix of snark and insight told in a straight-up manner that is immediately engaging. Friday Barnes is a self-taught auto-didact with a love for mystery solving and quality alone-time, and a distaste for physical exertion—so if Veronica Mars were an introverted wuss in middle school. Which undersells the story dreadfully but is about as good as I can come up with for plot/character description.
And I think I'll leave it at that, except to add that I loved it right from the git-go and gulped it down whole. If you think you may be intrigued, the first chapter will give you all you need to know if you'll enjoy it or not.
A note about illustrations: The copy I have has marvelous illustrations by Phil Gosier. They're the perfect enhancement to the story and full of character. I looked forward to each one as a discovery in its own right.
A note about cliffhangers: This ends on a tease that some may call a cliffhanger. It may qualify, but it isn't the reader-hating abomination that comprises most cliffhangers. All the story threads wrap very well, indeed, so when the zinger hits at the end, it's pure invitation and doesn't leave any question about what happened or alter our understanding of events to that point. If you're going to do a cliffhanger, this is the model to follow!
The tone of this book flows right from the start. It's a mix of snark and insight told in a straight-up manner that is immediately engaging. Friday Barnes is a self-taught auto-didact with a love for mystery solving and quality alone-time, and a distaste for physical exertion—so if Veronica Mars were an introverted wuss in middle school. Which undersells the story dreadfully but is about as good as I can come up with for plot/character description.
And I think I'll leave it at that, except to add that I loved it right from the git-go and gulped it down whole. If you think you may be intrigued, the first chapter will give you all you need to know if you'll enjoy it or not.
A note about illustrations: The copy I have has marvelous illustrations by Phil Gosier. They're the perfect enhancement to the story and full of character. I looked forward to each one as a discovery in its own right.
A note about cliffhangers: This ends on a tease that some may call a cliffhanger. It may qualify, but it isn't the reader-hating abomination that comprises most cliffhangers. All the story threads wrap very well, indeed, so when the zinger hits at the end, it's pure invitation and doesn't leave any question about what happened or alter our understanding of events to that point. If you're going to do a cliffhanger, this is the model to follow!
September 10, 2015
Admittedly I bought this because I love Nanny Piggins! I find that Nanny Piggins has humour in it that adults can get but Friday Barnes doesn't (or maybe not in this first book). I still love the writing style and find I have a picture quickly built in my head about the character(s) and the world that Friday lives in but something was missing (maybe Nanny Piggins..lol).
I feel like there is a lot of similarities between the two books and one example is the parents lack of interest in the child (or in Nanny Piggins case children).
Friday Barnes is a detective and a very smart one at that! She likes to be a child who goes unnoticed (hence her clothing choices) but this seriously changes when she moves school. She doesn't want to follow in her parents footsteps. She's never really been one for making friends but again the school changes this! Word gets out that she solved a mystery at her private school and then it seems like everyone and their cat has a mystery to solve.
I think this book will really appeal to girls from grade 3 and upwards. Possibly some of the words will go straight over their heads but Friday is a very likeable character and her friends are too.
I was umming over purchasing the next book but this one left on such a cliff hanger I may not be able to help myself!!
I feel like there is a lot of similarities between the two books and one example is the parents lack of interest in the child (or in Nanny Piggins case children).
Friday Barnes is a detective and a very smart one at that! She likes to be a child who goes unnoticed (hence her clothing choices) but this seriously changes when she moves school. She doesn't want to follow in her parents footsteps. She's never really been one for making friends but again the school changes this! Word gets out that she solved a mystery at her private school and then it seems like everyone and their cat has a mystery to solve.
I think this book will really appeal to girls from grade 3 and upwards. Possibly some of the words will go straight over their heads but Friday is a very likeable character and her friends are too.
I was umming over purchasing the next book but this one left on such a cliff hanger I may not be able to help myself!!
February 20, 2017
Clever, entertaining, and educational. I buddy read this book with my 9-year-old daughter -- and we both had to constantly look up words to keep up with 11-year-old Friday Barnes!
Between the wacky and unusual cases that Friday gets herself involved in and the conglomeration of diverse and colorful characters, this book kept us interested and entertained from beginning to end.
We have already started the second book in the series, Friday Barnes Under Suspicion!
I received a copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Between the wacky and unusual cases that Friday gets herself involved in and the conglomeration of diverse and colorful characters, this book kept us interested and entertained from beginning to end.
We have already started the second book in the series, Friday Barnes Under Suspicion!
I received a copy of this book from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 13, 2021
Friday Barnes is currently my favourite girl detective. I first read this book in 2016 and my reread has been just as enjoyable. Friday is eccentric, extraordinarily smart and forthright.
Friday was named after the day on which she was born. Well, she would have been if it had actually been a Friday. She was really born on a Thursday but her ever distracted (and dare I say, neglectful) parents confused the days. Their minds were no doubt on quasars or electrons at the time. Don’t believe me? Friday’s older siblings are named Quantum, Quasar, Orion and Halley.
Friday essentially raised herself and until recently has spent most of her time in silence, reading anything she can get her hands on. Faced with the problem of needing to attend high school, despite passing the entrance exam to study medicine at university, eleven year old Friday elects to send herself to an elite boarding school. She pays for the tuition with the reward money she earned from solving the case of a missing multi-million dollar diamond.
Once she arrives at Highcrest Academy, Friday becomes known as the resident mystery solver, taking on cases of missing homework and the swamp yeti who has been terrorising the students.
Despite Friday’s off the charts IQ, she’s not the best at picking up on social cues, although she is slowly getting better at detecting rhetorical questions. It’s lucky for her that her new roommate, Melanie Pelly, notices things that other people don’t.
I’ve been planning a Friday Barnes binge for several years. With the release of the ninth book I’ve decided it’s finally time.
I would have adored this series as a kid and am having fun with them so far as an adult. I’ve yet to decide if Friday and I would have been best friends or mortal enemies if we were in the same class. Either way, I know I wouldn’t have been bored.
Beware: this book ends in a cliffhanger.
I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
Friday was named after the day on which she was born. Well, she would have been if it had actually been a Friday. She was really born on a Thursday but her ever distracted (and dare I say, neglectful) parents confused the days. Their minds were no doubt on quasars or electrons at the time. Don’t believe me? Friday’s older siblings are named Quantum, Quasar, Orion and Halley.
Friday essentially raised herself and until recently has spent most of her time in silence, reading anything she can get her hands on. Faced with the problem of needing to attend high school, despite passing the entrance exam to study medicine at university, eleven year old Friday elects to send herself to an elite boarding school. She pays for the tuition with the reward money she earned from solving the case of a missing multi-million dollar diamond.
Once she arrives at Highcrest Academy, Friday becomes known as the resident mystery solver, taking on cases of missing homework and the swamp yeti who has been terrorising the students.
‘Swamp yetis don’t exist.’She also finds a potential nemesis/love interest and spends much more time sitting on the bench outside the Headmaster’s office than she does in a classroom.
‘Sometimes I wonder if you are startlingly gifted,’ said the Headmaster, ‘or you simply have access to some sort of illicit counter-intelligence mind-reading device.’Occasionally she even needs to suck on a lollipop when she’s considering all of the variables of a problem, something she only does when she’s “processing a difficult conundrum.”
Despite Friday’s off the charts IQ, she’s not the best at picking up on social cues, although she is slowly getting better at detecting rhetorical questions. It’s lucky for her that her new roommate, Melanie Pelly, notices things that other people don’t.
‘My brain just does it. The hard part is getting it to notice things that are useful.’Uncle Bernie, although he doesn’t have a great deal of page time in the first book, quickly became my favourite character. He appreciates Friday for who she is (brown cardigans and all) and is the only family member that appears to even notice her existence.
I’ve been planning a Friday Barnes binge for several years. With the release of the ninth book I’ve decided it’s finally time.
I would have adored this series as a kid and am having fun with them so far as an adult. I’ve yet to decide if Friday and I would have been best friends or mortal enemies if we were in the same class. Either way, I know I wouldn’t have been bored.
Beware: this book ends in a cliffhanger.
I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.
Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com
June 22, 2018
Love, love, love this middle grade mystery series. From the way Friday got her name to the way she thinks there is endless entertainment in the solving of the mysteries all around. She has an eye for details and an affinity for anonymity. The two cannot coexist once Friday begins attending an exclusive boarding school. Great fun!
February 2, 2016
The book is describing Friday as an 11 year-old Sherlock Holmes, and that is sort of correct. But she is not just that. She is a whole person herself.
If you are thinking, oh, this is sort of like Encyclopedia Brown, which is what I thought going in, you will be pleasantly surprised that it is not. The only similiarty is that there are usually simple mysteries that if you are observant you can solve as well. All but a few were like that, at least for me. Some, near the end, felt a little dues ex macina.
There are some great lines in the book, to give you a good idea of the humor, as well as the writing style.
See, if you didn't know this, you learned this now.
Another quote that I put aside for this was:
And don't be put off because the books were originally written and published in Australia. It has been "translated" for the most part, although there were little bits where I could tell it wasn't originally an American book (which is fine by me).
So, you are probably asking, what is the book about? Well, it is about an 11 year old girl solving mysteries. If I say much more than that, it takes away from the enjoyment of reading and enjoying the book, at least it would for me. Friday is very likable, despite not fitting in (or in spite of, because who really does fit in at school?).
And yes it is Middle School (as opposed to YA), but don't let that stop you. It is a quick (about 2 or 3 hours) fun read, and if you are burned out on YA or NA or whatever the current trend is, I would suggest picking this one up.
If you are thinking, oh, this is sort of like Encyclopedia Brown, which is what I thought going in, you will be pleasantly surprised that it is not. The only similiarty is that there are usually simple mysteries that if you are observant you can solve as well. All but a few were like that, at least for me. Some, near the end, felt a little dues ex macina.
There are some great lines in the book, to give you a good idea of the humor, as well as the writing style.
Friday had received an A+ for her presentation on Rosalind Franklin and how Watson, Crick and ovarian cancer had combined to cheat her out of a Nobel Price for her role in the discovery of the structure of DNA
See, if you didn't know this, you learned this now.
Another quote that I put aside for this was:
"Yes," said Friday. "The one thing Binky excels at is following instructions without thinking."
"He gets that from our father," said Melaine. "All the Pelly men are good at not thinking."
And don't be put off because the books were originally written and published in Australia. It has been "translated" for the most part, although there were little bits where I could tell it wasn't originally an American book (which is fine by me).
So, you are probably asking, what is the book about? Well, it is about an 11 year old girl solving mysteries. If I say much more than that, it takes away from the enjoyment of reading and enjoying the book, at least it would for me. Friday is very likable, despite not fitting in (or in spite of, because who really does fit in at school?).
And yes it is Middle School (as opposed to YA), but don't let that stop you. It is a quick (about 2 or 3 hours) fun read, and if you are burned out on YA or NA or whatever the current trend is, I would suggest picking this one up.
February 20, 2017
Some books may not entirely deserve 5 stars, but you can't bring yourself to give them less.
The storytelling voice is that of Friday, the neglected daughter of two physicists who was raised with logic and alone time. She has never had a friend. After all, other children are unhygienic, demanding, hysterical, and generally trouble. Being inconspicuous is a science that Friday has raised to the level of high art. The voice and mindset of Friday Barnes are a delight, and the book ended far too soon.
All this changes when Friday solves a case and uses the reward money to send herself to an expensive private boarding school: good education and they might do a better job of raising her than her parents. In a dizzingly short space of time she manages to attract a friend, a nemesis, all the attention she never wanted, and all kinds of trouble.
The storytelling voice is that of Friday, the neglected daughter of two physicists who was raised with logic and alone time. She has never had a friend. After all, other children are unhygienic, demanding, hysterical, and generally trouble. Being inconspicuous is a science that Friday has raised to the level of high art. The voice and mindset of Friday Barnes are a delight, and the book ended far too soon.
All this changes when Friday solves a case and uses the reward money to send herself to an expensive private boarding school: good education and they might do a better job of raising her than her parents. In a dizzingly short space of time she manages to attract a friend, a nemesis, all the attention she never wanted, and all kinds of trouble.
July 20, 2018
This book, and this series, is one of my favourites ever. I enjoyed it immensely and am practically in love with it - as a fan of mystery and comedy, it was the perfect combination. Even though younger readers could enjoy it, I think all people from teenagers to adults will still find it engaging. If you haven’t read these 8 books, you’re missing out!!
September 2, 2023
This is my third re-read of this series still good years later, I love this series so much😭✨
April 3, 2021
An entertaining story that has kids acting age appropriately and the level is right without being too simplified (not always an easy thing to do). The illustrations add to it. I wanted to be Friday Barnes when I was a kid.
August 3, 2024
Loved these books when I was younger! Would definitely recommend for young teens! 💖 I read all 12 books and loved them!! Xx Defo recommend! ❤️✨️
August 15, 2017
Amusing and quick read. Can see why my 10 year old friend recommended it - I would have enjoyed it heaps at her age too! I wish I could get away with being as brutally honest as Friday :)
September 1, 2024
i wish i had discovered this book as a middle schooler not as a young adult :,)
September 6, 2025
I bought this book since it's by the same author as the Nanny Piggins series, which is a favorite in our house. It's a lighthearted mystery set at a private boarding school. Friday Barnes is a fun, quirky character who is a bit too smart for her own good. I read it aloud and my boys all enjoyed it (even the 14 year old who doesn't always love read alouds).
May 3, 2025
Very much enjoyed by my 5 year old and 9 year old.
‘A great mystery. Friday was an excellent character.’
We listened on audio :)
‘A great mystery. Friday was an excellent character.’
We listened on audio :)
August 18, 2021
It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a character named Ian must be a stuck-up, cocky rich boy. Wouldn't have it any other way.
RIVALRY REVIEW
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERIZATION: 4/5. Both Friday and Ian are super funny but for incredibly different reasons EVEN THOUGH I would hate Ian irl. If I attended this school we would have already gotten into a fistfight.
INITIAL DYNAMIC: 5/5. I'm cheating a bit and using info from the end of the book to influence this decision but who cares. The situation(s) that pit these two against each other are perfect and highly amusing.
RIVALRY DEVELOPMENT: N/A. This is a series and I think the rivals stay rivaling for a while longer (GOOD) so the dynamic doesn't change, which means no rating in this category.
GENERAL CHAOS LEVEL: 3/5. If the entire book wasn't as bizarre as it is, this score would probably be higher, but as it stands, the actions of this feud are quite entertaining but not levels of crazy above other things happening in the plot.
Average: 4/5
BONUS POINTS:
RED HERRING RIVAL (+0.5) - We're handed the typical teen drama movie nemesis (mean popular girl) and not two pages after she's introduced, the book is just like "yeah no she's not the actual rival just a random character lol" which made me laugh so bonus points.
SIKE. YOU THOUGHT (+1) - Imagine: you think you're about to be announced as your school's top scoring student again but then it ends up being the new student/your future rival... that's gotta be rough. Not for me tho y'all stay safe.
SHOWMANSHIP (+0.5) - What makes everything better? That's right, an audience! Have some points for embarrassing your rival by fact-checking his history presentation and proving he was indeed not in Egypt in front of the whole class. Fantastic content.
INJURED IN BATTLE (+1) - I honestly can't get over this type of scene. "I know you're hurt and I'm the only one who can help you but you're also still irritating. also you're stupid" ok you convinced me take my money!!!
TOTAL RIVALRY SCORE: 7/5.
Though not exactly a focal point of the book and appearing far less than most of the other rivalries I'll be analyzing, Friday and Ian make up for their lack of screentime with some key bonus point scenes and a promise of more to come in future volumes.
***
This book is so funny like??? The school is the most chaotic hotbed of rich kids ever and for that I've become obsessed with it. Someone enroll me rn. Every character is either a mess (derogatory) or a mess (affectionate) and there is NOTHING in between. Also just for the record, Melanie is THE aroace mood!
RIVALRY REVIEW
INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERIZATION: 4/5. Both Friday and Ian are super funny but for incredibly different reasons EVEN THOUGH I would hate Ian irl. If I attended this school we would have already gotten into a fistfight.
INITIAL DYNAMIC: 5/5. I'm cheating a bit and using info from the end of the book to influence this decision but who cares. The situation(s) that pit these two against each other are perfect and highly amusing.
RIVALRY DEVELOPMENT: N/A. This is a series and I think the rivals stay rivaling for a while longer (GOOD) so the dynamic doesn't change, which means no rating in this category.
GENERAL CHAOS LEVEL: 3/5. If the entire book wasn't as bizarre as it is, this score would probably be higher, but as it stands, the actions of this feud are quite entertaining but not levels of crazy above other things happening in the plot.
Average: 4/5
BONUS POINTS:
RED HERRING RIVAL (+0.5) - We're handed the typical teen drama movie nemesis (mean popular girl) and not two pages after she's introduced, the book is just like "yeah no she's not the actual rival just a random character lol" which made me laugh so bonus points.
SIKE. YOU THOUGHT (+1) - Imagine: you think you're about to be announced as your school's top scoring student again but then it ends up being the new student/your future rival... that's gotta be rough. Not for me tho y'all stay safe.
SHOWMANSHIP (+0.5) - What makes everything better? That's right, an audience! Have some points for embarrassing your rival by fact-checking his history presentation and proving he was indeed not in Egypt in front of the whole class. Fantastic content.
INJURED IN BATTLE (+1) - I honestly can't get over this type of scene. "I know you're hurt and I'm the only one who can help you but you're also still irritating. also you're stupid" ok you convinced me take my money!!!
TOTAL RIVALRY SCORE: 7/5.
Though not exactly a focal point of the book and appearing far less than most of the other rivalries I'll be analyzing, Friday and Ian make up for their lack of screentime with some key bonus point scenes and a promise of more to come in future volumes.
***
This book is so funny like??? The school is the most chaotic hotbed of rich kids ever and for that I've become obsessed with it. Someone enroll me rn. Every character is either a mess (derogatory) or a mess (affectionate) and there is NOTHING in between. Also just for the record, Melanie is THE aroace mood!
July 10, 2014
I chose this book as my July Book of the Month for the bookshop I work at. My bookshop received a proof copy from the publishers but this review is my own honest opinion of the book.
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective is the first fantastic book in a new series.
Friday is incredibly intelligent, amazingly perceptive, has an extraordinarily broad and advanced knowledge base, and yet few social skills to speak of; she is an 11 year old Sherlock-Holmes-style genius.
Faced with the horror of her parents' plan to send her to the local high school, Friday decides to use her brilliant intelligence and observation skills to fund her way through a swanky private school instead - because if she must attend high school then she'd like to go somewhere that operates on a profit motive. Once there, she discovers that rich kids have an awful lot of problems, and by offering them her detective services she can keep herself intellectually stimulated whilst simultaneously turning a tidy profit.
The people Friday finds herself surrounded with are delightful and quirky characters, and even minor characters manage to shine in their own small roles. Tongue-in-cheek jokes abound, and I found myself giggling every few pages at the wry humour.
Friday Barnes: Girl Detective is the first fantastic book in a new series.
Friday is incredibly intelligent, amazingly perceptive, has an extraordinarily broad and advanced knowledge base, and yet few social skills to speak of; she is an 11 year old Sherlock-Holmes-style genius.
Faced with the horror of her parents' plan to send her to the local high school, Friday decides to use her brilliant intelligence and observation skills to fund her way through a swanky private school instead - because if she must attend high school then she'd like to go somewhere that operates on a profit motive. Once there, she discovers that rich kids have an awful lot of problems, and by offering them her detective services she can keep herself intellectually stimulated whilst simultaneously turning a tidy profit.
The people Friday finds herself surrounded with are delightful and quirky characters, and even minor characters manage to shine in their own small roles. Tongue-in-cheek jokes abound, and I found myself giggling every few pages at the wry humour.
December 14, 2016
Another book where the reviewers and I clearly read different books.
Two chapters of this book and I was ready to flip through to the end. Friday is self taught and neglected, but while Roald Dahl made this wonderful in the immortal character of Matilda, Friday is just an annoying little know it all. I'm with the headmaster--I'd like to whack her.
P.S. The author may think he/she is channeling Roald Dahl's witty, droll prose. He/she isn't.
Two chapters of this book and I was ready to flip through to the end. Friday is self taught and neglected, but while Roald Dahl made this wonderful in the immortal character of Matilda, Friday is just an annoying little know it all. I'm with the headmaster--I'd like to whack her.
P.S. The author may think he/she is channeling Roald Dahl's witty, droll prose. He/she isn't.
January 20, 2015
My new Trixie Beldon.
June 10, 2016
Now I want a green porkpie hat and beige cardigan.
August 4, 2022
The kind of book I would have loved as an 11-year-old. The kind of book that I love as a 39-year-old
June 16, 2022
I AM HOLLERING THIS IS THE BEST ONE I READ THIS MONTH. I give up on YA seriously. I mean, how is it that a book not written for my age group hits the ball out of the park for everything I need: a smart female protagonist, wholesome f/f friendships, amazing mysteries, hilarious one-liners, and frickin academic rivals without the romance plotline taking over any other aspects? I love this. I'm a fan now <3
June 24, 2023
Anna, you did not just give me a book that ends on a cliffhanger I hate you for that, now I need the second one. kinda wish Ian kissed her when they were out n the swamp I'm like Melanie observant and loves a good romance. this book kinda reminds me of another series that I have which is like 18 books long can't remember the name of it, it'll come to me sooner or later. Good book Anna I need book 2, please
December 16, 2020
I seriously 😐 love ❤️ this book 📚 I love how Friday is not admitting that she likes Ian they are a great 😌 team except for the fact that there totally 💯 do not have the same personality 😏😟😖😫 because Ian is the snobby liar 😱🤬😡😤 while Friday is the smart nice 👍 know it all 🤔😶😐😑😸😺 like I said I love 💗 this book 📖
January 28, 2018
I think i'm in Love with Friday Barnes !!
February 21, 2022
Realising a lot of the books I read when I was younger were about girl defectives at posh boarding schools?
Always interesting rereading middle grade books! I liked it well enough, but Nanny Piggins were always superb in comparison (might have to reread those too).
Always interesting rereading middle grade books! I liked it well enough, but Nanny Piggins were always superb in comparison (might have to reread those too).
Read
July 6, 2023alr this was fun
March 11, 2018
4,5 stars
Full review at https://www.theteacherslibrary.org/si...
Full review at https://www.theteacherslibrary.org/si...
March 10, 2017
I loved this book because it has a lot of character and is really funny!
July 10, 2016
I enjoyed a lot about this book but I will be a grumpy bum and start with what I hated! Then I can finish on a positive.
Firstly I find even cliff-hangers at the end of chapters vaguely tacky. Having one at the end of the book stops the book being as satisfying as it ought to be. I know authors do it to make you feel you have to buy/read the next one but I quite honestly prefer when the author has enough confidence in their good writing and/or freshness of voice (this was a book that could have relied on that) to make you WANT TO rather than HAVE TO follow the adventures. I feel because more than likely every book finishes with a cliff-hanger reading any more of these will be a low priority for me.
I always associate cliffhangers at the end of the book with Francine Pascal's tacky series in the 80s!
Next: Freshness of voice. Yes it certainly has that! There is a sarcastic, even cynical humour pervading the book and at times deliberately undoing cliches or perversely giving us the opposite of what we probably accept. Applause for that! That made me laugh, at times read out a paragraph aloud and tell my son he really ought to read this (which will mean he will want the whole series so my boycotting of cliffhangers may not work). As a member of the much maligned teaching profession I did not value the way teachers and teaching were portrayed and the general pro-capitalist agenda in much of the book. Despite what some people say humour IS political.
Having said that, the sarcasm I feel runs so deep that you can't get an unequivocal message from any of it. I think one of the best messages to take from this book is "assume nothing, believe nothing". For example Friday's apparent endorsement of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus is probably not to be taken at face value given the whole thing is such an irreverent romp.
I love that the "love interest" is probably not a love interest (and even if it turns out that he is, this scenario is more tolerable than most). I also love the way his dazzling beauty is described when he first appears. I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes style deductions from tiny hints. It's all very contrived and a bit silly but lots of fun having a pre-teen girl being a Sherlock Holmes. I approve of portrayals of children as capable. I ADORED when her uncle refuses to improve her look and sends her the same sort of clothes she has always worn because he loves her the way she is.
There were a couple of spelling mistakes. At times (as I said) I found the negative world-view a touch offensive (stereotypes about academics included). I am not 100% sure this book is quite right for the average child, at least they probably need guidance to read it critically (unless they are as smart as Friday of course or as evil minded as my children). On the other hand I couldn't put the book down last night and go to bed because the fast pacing, deductive ingenuity and irreverence are a lot of fun!
A steal if they are still putting it out for the $5 introductory price!
Firstly I find even cliff-hangers at the end of chapters vaguely tacky. Having one at the end of the book stops the book being as satisfying as it ought to be. I know authors do it to make you feel you have to buy/read the next one but I quite honestly prefer when the author has enough confidence in their good writing and/or freshness of voice (this was a book that could have relied on that) to make you WANT TO rather than HAVE TO follow the adventures. I feel because more than likely every book finishes with a cliff-hanger reading any more of these will be a low priority for me.
I always associate cliffhangers at the end of the book with Francine Pascal's tacky series in the 80s!
Next: Freshness of voice. Yes it certainly has that! There is a sarcastic, even cynical humour pervading the book and at times deliberately undoing cliches or perversely giving us the opposite of what we probably accept. Applause for that! That made me laugh, at times read out a paragraph aloud and tell my son he really ought to read this (which will mean he will want the whole series so my boycotting of cliffhangers may not work). As a member of the much maligned teaching profession I did not value the way teachers and teaching were portrayed and the general pro-capitalist agenda in much of the book. Despite what some people say humour IS political.
Having said that, the sarcasm I feel runs so deep that you can't get an unequivocal message from any of it. I think one of the best messages to take from this book is "assume nothing, believe nothing". For example Friday's apparent endorsement of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus is probably not to be taken at face value given the whole thing is such an irreverent romp.
I love that the "love interest" is probably not a love interest (and even if it turns out that he is, this scenario is more tolerable than most). I also love the way his dazzling beauty is described when he first appears. I enjoyed the Sherlock Holmes style deductions from tiny hints. It's all very contrived and a bit silly but lots of fun having a pre-teen girl being a Sherlock Holmes. I approve of portrayals of children as capable. I ADORED when her uncle refuses to improve her look and sends her the same sort of clothes she has always worn because he loves her the way she is.
There were a couple of spelling mistakes. At times (as I said) I found the negative world-view a touch offensive (stereotypes about academics included). I am not 100% sure this book is quite right for the average child, at least they probably need guidance to read it critically (unless they are as smart as Friday of course or as evil minded as my children). On the other hand I couldn't put the book down last night and go to bed because the fast pacing, deductive ingenuity and irreverence are a lot of fun!
A steal if they are still putting it out for the $5 introductory price!
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