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Bobby Lee Claremont and the Criminal Element
All aboard for a fast-paced, Jazz Age–era murder mystery set aboard a Chicago-bound train! It’s 1923, and thirteen-year-old Bobby Lee Claremont is leaving the Sisters of Charitable Mercy orphanage in New Orleans, certain a better life awaits in Chicago’s glamorous-sounding mob scene. But his plans unravel when he boards his train and meets the recently widowed Nanette O’Halloran, her two traveling companions, and a cop who suspects the trio of murdering Nanette’s husband. Bobby Lee is sure Nanette’s innocent. But what about her companions? As Bobby Lee digs for answers, he discovers the mob, Prohibition, segregation, and a famed jazz band are all pieces of an increasingly dangerous puzzle.
A Junior Library Guild selection.
A Junior Library Guild selection.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2017
4 people are currently reading
266 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 18, 2017
Jeannie Mobley is my favorite writer of historical fiction for middle-grade readers, and I think that this title may be the best of hers yet. A total page-turner filled with colorful characters and increasingly dangerous situations, it's also funny AND heartwarming--a tough combination to pull off. Bobby Lee himself is an unforgettable character, a tough, wannabe criminal who just may have more of a conscience than he thought. This book is a great way to introduce young readers to the history of Jim Crow laws while also totally engaging them in a caper they won't want to put down.
March 2, 2019
I love this book. A fun adventure during a time when races did not mix in the south. Children can change things. I was especially impressed with the descriptions of how things changed once the characters reached the north!
October 16, 2017
This is historical fiction meets Agatha Christie with comedy all thrown in for middle school aged children. But of course enjoyable for adults too! Great fast paced read you won't want to put down til you're finished!
May 7, 2018
Thirteen-year-old Bobby Lee Claremont is ready to start a new life of crime since his mother died. With the money he stole from the poor box of the Sisters of Charitable Mercy Orphanage in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he lives, Bobby boards a train on May 1923, bound for Chicago, where he wants to to earn big money working with big time gangsters there.
On his twenty-four hour journey, Bobby meets a widow, Nanette O'Halloran, with her baby. The husband, Jimmy, is aboard the train too--in a casket, as are the dead man's friends and business partner, but yet they're overly anxious for the widow to get the life insurance. Bobby makes friends with two African-American boys who work on the train with their grandfather who is a porter. The three boys join forces to see if they can protect the widow from Jimmy's business partner, who may have caused the death of her husband, and beat Bobby up. Also aboard is a cop who wants Bobby to learn something about the widow, to prove she shouldn't receive money from the life insurance policy.
Who is Bobby to believe because they all seem to have a criminal element? The puzzle pieces finally fit into place and Bobby finds a way to help the widow with his knowledge about Jim Crow laws, and with the help of Catholic Sisters in Chicago and New Orleans.
I enjoyed seeing the French proverbs and I thought Bobby was very creative in solving the life insurance policy dilemma. The clicking twenty-four clock added suspense to this mystery.
On his twenty-four hour journey, Bobby meets a widow, Nanette O'Halloran, with her baby. The husband, Jimmy, is aboard the train too--in a casket, as are the dead man's friends and business partner, but yet they're overly anxious for the widow to get the life insurance. Bobby makes friends with two African-American boys who work on the train with their grandfather who is a porter. The three boys join forces to see if they can protect the widow from Jimmy's business partner, who may have caused the death of her husband, and beat Bobby up. Also aboard is a cop who wants Bobby to learn something about the widow, to prove she shouldn't receive money from the life insurance policy.
Who is Bobby to believe because they all seem to have a criminal element? The puzzle pieces finally fit into place and Bobby finds a way to help the widow with his knowledge about Jim Crow laws, and with the help of Catholic Sisters in Chicago and New Orleans.
I enjoyed seeing the French proverbs and I thought Bobby was very creative in solving the life insurance policy dilemma. The clicking twenty-four clock added suspense to this mystery.
October 16, 2017
Thirteen-year-old Bobby Lee Claremont has had it with his life in New Orleans in 1923. Now that his beloved mother has died and he's being plagued by the nuns who befriended both of them, he feels as though he has no friends and no chance at having a better life. All he can think of is to head north to Chicago and a life of crime. After stealing money from the poor box in the orphanage to pay for his train ticket, he looks around for others who seem to represent the criminal element of society. He figures he'll somehow prove himself to them, thus paving his way into involvement with a gang and access to money and a better life. Bobby gets more than he bargained for and finds himself embroiled in a plot to trick a beautiful widow out of her insurance money. Countless times, Bobby is faced with danger and choices, and he isn't always sure what the right choice is since he hasn't decided exactly what kind of man he wants to be and what sort of path he wants to walk. His journey and the story are enhanced by the inclusion of information about the Jim Crow laws of the times and by several new friends he makes along the way. Terrance and Leon, grandsons of one of the porters, for instance, introduce him to a very different experience while riding the train with its segregated dining cars. I thoroughly enjoyed this dip into history through a well-written piece of historical fiction even while doubting that Sister Mary Magdalene would be willing to do all that Bobby Lee asked of her. I might hope that she could look past her vows and do the right thing by arranging for others to lie, but I'm a bit skeptical about that. Still, it was fun to watch her and Bobby Lee in action. Intermediate and middle graders are likely to enjoy this book if provided with proper historical context. After all, it is Bobby Lee who holds his own fate in his hands.
December 31, 2017
Bobby Lee Claremont began saw that his mamm worked an honest hard working job and still died too young and poor. As a resident in the Sisters of Charitable Mercy Orphanage Bobby Lee was taught how to take care of babies, keep a home clean, and the difference between right and wrong. But he knew he wanted a better life. He was tired of being poor. Bobby Lee read about the gangsters in Chicago and their rich life style and he wanted that life, or at least the rewards of that life.
His journey started on a train leaving his home of New Orleans bound for Chicago. While on the train he encounters some of the criminal element from New Orleans and Chicago. He encounters a sad widow and her baby, her dead husbands friends and business partners, and he makes some friends of his own and discover everyone has a secret they are trying to protect. Through some brave adventures, he even gets himself a job offer with the infamous Mr. OBanion. Now he has to decide, is that really the kind of person he wants to be?
This book would be interesting for anyone in love with train mysteries and stories set in the 1920's. there is discussion of race issues, prohibition, and gangsters. I am not sure a middle grade reader would plow through the whole story, there are a few sub plots and a lot of characters to keep straight. It is for anyone looking for a historical train mystery and interested in learning more about racial inequalities in New Orleans.
His journey started on a train leaving his home of New Orleans bound for Chicago. While on the train he encounters some of the criminal element from New Orleans and Chicago. He encounters a sad widow and her baby, her dead husbands friends and business partners, and he makes some friends of his own and discover everyone has a secret they are trying to protect. Through some brave adventures, he even gets himself a job offer with the infamous Mr. OBanion. Now he has to decide, is that really the kind of person he wants to be?
This book would be interesting for anyone in love with train mysteries and stories set in the 1920's. there is discussion of race issues, prohibition, and gangsters. I am not sure a middle grade reader would plow through the whole story, there are a few sub plots and a lot of characters to keep straight. It is for anyone looking for a historical train mystery and interested in learning more about racial inequalities in New Orleans.
October 28, 2017
Jeannie Mobley is my go-to author for historical fiction. She has a way of weaving all sorts of captivating tidbits in her books—this time about the 1920s and the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, train travel, jazz, and so much more. Even better, the author’s notes at the end of the book invites the reader to peek inside the author’s mind and learn what inspired her to write this tale. Absolutely fascinating. And bonus points to the publisher for adding a map at the beginning. I do so love maps.
But it was the characters that made this book. I was holding my breath the entire book, hoping Bobby Lee could become the person I wanted him to be. In the end, did he? I won’t give away the plot – you must read the book yourself.
This is Jeannie Mobley’s finest work to date. I highly recommend it.
But it was the characters that made this book. I was holding my breath the entire book, hoping Bobby Lee could become the person I wanted him to be. In the end, did he? I won’t give away the plot – you must read the book yourself.
This is Jeannie Mobley’s finest work to date. I highly recommend it.
November 16, 2017
Received as a giveaway arc-
Bobby Lee Claremont is a middle grade novel (back cover says ages 8-12) that I still found very much enjoyable even as an adult. 1920s, New Orleans, jazz, gangsters, segregation, mystery—all combined well for a really well written story. It kept a nice pace, kept me interested, and I found myself very curious to know how the story ended.
Bobby Lee Claremont is a middle grade novel (back cover says ages 8-12) that I still found very much enjoyable even as an adult. 1920s, New Orleans, jazz, gangsters, segregation, mystery—all combined well for a really well written story. It kept a nice pace, kept me interested, and I found myself very curious to know how the story ended.
December 16, 2020
This book was very slow to get into action but when there was it was GREAT . There are a few more things i want to comment on but those would give some of the book away .... :P
This has no violence whatsoever so if you were thinking there might be i am happy to say there is none (there almost is at some points tho) .
This has no violence whatsoever so if you were thinking there might be i am happy to say there is none (there almost is at some points tho) .
April 9, 2018
There are so many things to like, or even love, about this book... longer review later while I gather my thoughts to do this book justice.
September 4, 2019
What a cute story!
January 15, 2019
The story: Robert E. Lee Claremont has stolen $12 from the Sisters of Mercy poor box and is on his way to Chicago and a life of crime. But when he meets the mysterious widow Nannette O'Halloran, he falls in love...just a little...and decides to help her out. The question is--how much help can a 13-year-old boy be to a woman who's being pursued by moonshiners and organized criminals? Even Bobby Lee himself will be surprised.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (racism, organized crime, murder) PG; overall rating PG. Best for grades 5-8.
Liz's comments: How I wish today's MS kids could be lured into reading good historical fiction! Not only is this an engaging mystery, but it also opens a look into the world of the Jim Crow South in the 1920s--the manifest unfairness of which might just help today's kids be a little more tolerant in today's increasingly racially-divided society.
June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult G; GLBT content G; adult themes (racism, organized crime, murder) PG; overall rating PG. Best for grades 5-8.
Liz's comments: How I wish today's MS kids could be lured into reading good historical fiction! Not only is this an engaging mystery, but it also opens a look into the world of the Jim Crow South in the 1920s--the manifest unfairness of which might just help today's kids be a little more tolerant in today's increasingly racially-divided society.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews