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The Red Blazer Girls #2
The Vanishing Violin
The perfect series for kids who loved THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more mysteries! "With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, The Red Blazer Girls represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- Huffington Post 's 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
When there are mysteries to be solved, the Red Blazer Girls are on the case! The discovery of the Ring of Rocamadour has secured the girls' reputation as Upper East Side super-sleuths, bringing many sundry job requests (no mystery too small, right?) and some unwanted attention from crooks. This time the girls must follow a trail of cryptic clues, involving everything from logic to literature, to trace a rare violin gone missing. But nothing is as it appears, and just as a solution seems imminent, the girls find themselves scrambling to save the man who was once their prime suspect. Bowstrings and betrayal, crushes and codes abound in this suspenseful companion to the Red Blazer Girls' 2009 debut. Michael Beil, a New York City high school English teacher and life-long mystery fan, delivers a middle-grade caper that's perfect for middle-grade readers who have finished THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more advanced mysteries!
When there are mysteries to be solved, the Red Blazer Girls are on the case! The discovery of the Ring of Rocamadour has secured the girls' reputation as Upper East Side super-sleuths, bringing many sundry job requests (no mystery too small, right?) and some unwanted attention from crooks. This time the girls must follow a trail of cryptic clues, involving everything from logic to literature, to trace a rare violin gone missing. But nothing is as it appears, and just as a solution seems imminent, the girls find themselves scrambling to save the man who was once their prime suspect. Bowstrings and betrayal, crushes and codes abound in this suspenseful companion to the Red Blazer Girls' 2009 debut. Michael Beil, a New York City high school English teacher and life-long mystery fan, delivers a middle-grade caper that's perfect for middle-grade readers who have finished THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more advanced mysteries!
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 10, 2010
17 people are currently reading
453 people want to read
About the author
Michael D. Beil
10 books90 followersIn a time not long after the fifth extinction event, Edgar Award-nominated author Michael D. Beil came of age on the shores of Pymatuning Lake, where the ducks walk on the fish. (Look it up. Seriously.) For reasons that can’t be disclosed until September 28, 2041, he now lives somewhere in Portugal with his wife and their two white cats, Bruno and Maisie. He still gets carsick if he has to ride in the back seat for long and feels a little guilty that he doesn’t keep a journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 4, 2016
The fabulous foursome formed in The Ring of Rocamadour return in the second book in The Red Blazer Girls mystery series. This time two mysteries occupy the seventh-graders of St. Veronica’s Catholic School on East 68th Street in Manhattan. The first is the question of who is sneaking into the school after hours to clean up, paint, and beautify the school — a matter that is driving the school’s stern principal, Sister Bernadette, crazy! The second mystery involves a costly violin stolen from Carnegie Hall in 1959. The NYPD never took the case very seriously, but there’s no doubt that the Red Blazer girls — made up of friends/classmates Sophie St. Pierre, Margaret Wrobel, Rebecca Chen, and Leigh Ann Jaimes — will solve the 1959 theft — and a contemporary violin theft, as well!
In all honesty, the sequel isn’t quite as enchanting as the debut. In the first, the puzzles that the girls solved were more intrinsic to the plot. Here, while fun, the puzzles seem more of an obligatory shtick than a natural development. Also, while most adult readers will guess the modern-day perpetrator long before Margaret tumbles to the answer, the resolution to the 30-year theft comes as a complete surprise. The girls are as sweet, clever, and plucky as ever, and readers won’t regret rendezvousing with the Red Blazer girls once again.
The Vanishing Violin also introduces the nasty Olivia “Livvy” Klack, a scheming, social-climbing nemesis who’s eaten up with envy over the girls’ cleverness, talents and poise, and their 15 minutes of fame when they solved a 20-year-old mystery in The Ring of Rocamadour. By peeking, I found out that Livvy will become a fixture in the series, which should add some spice to the sugar in future. I can’t wait for No. 3, The Mistaken Masterpiece.
In all honesty, the sequel isn’t quite as enchanting as the debut. In the first, the puzzles that the girls solved were more intrinsic to the plot. Here, while fun, the puzzles seem more of an obligatory shtick than a natural development. Also, while most adult readers will guess the modern-day perpetrator long before Margaret tumbles to the answer, the resolution to the 30-year theft comes as a complete surprise. The girls are as sweet, clever, and plucky as ever, and readers won’t regret rendezvousing with the Red Blazer girls once again.
The Vanishing Violin also introduces the nasty Olivia “Livvy” Klack, a scheming, social-climbing nemesis who’s eaten up with envy over the girls’ cleverness, talents and poise, and their 15 minutes of fame when they solved a 20-year-old mystery in The Ring of Rocamadour. By peeking, I found out that Livvy will become a fixture in the series, which should add some spice to the sugar in future. I can’t wait for No. 3, The Mistaken Masterpiece.
December 10, 2016
I LOVE this series!
August 9, 2022
I wasn’t really expecting to finish this book given the fact that I never finish the second book in a series. But I was wrong. I loved how funny it was, and the great twist at the end. I never expected it to be Jaz, who stole the violin. Anyways, the book was even better than The Ring of Rocamoudour. I loved this book. (My dad is making me give him a shout out so…. To my (not so) wise father, thanks for not jinxing me into not liking book two of the Red Blazer Girls. ❤️)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 29, 2011
It was a pretty cute story, and fun for kids who like to mess around with codes and puzzles. There was some good suspense and plot twists. My issues were that I don't think 12-year-olds should be dating and kissing, there was a little too much OMG, and mixed messages about revenge and meanness. On the one hand, the major plot element of the vanishing violin ended with a reprimand to the robber not to live her life seeking revenge but to get on with her life and be grateful for what she had. On the other hand, the red blazer girls sought revenge on a rude girl their age, and they had no repercussions or feelings that maybe they should forgive and move on. In fact, their revenge came across as supposing to be the victim's just desserts, and even funny.
Oh, and for the audio version, since that's what I did--the reader seriously needed some accent coaching. Her French pronunciations were AWFUL! Not just the accent--she seriously botched words. Vry for vrai,gazooze for gazeuse. Not right! And since she was supposed to be doing the voice of a native French speaker, that's pretty serious.
The other accents were just as bad. There were Polish, Romanian, Tanzanian, and British English speakers, and frankly, the two Eastern Europe ones sounded the same, and like a stereotyped Russian accent. That's just not right. If you're going to record a book with several native speakers of other languages, you seriously need to find someone or coach someone to do a good job with it.
Oh, and for the audio version, since that's what I did--the reader seriously needed some accent coaching. Her French pronunciations were AWFUL! Not just the accent--she seriously botched words. Vry for vrai,gazooze for gazeuse. Not right! And since she was supposed to be doing the voice of a native French speaker, that's pretty serious.
The other accents were just as bad. There were Polish, Romanian, Tanzanian, and British English speakers, and frankly, the two Eastern Europe ones sounded the same, and like a stereotyped Russian accent. That's just not right. If you're going to record a book with several native speakers of other languages, you seriously need to find someone or coach someone to do a good job with it.
July 30, 2012
This is the second title in the Red Blazer Girls series- 4 young girl sleuths who attend school in New York City. I love this series! Again, this book has clues, this time mostly of the cipher-type, which lead the girls through the mystery to the conclusion. They solve the entire mystery by the clues mysteriously given to them. When I neared the end I thought that I was going to be terribly disappointed when I saw where it was going but no, the author pulled it off and it turned out to have a fantastic ending. The girls are 12-going-on-13 years old so the series' target age is mid-grade; however, I thought the clues and ciphers clever enough to interest a much older audience (as I am). This is another "locked room" mystery: as the title suggests, a valuable old violin disappears from the music shop nearby the school. The doors are both locked, the alarms on, and nothing has been disturbed except for the missing violin. This mystery is separate from the clues that lead them to an even older mystery of another valuable violin stolen a good 50 years earlier! And added to that, Sister Bernadette, Principal at St. Veronica's, "hires" them to find out who has been secretly cleaning and remodeling the school at night! They solve all of the mysteries and all the details are nicely explained. I will definitely be buying the other titles in this series.
October 12, 2014
The Red Blazer Girls series is #2 on my mental 'funniest series ever' list; second only to Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If you read this series, I can assure you you'll be giggling at least once. The Vanishing Violin was not quite as funny as the first book, but it was very close. And there was an awesome revenge plot in this book-BWAHAHAHAHA!
I really got to know Leigh Ann much better in this book. That goes for all the girls, really. There is also a new character, Mbingo. Who doesn't love a name like Mbingo? I really hope we get to see more of her in the next book, because....I like saying Mbingo.
The mystery in here was just as good as Ring of Rocamadour. I liked the plot twists, and, though it's true some people will be able to guess the ending, I didn't.
And...new cutie! In this book we are introduced to Andrew. Don't worry; Sophie doesn't date him. There will be no love triangles in here!
Oh, and Livvy Clack...oh how I love the 'mean girl' plot. Love, love, looooovvveeee. I won't get spoiler-y on y'all, but that girl got what was coming to her. And I was mentally cheering the whole time.
This was almost as good as the first installment of the Red Blazer Girls, and I really enjoyed it. It's a great series!
This review can be found at: http://myfullbookshelfreviews.blogspo...
I really got to know Leigh Ann much better in this book. That goes for all the girls, really. There is also a new character, Mbingo. Who doesn't love a name like Mbingo? I really hope we get to see more of her in the next book, because....I like saying Mbingo.
The mystery in here was just as good as Ring of Rocamadour. I liked the plot twists, and, though it's true some people will be able to guess the ending, I didn't.
And...new cutie! In this book we are introduced to Andrew. Don't worry; Sophie doesn't date him. There will be no love triangles in here!
Oh, and Livvy Clack...oh how I love the 'mean girl' plot. Love, love, looooovvveeee. I won't get spoiler-y on y'all, but that girl got what was coming to her. And I was mentally cheering the whole time.
This was almost as good as the first installment of the Red Blazer Girls, and I really enjoyed it. It's a great series!
This review can be found at: http://myfullbookshelfreviews.blogspo...
April 5, 2012
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I felt it was well written, had interesting puzzles, and was fast paced enough to keep me interested.
My typical read is fantasy, all age ranges, so this was a bit of a departure for me.
To be frank, however, I would prefer my 12 year old daughter not read this book, nor the first, and I won't be recommending them to her. I felt that the behavior of the characters was inappropriate for their ages. Children so frequently imitate what they see in popular culture, and this book is marketed to just that - children.
Perhaps Mr. Beil feels he has his finger on the pulse of the tween scene; perhaps he does and I'm the one being unrealistic. However, as adults and role models I believe that was have an obligation to provide this sensitive age with appropriate reading material.
If this is the "real world" then I think I'll be encouraging my daughter to stick to fantasy, something that is a reflection of the imagination and not a sub-culture of real life.
My typical read is fantasy, all age ranges, so this was a bit of a departure for me.
To be frank, however, I would prefer my 12 year old daughter not read this book, nor the first, and I won't be recommending them to her. I felt that the behavior of the characters was inappropriate for their ages. Children so frequently imitate what they see in popular culture, and this book is marketed to just that - children.
Perhaps Mr. Beil feels he has his finger on the pulse of the tween scene; perhaps he does and I'm the one being unrealistic. However, as adults and role models I believe that was have an obligation to provide this sensitive age with appropriate reading material.
If this is the "real world" then I think I'll be encouraging my daughter to stick to fantasy, something that is a reflection of the imagination and not a sub-culture of real life.
May 1, 2014
Another fun puzzle mystery, this one featuring a locked-room mystery and an older theft, which follows yet another paper trail with all sorts of enigmas to solve along the way to get the next clue.
While this entry was fun to listen to, I felt there was too much young-girl talk about stuff, which is fine as these stories are geared to that audience, but for me, I could have passed on these parts.
I'll probably take a small break from listening to another one at this time, but I hasten to say that these are enjoyable stories and would be a pleasant way to spend some time.
While this entry was fun to listen to, I felt there was too much young-girl talk about stuff, which is fine as these stories are geared to that audience, but for me, I could have passed on these parts.
I'll probably take a small break from listening to another one at this time, but I hasten to say that these are enjoyable stories and would be a pleasant way to spend some time.
July 31, 2015
Después de haber leído este libro, solo puedo confirmar mis sospechas: la traducción es terrible! Hay palabras que en inglés pueden sonar bien, pero la traducción carece de sentido, y esto hace que el lenguaje sea demasiado forzado.
No obstante, el misterio fue mejor que en el primer libro y un poco más entretenido, aunque me sigue molestando el lenguaje de los personajes; pues a veces suenan como adolescentes de diez años y otros, como adolescentes de 50.
No obstante, el misterio fue mejor que en el primer libro y un poco más entretenido, aunque me sigue molestando el lenguaje de los personajes; pues a veces suenan como adolescentes de diez años y otros, como adolescentes de 50.
March 28, 2017
I like the red blazer girls and how they make being smart cool for girls. But, I often find the dialogue inauthentic. These girls are 12 years old and I often forget that until reminded. I'm starting to see a pattern in these books as well. We are introduced to all the characters and someone it isn't an outside force that is causing the chaos. I know I am not the target audience for these books, and possible a middle grade girl wouldn't notice the things an adult does.
August 28, 2015
Este libro fue más misterioso que el primero y me gustó.
El misterio es increible que me tuvo atrapada hasta el final.
Al terminar, te da los datos para resolver el caso. Eso fue un punto a favor para el libro.
Es muy facil de leer, ligero y rápido
Me encantaria leer toda la serie, pero aun no estan traducidos al español.
El misterio es increible que me tuvo atrapada hasta el final.
Al terminar, te da los datos para resolver el caso. Eso fue un punto a favor para el libro.
Es muy facil de leer, ligero y rápido
Me encantaria leer toda la serie, pero aun no estan traducidos al español.
April 7, 2012
Fun book, loved the narrator. Another good story with clues and puzzles. Love the connections with quality literature, as clues, but doubt many of the kids will absorb the literature connections. Seem to be good, yet realistic, role models.
August 9, 2017
This book was okay. The first half of the book dragged its plotline. The characters were mostly not interesting. I even forgot who a few of the main characters were because they tended to blend. The action did get interesting toward the resolution of the case and I wanted to find out what happened. But the ending was anti-climactic. I'll probably read another in the series just to give the author another chance, but I won't be rushing it on my TBR.
March 25, 2025
Personally I come to a understanding that this book is genuinely good! For people like me, I love when writers are hysterical adding parentheses within sentences to form a more teenage girl audience and understanding. The only issue I portray is that as a teenage girl I honestly just didn’t understand or want to read the graphing or mathematical pages of the book, yikes. Otherwise I loved it!
April 25, 2021
Gosh I am loving this series!! The code examples were super fun to learn and I adore logic puzzles. Lovely setting here in Manhattan. Just FUN! Perfect reading for those tween girls!! I love it that they don’t give away the answers and let you spend time solving it yourself!
February 11, 2024
"Try new things, like Christopher Columbus in 1492" Ah, yes, let's encourage each other to try colonising & """discovering""" land & people groups who we have no right to control, kill, & enslave. This author has some major awareness work to do.
September 3, 2017
I love these smart, spunky and brave girl detectives, who have that distinct New York panache.
October 16, 2017
So-so. Characters are still good, but the whole thing is made too complex by something that would be a spoiler... and which would be cheating even in a Boxcar Children book!
March 16, 2018
I like this series, but I have to keep remembering they're really 12!
August 29, 2018
Just plain fun!
September 19, 2018
I love the puzzles, riddles and logic problems in this book. The girls are cute and it’s fun to try to figure out the mystery before they do. Fun as an adult but more geared for MG or even YA.
November 2, 2019
cute.
February 7, 2020
Sweet mystery but the girls seem a little older than 12.
February 22, 2020
I really love the puzzles and the friendships. Andbthe loving adult community. But the boy-obsession is getting to be too much
February 25, 2020
This book was alright. The plot was fine, but I think for the characters, it was a little mature for 7th graders, but that's just me.
May 22, 2020
An fun easy mystery book. A little boring because it was like a scavenger hunt. But,the puzzles were fun. I also liked how you could try to solve them yourself. And fish is Margaret smart!
August 2, 2018
Ridiculously
precocious school girls solve heist
and clever puzzles
precocious school girls solve heist
and clever puzzles
October 2, 2023
Just like the first book in The Red Blazer Girls mystery series, this second installment is an enjoyable romp. The girls at its center are smart, fun, and likable. There are two mysteries in this one, and both are intriguing. As in the last book, THE VANISHING VIOLIN includes word and logic puzzles to solve along with the girls. I've been listening to this series on audio, which makes it even more enjoyable. Tai Alexandra Ricci does a great job bringing it all to life.
September 1, 2010
This is the second book in the Red Blazer Girl series. I listened to the first book and surprisingly enjoyed it (I normally don't like mysteries). I think a lot of it had to do with the reader of the book on cd being very good. So, when book two came out, I thought I'd give it a try.
There's nothing wrong with the story or anything like that; maybe my heart wasn't wholly into listening to another mystery or something...but I found my mind wandering during the story--not so much that I wasn't following the story, but enough where I felt that maybe I shouldn't listen to any more books in this series.
This story involves the same four girls as in the first one; this time they start out trying to find out who is mysteriously cleaning their school after hours, which then turns into a need to discover who stole a violin from the shop where Margaret goes...which is going on while Margaret receives a bow from an unnamed source that leads to the girls needing to solve a whole other set of clues provided by the sender (that would probably be impossible for most adults to solve, but that's beside the point!).
Maybe I got lost in the three big storylines, along with the bunch of new characters that are added to the ones from book one. It was kind of a lot to keep track of! Again, it's not impossible, but I suppose all of this added together soured me a bit on the story (and I want to know how these girls have so much energy--they go from meeting at the coffee shop before school, attending school all day, stopping at someone or other's house, practicing with their band, doing homework, etc., etc. EVERY day...it's simply exhausting to think about! Maybe I'm just jealous).
All in all, girls who enjoyed the first one will undoubtedly enjoy this one. Not only do the girls have mysteries to solve; there are also snotty classmates and boys to handle as well!
There's nothing wrong with the story or anything like that; maybe my heart wasn't wholly into listening to another mystery or something...but I found my mind wandering during the story--not so much that I wasn't following the story, but enough where I felt that maybe I shouldn't listen to any more books in this series.
This story involves the same four girls as in the first one; this time they start out trying to find out who is mysteriously cleaning their school after hours, which then turns into a need to discover who stole a violin from the shop where Margaret goes...which is going on while Margaret receives a bow from an unnamed source that leads to the girls needing to solve a whole other set of clues provided by the sender (that would probably be impossible for most adults to solve, but that's beside the point!).
Maybe I got lost in the three big storylines, along with the bunch of new characters that are added to the ones from book one. It was kind of a lot to keep track of! Again, it's not impossible, but I suppose all of this added together soured me a bit on the story (and I want to know how these girls have so much energy--they go from meeting at the coffee shop before school, attending school all day, stopping at someone or other's house, practicing with their band, doing homework, etc., etc. EVERY day...it's simply exhausting to think about! Maybe I'm just jealous).
All in all, girls who enjoyed the first one will undoubtedly enjoy this one. Not only do the girls have mysteries to solve; there are also snotty classmates and boys to handle as well!
December 4, 2015
The pacing on this edition of this engaging "detective series" seemed slower and harder to stay involved with, as compared to the first book in the series. In large part, I believe this has much to do with the much lower level of educational concepts and historical data incorporated in the second book. The whole band formation was the most boring and unrealistic aspect to the story, as no group goes from playing "Mary Has A Little Lamb" to any form of public presentation, within a couple of weeks. It seems clear to me that this topic is a weak area for the author.
However, the layering of mysteries was well done, as were the multiple "red herrings". Incorporating more people and settings within the St. Veronica's neighborhood adds a less religious and more interesting dimension to the world of the girls. Raf's intermittent appearance and disappearance in both books creates an odd reality that this graduate of K-graduate school co-ed institutions finds disturbing.
The dynamics of girls and boys, who are permitted rare contact with each other, gives them very little shared experiences or interests to explore together as either friends or romantic interests. Sophie and Raf aren't really ever friends. They're only "romantic interests" for each others - a reality their parents have forced upon them by forbidding them to participate together in a variety of classes, field trips, other special school events, athletic competitions, extra-curricular groups, and much more, in mixed groups. It reinforces and encourages sexism both overtly and covertly, on many levels.
With the less intriguing content, I can only give this book a 4 star rating. I hope the author hasn't lost his educational focus in the unraveling of the mysteries the girls become involved with. That would be a huge loss for all readers of this series.
However, the layering of mysteries was well done, as were the multiple "red herrings". Incorporating more people and settings within the St. Veronica's neighborhood adds a less religious and more interesting dimension to the world of the girls. Raf's intermittent appearance and disappearance in both books creates an odd reality that this graduate of K-graduate school co-ed institutions finds disturbing.
The dynamics of girls and boys, who are permitted rare contact with each other, gives them very little shared experiences or interests to explore together as either friends or romantic interests. Sophie and Raf aren't really ever friends. They're only "romantic interests" for each others - a reality their parents have forced upon them by forbidding them to participate together in a variety of classes, field trips, other special school events, athletic competitions, extra-curricular groups, and much more, in mixed groups. It reinforces and encourages sexism both overtly and covertly, on many levels.
With the less intriguing content, I can only give this book a 4 star rating. I hope the author hasn't lost his educational focus in the unraveling of the mysteries the girls become involved with. That would be a huge loss for all readers of this series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews