Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of the Missing Goop (Smashie McPerter Investigates #2)
by N Griffin (Author) Kate Hindley (Illustrator)
Who stole the featured item for the talent show? Secret codes and crazy schemes are in play as Smashie and best friend Dontel put their thinking powers to work.
When the third-graders of Room 11 learn that they all must take part in a musicale, Smashie can't wait to sing something heartfelt and loud. But the others are not so eager. Luckily, Charlene's mom has agreed to donate her special gel that lengthens and sculpts hair into shapes (from a musical note to a roller skate), and soon, with the help of some retro sixties go-go dancing, all the kids are raring to go. That is, until their jars of goop go missing! Who would steal their beloved Herr Goop, and why? Time for Smashie and her best friend, Dontel, to get out their Investigation Notebooks! Discussions of motives and perps, hasty mis-accusations and apology brownies, a math lesson used to crack a mysterious code, and more than a few choice red herrings build up to a truly hilarious madcap finale. Starring a quirky and relatable heroine, a level-headed sidekick, and an appealing group of good kids, this entertaining and lighthearted mystery may well have readers donning their own Investigator Suits.
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Kirkus
School Library Journal
Gr 3-6—Another mystery is unfolding in Room 11 at Crumpler Elementary School, and it looks like Smashie McPerter and her best friend Dontel are back to doing what they do best, investigating. Smashie is still as vivacious and dramatic as when readers last saw her, Dontel is still his incredibly patient and mature self, and the level of mystery has finally reached a fine balance between believable and exciting. The students are working on a talent show, and one of the keys to the show keeps going missing each time it is replaced. This leads to many suspects, some plausible and some far-fetched. The story is paced well, and the plot is strong enough to intrigue a variety of readers. Unfortunately, the dialogue and the vocabulary feel more appropriate to adults than to a pair of third graders. That quibble aside, the series offers positive lessons and activities that teachers and librarians can incorporate in the classroom. VERDICT The use of mathematical codes and investigative lingo and the slight mystery will make this a good book for a beginning-of-the-year read-aloud in a third or fourth grade classroom.—Chad Lane, Tulip Grove Elementary School, MD
Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.ALA/Booklist
Review quotes
JUV019000 - Juvenile Fiction | Humorous Stories
JUV035000 - Juvenile Fiction | School & Education
JUV028000 - Juvenile Fiction | Mysteries, Espionage, & Detective Stories
Schools
Theft
Stealing
Mystery and detective stories
Elementary schools
Talent shows
Hair preparations
