April 5, 2010
As a modern-day Sherlock Holmes in junior high, Max Finder runs through the pages solving short but interesting mysteries and encouraging readers to help him. While the fourth book in the series, it's easy for new readers to dive right in thanks to character explanations in the beginning. There are 13 mystery tales in all, three of which are short stories; the rest are in comic book form. Each story has a central mystery—like “Who stole the museum's painting?” “Who cheated at chess?” “Who planted the stink bomb?”—that gets solved on the last page, right after Max asks the readers if they've figured it out. On the last page of each story the perpetrator is named, along with how and why he or she committed the crime. Clues are laid out for the sharp eye and clever reader in everything from dialogue to art details in the background, which the clean, inviting art by Perez makes a pleasure to search for. This series is aimed for children and up, so in general younger readers might sift for clues while adults find them with much more ease. These stories previously ran in Owl
magazine. Ages 8–up.
May 15, 2011
Grades 3-5 This fifth volume includes 10 short comic-book mysteries and two prose stories featuring middle-school detectives Max Finder and Alison Santos. The mysteries, set at school and around the neighborhood, include trouble in the schools cafeteria, the theft of an expensive Halloween costume, and Max having to defend himself when he is suspected of a theft. As in the previous volumes, careful readers can solve the mysteries themselves if they pay close attention to clues in both the panels and the word balloons. The book includes how-tos for detective work and hints for classroom use.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2011
Created by Liam O'Donnell. Junior high detectives Max and Alison solve twelve mysteries (ten are presented in cartoon-panel format, two as straight stories). Most of the four-page whodunits incorporate both textual and visual clues; they can be difficult to read since the panels are so crowded. It's good that the mysteries' solutions are included, as kids will likely have trouble solving them on their own.
(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)