Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries - Hardcover

Donna Jo Napoli is the author of many books for children and young adults includingThe Magic Circle, Zel, and Stones in Water. She has won numerous awards, including the Golden Kite Award and the Sydney Taylor Award for Stones in Water. She lives in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania.

Grade 2–4—Sly returns to help her friends by solving three new cases, all of which center around food. In the first story, Melody thinks someone scary is living in the bushes in her backyard, and Jack wonders why his cat has been eating the cookies—made by Brian's mother, a health nut—that they use as shuffleboard pucks. Sly figures everything out when she discovers that Mrs. Olsen has been putting fish oil in her treats, and that Brian has been hiding in the bushes to sneak junk food. In the second tale, the girls start a cooking club, but Princess is acting strangely. Sly deduces that she is trying to conceal the fact that she is allergic to wheat. Finally, Sly solves "Something Seedy" by finding out that Princess has been stealing oranges from Jack to save his life: the seeds contain arsenic (Sly also ascertains that the amount of arsenic in fruit seeds is not harmful). All three stories wrap up with corny plays on words. Amusing pen-and-ink drawings appear throughout. While not great literature, this book will serve transitional readers who like Ron Roy's "A to Z Mysteries" (Random) or David A. Adler's "Cam Jansen" series (Viking).—Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI
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