December 1, 2010
Gr 3-6-Middle schooler Steve Brixton has read all 58 of the "Bailey Brothers Mysteries," which were written decades earlier, plus The Bailey Brothers' Detective Handbook, which has become his guidebook for his own detective agency. He frequently refers back to these books, portions of which are reprinted (old typeface and all) in The Ghostwriter Secret. Steve's first case, a missing diamond, is solved easily and seamlessly. He then becomes involved with his hero, the author of the books, MacArthur Bart, who has been kidnapped. An investigation ensues and Steve brings his friend Dana in to help. Before they know what happened, the boys have been kidnapped, too. Barnett has written a fun, adventure-filled book. This is a great choice for slow or reluctant readers.-Patty Saidenberg, George Jackson Academy, New York City
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 1, 2010
Partially thanks to his solving The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity (2009), 12-year-old Steve Brixton has been able to start his own detective agency. Now he's a real sleuth like his heroes, the fictional Bailey Brothers, no matter what his mother's lame, cop boyfriend Rick might say to the contrary. Steve gets a call from Victor Fairview, the richest man in Ocean Park, Calif., when Fairview's red diamond goes missing. Steve solves that case in less than an hour despite Rick's interference. While charged with guarding the diamond, Steve gets a letter from his idol, MacArthur Bart, author of the Bailey Brothers books. Bart needs Steve's help! With best friend Dana in tow, Steve sets out to find Bart. Can a detective weaned on a couple of 1950s Hardy Boys clones solve a case with more twists than a...a really twisty thing? Barnett's second Brixton Brothers mystery continues the whimsically sardonic adventures of everyone's soon-to-be-favorite clueless-yet-earnest boy detective–wannabe. Shot through with moments of goofiness and dotted with Rex's black-and-white illustrations, this is sure to please existing fans and win new ones. (Mystery. 8-12)
(COPYRIGHT (2010) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)
January 1, 2011
This second Brixton Brothers installment is similar in comedic elements to The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity. This time Steve must rescue his favorite author, MacArthur Bart, as well as find a missing diamond. The story functions well as a Hardy Boystype parody; how humorous middle-grade readers find it may depend on their familiarity with the genre.
(Copyright 2011 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)