Module 8 Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective

Title of Book: Ace Lacewing: Bug Detective; Author: David Biedrzycki; ISBN: 978-1570916847; Published by: Charlesbridge Publishing

Summary:
Ace Lacewing is hired by the mayor of Motham City to find Queenie Bee who has been kidnapped. It turned out Queenie’s younger sister, Princess Pollen kidnapped her as she wanted to bee (pun intended) queen. Princess Pollen was apprehended and Ace saved the day with some help from his girlfriend who happened to be a rare Xerces Blue butterfly and Sergeant Zito a mosquito.


My Impressions:
AAAAHHH! This is too funny! (I kept waking up my poor husband when my laughing jiggled the bed! No, this blog is not sponsored by Stearns and Foster. Although if you have a connection, let me know!) You will want to spend plenty of time looking through the pictures because there are hidden gems in them. (Instead of “Caution”, the police tape has “Police Bug Off” written on it.) Although I’m not sure the 6-10 year old crowd will appreciate all the Dick Tracy and other mystery innuendos, they are sure to enjoy the story itself. Lucky for us, Biedrzycki has written two more (Ace Lacewing Bud Detective: Bad Bugs Are My Business and Ace Lacewing Bug Detective: The Big Swat), because one will simply not be enough!

Flashlight Reading Under the Covers Rating: 5 out of 5

Reviews:
Booklist( From Bowker’s Books in Print)
Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. When Queenie Bee, of Hive Rise Honey, goes missing, Motham City is abuzz. Tough P.I. Ace Lacewing (Bad bugs are my business ) is on the case. Red herrings (mosquitoes, maggots, and walkingsticks in this case) abound, all with different stories, but the trench-coat-and--fedora-clad detective remains undaunted, sleuthing his way through the clues until a sticky surprise revelation. Biedrzycki ( The Beetle Alphabet Book, 2003) makes his debut as an author here, and although his story is sometimes text heavy, it's filled with snappy dialogue, wordplay, and puns that will especially appeal to kids with some knowledge of insects (words such as pupae are used). The slick, computer-assisted art has a cartoon flair; and its shadowy backgrounds have a noir flavor. Biedrzycki uses occasional pops of primary color and an array of perspectives and witty detail to add interest. Entertaining fare for those who appreciate creepy crawlies on the humorous side, this will attract both good readers and fans of seek-and-find books. --Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright Septmber 2005 Booklist

Suggestions for Use in a Library:
This would be appropriate for middle school and older- hold a mystery party night! They sell these mystery kits in a box so you can host your own party.

For younger ones, get some magnifying glasses and washable ink pads and let them have fun fingerprinting themselves.

Have a mystery hunt. Put some footprints down on the floor leading to a children bookshelf. Have there be a clue-e.g. you can check out books here- so the children go to the circulation desk where they are presented with another clue. They follow the clues all over the library until they come to the children’s area where they can pick up their prize- a toy magnifying glass or a coupon to check out an extra book.

Module 8 The London Eye Mystery

Title of Book: The London Eye Mystery; Author: Siobhan Dowd; ISBN: 978-0385751841; Published by: Yearling

Summary:
Ted and Kat’s cousin Salim came for a short visit while on his way to move to New York City where his mom had just accepted a new job. Salim wanted to experience the London Eye ride, but when the ride stopped, he wasn’t in the exiting passengers. The whole family including Salim’s father whom he doesn’t currently live with, descend into Ted’s family’s house to find Salim. Salim was rescued when Ted finally figured out he was in a high rise building that was schedule for demolition.

My Impressions:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Ms. Dowd isn’t, but her portrayal of a boy with some sort of autism (?) is remarkable! Ted’s condition was handled in such a real way that it made perfect sense to have that character tell the story. Ted is not glorified in any way, nor does his family treat him like a baby or a saint. He and his sister get into fights just like you would imagine any siblings would. In fact, it’s easy to forget Ted has anything at all until his hand “shakes itself out” or he rattles off weather statistics to calm himself. Another neat thing about this book is it starts with a 3 ½ page description of the mystery and then the events leading up to the mystery unfold. I also love the smallish size of the book- I think that would attract readers. The British spelling (colour, favourite, etc..) did not in any way detract the flow of reading. I would unreservedly recommend this to anyone 14 or older. FYI- the author died in 2007 (the same year the book was published) from breast cancer.

Flashlight Reading Under the Covers Rating: 5 out of 5

Reviews:
Booklist (retrieved from Amazon.com)
*Starred Review* The facts seem simple enough. While their mothers have coffee, Ted and his older sister, Kat, and their cousin, Salim, wait in a queue to ride the London Eye, an observation wheel that allows those locked in the glass-and-steel capsules to see 25 miles in every direction. A stranger from the front of the line offers one free ticket, and since Salim is the visitor, stopping in London before moving with his mum to New York, he takes it. Ted and Kat see him enter the capsule and follow his ride, but to their shock, he doesn’t exit with his fellow riders. This book, very different from Dowd’s searing A Swift Pure Cry (2007), is much more than a taut mystery. In Ted, Dowd offers a complex young hero, whose “funny brain . . . runs on a different operating system” (seemingly Asperger’s Syndrome) and who is obsessed with shipping forecasts and with his inability to connect well with others. After several long days have passed with no sign of Salim, Ted must use the skills he has and overcome some of his personal challenges to find his cousin. Everything rings true here, the family relationships, the quirky connections of Ted’s mental circuitry, and, perhaps most surprisingly, the mystery. So often the mechanics of mystery don’t bear close scrutiny, but that’s not so here. A page turner with heft. Grades 5-8. --Ilene Cooper

Suggestions for Use in a Library:
Perhaps this is out of line, but I would suggest a cancer awareness day in honor of the author’s lost battle with cancer. Invite local doctors and nutritionists and health specialists to come and give talks on how to reduce a person’s risk of cancer. Have a jar for donations to be given to the American Cancer Society. If your town does a walk for Life, consider doing this activity before their culminating walk and making a presentation of the donations at the walk ceremony.