Partners in Crime

May 1, 2012
Grades 4-7 The first book in the Sleuth or Dare series introduces seventh-graders Darcy and Norah. The more straitlaced of the pair, narrator Norah, describes them as both nerds and proud of it. She feels the need to keep her best friend out of trouble, while Darcy is always willing to, say, hack into the school's server for a good cause. A social-studies assignment on planning a small business leads Norah and Darcy to create a website for their fake detective company, Partners in Crime. When an e-mail delivers an anonymous plea for help, they can't resist trying to solve a real mystery. While the story's minor characters are two-dimensional and the explanation of the mystery is as unbelievable as it is sensational, there's enough entertaining reflection in the narrative and tension between the likable main characters to keep readers coming back for more.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)