Friday Barnes, Girl Detective

Starred review from October 26, 2015
Ignored by her theoretical physicist parents, 11-year-old Friday Barnes has gotten used to going unnoticed, aided by her ordinary looks and brown cardigans. Having immersed herself in her family’s extensive library, she has little to learn from teachers, so she devours detective novels during class. She has also watched so many Agatha Christie films “she was beginning to speak with a trace of a Belgian accent,” and her newfound investigative skills help her solve a jewel theft. With the reward money, Friday funds a year of tuition at an elite boarding school, where she brushes off the taunts of her well-to-do classmates, cracks some outlandish cases, and bests her nemeses. Spratt’s (the Nanny Piggins series) effortlessly funny narration will keep readers laughing from start to finish, and she gives Friday a wonderfully dry wit—one she isn’t even aware of herself—to accompany her exceptional deductive powers and knowledge. Gosier’s angular b&w cartoons don’t draw much attention to themselves, but readers have plenty of reasons to look forward to future adventures from this irresistible young sleuth. Ages 8–12. Illustrator’s agent: Jodell Sadler, Sadler Children’s Literary.