Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery

July 15, 2016
Brown-haired, white Lou Lou Bombay and her blue-eyed, dark-skinned Mexican-American best friend, Peacock Pearl, work to solve a series of petty crimes in their city while also participating in Latino cultural events.The first crime of which the girls are aware is the suspicious staining of Pea's cousin Magdalena's quinceanera dress. Lou Lou's prize camellia, Pinky, then falls victim to "planticide," killed by bleach and vinegar. Lou Lou and Pea's neighborhood, El Corazon, is full of colorful murals, and as each crime occurs, one of the murals shows something related to the crime. While getting ready to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the girls also plot ways to solve the mystery. The tone is light and the characterizations equally breezy. The third-person narrative has a strong voice, offering such quaint, explanatory sentences as, "Gardening was too dirty for her taste but she supported her best friend." Despite the purported equality of the friendship, the text more often reveals Lou Lou's thoughts and feelings than Pea's. Coupled with a plethora of placed-for-optimal-understanding Spanish phrases, this gives the book a feeling--perhaps ironically--of targeting a non-Latino audience. Still, some great humor, from a nautically obsessed father to "Danielle Desserts and her snooty-girl posse," mitigates the didacticism. The respectful relationship between the two girls offers welcome respite from tales of best-friend angst. A bit long for fluff but fun nevertheless. (Mystery. 8-11)

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August 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl (Pea for short) are best friends living in a town called El Corazon. Lou Lou likes getting her hands dirty in her beloved garden, and Pea is clean and proper but loves to create art. The friends meet every Friday afternoon after school for tea parties where they discuss their week and upcoming weekend plans. But things start to go a bit sideways for some of the townsfolk right before the upcoming Day of the Dead procession. First, Pea's cousin's Quinceanera dress is deliberately ruined with purple dye, and then Lou Lou's potentially prize-winning camellia bush, Pinky, falls victim to a "planticide." What's more, someone is painting clues into the murals around town, and only Lou Lou and Pea seem to notice. The story is sprinkled with whimsical illustrations and Spanish phrases. A glossary of words to know in Spanish as well as instructions for making pan de muerto and a garden flower crown craft are also included. Although many of the adult characters come across as two-dimensional, Lou Lou and Pea are likable heroines and the cast of multicultural characters and Latino-themed festivities broaden the accessibility. VERDICT This is a pleasant, breezy friendship tale for middle grade readers who also enjoy a light mystery.-Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

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