Friday Barnes Under Suspicion

May 1, 2016
As in series opener Friday Barnes, Girl Detective (2016), instead of just one mystery, Friday confronts a series of strange happenings in her school, posh Highcrest Academy.First, Friday finds herself under arrest for terrorism charges. The white schoolgirl quickly uses her encyclopedic knowledge and Holmes-ian sleuthing skills to escape the clutches of the police, but who could have framed her? At school, a series of holes dug all over the campus threatens to injure passing pedestrians, while a new boy, Christopher, charms everyone, especially Friday. She knows that the headmaster would love to find an excuse to expel her, but Friday keeps solving mysteries until she finally discovers why those holes have been appearing and learns the secret identities of some people no one suspected. Spratt continues to hit just the right mix of dry humor and suspense. Her characterization of her protagonist shines: an 11-year-old prodigy with quirky taste in fashion who might just have some real emotional needs lurking under that confident exterior. Readers know that, like Sherlock Holmes, Friday will solve every mystery; the book's fun is in seeing how she does it. Beneath the fun, Spratt explores questions of class; working-class Friday feels out of sync with the entitled students who surround her.A cliffhanger ending will have readers drumming their fingers as they wait for the next episode. (Mystery. 8-12)

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April 1, 2016

Gr 4-6-Eleven-year-old Friday Barnes is in serious trouble: she has just been arrested on suspicion of terrorism. Luckily, being an experienced detective, Friday is quickly able to prove not only her own innocence but that of a stranger being held at the police station for stealing. This is only the beginning of Friday's latest series of madcap adventures, which include uncovering a case of cheating in a cooking class, solving a kidnapping, and discovering why large holes keep popping up all over the school grounds. As with the first book in the series, this novel's key strengths are its offbeat situations and persistent humor. Spratt's tongue-in-cheek portrayals of the lazy teachers, spoiled students, and petty administrators at the elite Highcrest Academy are often hilarious, as are the obscure facts and observations Friday employs to solve each mystery. Fans of the first book will not be disappointed, and the cliffhanger at the end will leave them anxious for the next installment. VERDICT This second book in the "Friday Barnes" series is even funnier and quirkier than its predecessor.-Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA

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