Roll up the Streets by John Bladek

Bladek, John Roll up the Streets, 213 p. Kane Miller, 2010.  $15.99.  Language: PG; Sexual Content: G.  Violence: PG (brief skirmishes).  

Jake Matchet moves to a new town and stumbles across a mystery.  Along with his new friend Sammie, Jake seeks the source behind a puzzling smell that permeates throughtout the town, the citizen’s obsession with corndogs, and what the “Golden Boy” really is.  This is a fun book that, although a bit unbelievable, is witty enough to keep the readers entertained.  I especially like the use of funny footnotes and Jake’s many sarcastic comments (although they might cause some confusion in younger readers who may not pick up in the sarcasm).  

MS – ADVISABLE.  Reviewer: Margaret Winn, middle school teacher.