Marty Frye Private Eye: The Case of the Missing Action Figure & Other Mysteries by Janet Tashjian, illustrated by Laurie Keller - ADVISABLE

Tashjian, Janet Marty Frye Private Eye: The Case of the Missing Action Figure & Other Mysteries, illustrated by Laurie Keller, 76 pages.  Christy Oviano Books (Henry Holt), revised edition, 2017.  $16.  Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL-ADVISABLE

KID APPEAL: MEDIUM

Marty Frye is a rhyming guy and also a private eye. He solves three mysteries in this book, if you’d care to take a look: The Case of the Missing Diary, The Case of the Action Chuck, and The Case of the Mixed-Up Flour. Marty Frye searches for clues and makes a list of suspects for each mystery. He makes a few mistakes, but in the end he always solves the mystery.

Solving crimes with rhymes is an excellent combination. Author Janet Tashjian makes Marty Frye both likable and smart (and obviously a good rhymer). The illustrations in the book are expressive and eye-catching; and sure to catch the imagination of early chapter book readers. The format combines cartoon word blurbs, pictures, and formal text to tell the story and they work seamlessly together. If kids are interesting in catching crooks, they should try out these rhyming books.   

Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.