Book Review: Jack and the Case of the Missing Sandwich

Jack and the Case of the Missing Sandwich (A Jack and Sweetie Mystery Book 1) by Dawn Romeo has Jack, a Basset Hound, on a very special case … the case of the missing peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Everyone knows how delicious a peanut butter and jelly sandwich is, but Jack would never take anything that belonged to someone else, and especially not food. Mr. Johnson had left his sandwich outside on his deck, gone back in to fetch a drink, and had come out again to discover the sandwich gone and a dog he thought was Jack walking down the driveway. When Sally, Jack’s owner, hears Mr. Johnson’s accusation she is naturally very disturbed, as is Jack. Sally springs to Jack’s defence, but Mr. Johnson is adamant that Jack is the culprit. This is a case that must be investigated and it’s going to take all Jack’s sleuthing skills to discover the clues leading to the real thief. Will Jack solve the crime and clear his name? Is it possible there’s another dog in the neighbourhood who looks like Jack?

What a charming story and a lovely little mystery that will get young readers guessing as to what really happened and who took the sandwich. Jack uses his detecting abilities to make an interesting discovery, and it’s one that leads to a surprising conclusion. There are some very good life lessons here for youngsters such as honesty being the best policy, not jumping to conclusions, staying calm if falsely accused, and not judging someone by appearances. Other themes include forgiveness and saying sorry, and owning up if one has done something wrong. Delightful illustrations by Jolie Hamm will keep young readers interested while being read to by a parent of caregiver. You don’t have to be a Basset Hound owner to totally love Jack, and young readers can look forward to more adventures and detective mysteries since this is book one in the series.

Book Review: Frankie Dupont and the Science Fair Sabotage

Catch up with budding detective Frankie Dupont in the third adventure that this young sleuth investigates and hopefully solves. In Frankie Dupont and the Science Fair Sabotage, Frankie is holding the fort at the Dupont Detective Agency while Mum and Dad are off at an Awards Ceremony. His cousin Kat and friend Amy are desperately trying to get hold of him: something has happened at the Science Fair being held at (yep, you guessed it!) the by now notorious Enderby Manor. Can Frankie ever forget his first encounter there…? Amy’s brothers, the annoying twins Angus and Archie, inform Frankie that someone has stolen the robotic chip for their recycled robot in the Sustainable Science Fair. Sabotage! Someone sent an image of a note to Amy on her smartphone, using an app that makes the image disappear in seconds. The note said: “Dose of your own medicine.” There are big prizes up for grabs at the Science Fair, including a large cash grant for the winner in the adult scientist category. Who is trying to sabotage the Fair and why? Can Frankie get the answers in time to solve the mystery so that Inspector Cluesome isn’t called in to save the day – which of course he couldn’t do anyway!

This is a different kind of adventure for Frankie, one that calls more upon his detective skills and taxes his powers of perception and observation. In the words of the inimitable and most famous (Belgian, if you please!) detective Hercule Poirot, “It is the brain, the little gray cells on which one must rely. One must seek the truth within--not without.” Frankie must interview each junior contestant and also discreetly try to find out if they have hidden the robotic chip about their person. In the course of his investigations, it appears that Angus and Archie might deserve what they got since their efforts to put a spanner in the works of all their friends’ and fellow contestants’ science exhibits comes to light. I really enjoyed this more cerebral adventure that takes Frankie down a notch or two in his usual fast paced race through an investigation to a quieter more ‘thinking’ way of working on a problem. The various exhibits the young scientists have invented were absolutely amazing and I am sure will inspire budding inventors to create their own. Some pertinent moral and social behaviour messages make their appearance in the narrative so kids are left in no doubt as to what is right and what is wrong, but done in the nicest possible way so kids will absorb them. Another fun and intriguing adventure from author Julie Anne Grasso to entertain and educate kids!