The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin

Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2010: The feisty and brainy girl sleuths from St. Veronica's School are hot on the trail of a valuable violin gone missing in The Vanishing Violin, the second installment in this breakout middle-grade mystery series from newcomer Michael D. Beil. There is much to love about a girl-power series focused on something other than fashion, boys, and mean girls. You won't find any Gossip Girls in this crowd, but rather a top-notch crew of tween investigators featuring twelve-year-old Sophie St. Pierre (who chronicles the cases), future Mensa-candidate and musician Margaret Wrobel, the razor-sharp Rebecca Chen, and creative-type Leigh Ann Jaimes. Collectively they thrive on good humor, intriguing puzzles, cross-town adventures, and plenty of sweets from the local coffee shop (Perkatory). Infused with contemporary humor and situations, The Red Blazer Girls offer readers a fresh take on Nancy Drew-inspired mysteries-meets Harriet the Spy. A very smart and rewarding pick for active middle grade readers. --Lauren Nemroff