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105th out of 127 books
—
49 voters
The Big Splash
by
Jack D. Ferraiolo (Goodreads Author)
Snappy, pulp-inspired noir set in the mean hallways of middle school, from an exciting debut author.
The treacherous, hormone-soaked hallways of Franklin Middle School are the setting for this sharp, funny noir novel about tough guys and even tougher girls. “The Frank” is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forge...more
The treacherous, hormone-soaked hallways of Franklin Middle School are the setting for this sharp, funny noir novel about tough guys and even tougher girls. “The Frank” is in the clutches of a crime syndicate run by seventh-grader Vinny “Mr. Biggs” Biggio, who deals in forge...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published
September 1st 2008
by Harry N. Abrams
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I wasn't sure about the cover, so I put it on hold. While it was sitting in my drawer, waiting to be read, I had a kid ask for a funny mystery. He needed to read a certain number of pages by the end of the week. I saw this on the new book shelf and told him I hadn't read it, but it looked good, and he should try it. He grabbed the book and completely stopped looking.
Less than a week later (note that he'd probably finished the requirement by now), he came back to me, book in hand, and asked what...more
Less than a week later (note that he'd probably finished the requirement by now), he came back to me, book in hand, and asked what...more
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Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com
"The Frank" may seem like a typical middle school, but it's actually run by Vinny Biggs and his gang. Need a stolen exam? Or want a sugar high? You'll have to go through Vinny. Cross Vinny, and you'll be facing one of his "hired assassins."
Vinny's "hired assassins" hold your social life fate in their hands. These assassins hide water guns, and with one quick shot you'll look like you peed your pants, face social humiliation, a...more
"The Frank" may seem like a typical middle school, but it's actually run by Vinny Biggs and his gang. Need a stolen exam? Or want a sugar high? You'll have to go through Vinny. Cross Vinny, and you'll be facing one of his "hired assassins."
Vinny's "hired assassins" hold your social life fate in their hands. These assassins hide water guns, and with one quick shot you'll look like you peed your pants, face social humiliation, a...more
This was a fun and creative noir mystery in the style of the classics like Mickey Spillane. It had me laughing aloud with delight at the language and the similies. AND it wasn't just a gimmick...there were tender relationships, awkward adolescent moments, and a great mystery with twists and turns. I kept wanting to pick it up again when I didn't have time...always a good sign. Look at this, "Nicole Finnegan, a.k.a. Nikki Fingers, was a dream girl...the kind who caused nightmares." How can you be...more
Jason Heilbronner
5-21-13
Book review
The big splash is a mystery book for kids that is full of adventure, mystery, comedy and all around fun.
The book is about a boy names Matt Stevens who goes to a dystopic school. In this school kids run around with water guns shooting people's crotches. Once you get shot you lose all of your friends and are looked down on by everyone. The number one trigger girl in the school gets shot and Matt Stevens is on the case to find out who shot her. In the book, Matt...more
5-21-13
Book review
The big splash is a mystery book for kids that is full of adventure, mystery, comedy and all around fun.
The book is about a boy names Matt Stevens who goes to a dystopic school. In this school kids run around with water guns shooting people's crotches. Once you get shot you lose all of your friends and are looked down on by everyone. The number one trigger girl in the school gets shot and Matt Stevens is on the case to find out who shot her. In the book, Matt...more
The main character of this funny middle school mystery is Matt Stevens, a private eye at Franklin Middle School. He just accepted a job from Vincent "Vinny Biggs" Biggio, the kid behind every deal, from black market candy to forged hall passes. If you get on the wrong side of Vinny, then you get sent to the Outs club, the least popular club, by being shot with a squirt gun. Nicole Finnegan a.k.a. Nikki Fingers, a feared squirt gun assassin, is sent to the Outs, Matt is determined to find who did...more
As a lover of Raymond Chandler, noir mysteries, humor, and a fan of Jack himself--as a particularly enjoyable conversationalist and general good company--I had pretty high expectations for The Big Splash (especially when I learned that Gordon Korman had done the blurb.)
The premise itself, a hard-boiled detective story set in middle school, is a delightfully clever one. Middle school is, if anything, more gritty, suspenseful and riddled with danger than the seedy underbellies of society that the...more
The premise itself, a hard-boiled detective story set in middle school, is a delightfully clever one. Middle school is, if anything, more gritty, suspenseful and riddled with danger than the seedy underbellies of society that the...more
Jun 05, 2009
Sarah
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
grades 7-9
Recommended to Sarah by:
7/8 list
Shelves:
children-mystery
Matt Stevens is the guy to go to when you need to solve a mystery at Franklin Middle School. Jenny hires him to find out who “took out” her sister using a well-aimed stream from a SuperSoaker watergun. When kids are “taken out,” they become social outcasts. Jenny is determined to know who did it so she can get revenge on her sister’s behalf.
Matt only has a couple of days before the start of the weekend to find the person who did it because, after the weekend, the trail usually goes cold. Between...more
Matt only has a couple of days before the start of the weekend to find the person who did it because, after the weekend, the trail usually goes cold. Between...more
As if navigating the halls of middle school wasn't tough enough! Enter Vinny "Biggs" Biggio and his ruthless crew of squirt gun wielding thugs. One strategically aimed squirt and any middle schooler will find herself on the "outs" faster than a skate on ice. Nicole "Nikki Fingers" Finnegan, the most feared squirt gun assassin in school, is about to get payback, and it's up to Matt Stevens to solve the case and figure out who did Nikki Fingers in.
A fun parody of hard-boiled detective novels comp...more
A fun parody of hard-boiled detective novels comp...more
I adore this book. Clever from beginning to end. First, the idea: a noir detective story, a la "The Big Sleep," set in middle school. And the world these characters inhabit is complete: the detective, the case to solve, the kingpin, his lackies, the swell girl--even the neighborhood "bar" where they can all hang out (I won't ruin what it actually is, because it's one of the many ingenious touches throughout this ingenious book).
Not only is the story flat-out funny and yet also sweet when it com...more
Not only is the story flat-out funny and yet also sweet when it com...more
2 likes · like · see review
6th&up. Matt Stevens is my hero! Clever, honorable, smart-ass, and determined. This Spenser-like character navigates the treacherous waters of Franklin Middle School with a style you have to respect. Ferraiolo creates a mystery that's perfect for his audience, with some well crafted twists and turns. There's even some nice underlying messages as Matt refrains from jumping to conclusions, stands up to bullies despite the realistic risks that entails, and never gives up on his friends (even wh...more
I got a big kick out of this one. Written as a sort of middle school film noir, there are crazy similies to be found throughout this book. How awesome is that? I thought that this book was very clever.
A little over the top perhaps (not a problem for me), and I did find one minor inconsistancy(it don't confuse or alter the main plot), and the characters are somewhat superficial (as is often the case in film noir), but highly enjoyable nevertheless.
I kind of imagine that I'd give this book to some...more
A little over the top perhaps (not a problem for me), and I did find one minor inconsistancy(it don't confuse or alter the main plot), and the characters are somewhat superficial (as is often the case in film noir), but highly enjoyable nevertheless.
I kind of imagine that I'd give this book to some...more
Loved it. Noir for the middle school set. Great narrator, fun. I hope there's another Matt Stevens mystery in the works.
This is a humorous mystery set in a middle school, "The Frank." Matt Stevens is our tough-guy private eye, like a youthful Sam Spade. First he is hired by Vinnie Biggs, the middle school crime lord, to retrieve an object from Vinnie's ex, then he must find the culprit who super-soaked Nicole Finnegan, a.k.a. Nikki Fingers. Nikki used to be Vinnie's best trigger artist (now she is reformed and out of a life of crime) and most of the school has a grudge against her. I don't know that young readers...more
Such a clever book - I love the voices and settings and the general aura of noir. I had the guilty party pegged pretty quickly, but had no idea what the motive was, so I enjoyed watching the case unfold. The plot revolves around bullies and bullying and, if I'm recalling correctly, the book has a couple of swear words but nothing else that might be considered questionable. This one will be enjoyed by middle schoolers who like their mysteries believable or who are intrigued by popularity, cliques...more
I picked up BIG SPLASH because I read SIDEKICKS and enjoyed it so much that I immediately ran out to find other books by this author. I've just found a new favorite author. Ferraiolo has a fanstastic grasp of characterization, creating a intriguing world, and pulling the reader right into the story. I immediately connected to the main character, enjoyed the rich humor in the book, and had a fantastic time reading about the happenings at Franklin Middle School. I am looking forward to the sequel...more
A quick and easy YA book to read. The noir style mystery set in middle school is enjoyable, and interestingly enough explores the psychology of the seventh graders quite accurately. You have the bullies working for the mafia selling contraband sugary sweets, the bullied in an outcast group called the Outs, and the normal kids trying to survive by attaching themselves to a clique or a certain profession such as hall monitoring or school journalism. At times, the book can't decide between comedy a...more
I’m a big fan of hard-boiled detective stories, so when I saw The Big Splash---the first one of that sort that I’ve ever seen written for a juvenile audience---I really, really wanted to read it. After all, where else but in middle school will you find the situation so ideal for the noir-style mystery? And Jack D. Ferraiolo includes just about all the elements of the genre: there’s an organized crime boss, bully boys, assassins, dangerous dames, a story-hungry reporter, and the law, represented...more
Imagine taking Phillip Marlowe or Sam Spade and placing them in middle school - that’s how you end up with Matt Stevens. Matt is a no-nonsense private eye working the halls of the ‘Frank’- that’s Franklin Middle School to you.
Matt has the unenviable task of trying to track down who took out Nicole Finnegan, or as she was known up until the end of last year, Nikki Fingers. You see, Nikki was the fastest squirt gun shot around, but as her younger sister Jenny is about to start classes at the Frank...more
Matt has the unenviable task of trying to track down who took out Nicole Finnegan, or as she was known up until the end of last year, Nikki Fingers. You see, Nikki was the fastest squirt gun shot around, but as her younger sister Jenny is about to start classes at the Frank...more
3.5 stars. The description of this book on the dust jacket is hilarious; I don't know if I do it justice when I say it's about a middle-school detective named Matt who accepts a job from the school's wannabe mafia-like boss and then finds himself having to track down the person who squirt-gunned Nikki, who used to be the boss's right hand girl. The writing makes this book like film noir, and I was laughing from the very first page. There is so much to love about this book: the characters are fun...more
Nice little piece of middle school crime fiction, more akin to Nickelodeon, than BRICK or VERONICA MARS. For the first 80-90 pages I wasn't all that into it, but on page 96, suddenly, all the bits of noir trappings vis-a-vis middle school, all the straining metaphors, snapped into focus:
"Five minutes doesn't seem like a long time, unless you're on the playground getting hammered with kickballs, wearing only socks and a stained diaper. Then five minutes is an eternity. That's how long it took for...more
"Five minutes doesn't seem like a long time, unless you're on the playground getting hammered with kickballs, wearing only socks and a stained diaper. Then five minutes is an eternity. That's how long it took for...more
Take the Sopranos, Sherlock Holmes, and mix them together in a middle school lunch sack, and you'd get this humorous detective story. I listened to this book on a Playaway, and loved the way the narrator was able to capture the personalities of the characters through his voice. The writing was a lot of fun to listen to, and, like all good detective stories, the author kept me guessing as to who really did the "crime." This book would appeal to anyone who likes silly mysteries.
Mix a little Maltese Falcon with middle-school and this is what you get: a highly entertaining and enjoyable read for all ages. Jack D. Ferraiolo combined all the wit and weirdly-specific similes of hard-boiled pulp fiction with the craziness that is adolescence; complete with trigger-savvy femme fatales.
Get on Mr. Bigg's bad side and you may find yourself permanently on the outside looking in. Try to redeem your reputation? Forget it, Jake. It's middle-school.
Get on Mr. Bigg's bad side and you may find yourself permanently on the outside looking in. Try to redeem your reputation? Forget it, Jake. It's middle-school.
It's okay. I liked the detective angle, the "noir" flavor, some of the humor. I'm not sure how much of the "noir" flavor or humor middle school kids will get. I was a bit put off by the amount of bullying, mistreatment of students by students. It seemed to me that so much activity like this could go on in a school building with little or no intervention by faculty or staff - a bit too incredulous. Again, maybe this is aspect is something that would not bother middle school readers.
May 14, 2013
Kristin
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Shelves:
boys,
friendship,
humor,
kids,
middle-grade,
mystery,
read-in-2013,
reader-s-advisory,
series,
book-club
This highly caricatured middle grade story in the vein of a Sam Spade mystery works well in spite of its formulaic setup and knock-off style. A good book for reluctant readers in particular due to its primarily tongue-in-cheek nature. Some willingness to give over to the unrealistic nature of the story is required to enjoy it, but sometimes that's what a fun book is about. Seventh-grade private eye Matt has been tapped by the school's shadiest kid boss to find out who put his famous squirt gun a...more
This book was so clever; a hard-boiled crime detective novel for middle school students! Funny for adults who are familiar with the genre, and exciting for any reader--at the end of the audio book version I sat in my car and couldn't tear myself away from the conclusion of the story. Happy that the end was not predictable and yet was very believable. Also very likable protagonist. I hope we have more stories from Ferraiolo about Matt Stevens, private eye!
This is about a middle-school detective, written in the hard-boiled detective style. It seemed to go on forever, with spoofs of the Mafia and everyone running around soaking people's pants with a super squirter, which puts them in the "Outs" group forever. Gordon Korman and Jeff Kinney (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) both seem to find it funny (quoted on the covers), but I got tired of it fast- too much dialogue and not enough action.
I couldn't finish this book. It was just ok....I never liked detective novels and it reads like one of the old 'film noir' detective films. It details a middle school detective who comes out of 'retirement' to take on the case of Nikki Fingers, once a bully, now a 'regular girl' who was made into a member of the 'outs' by having herself sprayed with a water gun, all over her pants, a bullying technique she made famous.
Mar 21, 2011
Sarah
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
young-adult
So clever and funny. I wasn't sure at first how well Junior High would work as a noir setting, but the author more than pulls it off -- the tropes of hard-boiled detective mysteries get a fresh spin here. I really enjoyed the crisp dialogue, the love triangle, and the terrific, multi-layered mystery. Matt's relationship with his mom was pretty amazing as well. Here's hoping there's a sequel in the works.
Middle grade noir about a boy detective who sets out to find the water-pistol assassin who took out Nikki Fingers, the school's most notorious hit-woman. The author is great with setting the scene and building tension to a very believable ending that took me by surprise. Mid grade boys especially will enjoy this book. This author really knows how to take a reader on a fun, age appropriate thrill ride.
Fantastic noir detective book for the middle school crowd! I'll definitely use it to talk about voice with my next writer's workshop, as well as similes and metaphors:
"Dickie was all over him like hair on an old man's ear."
"Apparently, I wore my thoughts like makeup on a little girl: all over my face."
"Justice is a snack...revenge, on the other hand, is a full meal."
Loved it!
"Dickie was all over him like hair on an old man's ear."
"Apparently, I wore my thoughts like makeup on a little girl: all over my face."
"Justice is a snack...revenge, on the other hand, is a full meal."
Loved it!
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Hi...I'm Jack... I've been editing and writing for tv animation for about ten years now, working on such shows as Squigglevision (ABC), Home Movies (Adult Swim), and O'Grady (The N). I also developed and currently write for WordGirl on PBS, for which I won an Emmy. My first novel, The Big Splash, is like Raymond Chandler meets Goodfellas set in a middle school. Here's a couple of reviews:
http://ww...more
More about Jack D. Ferraiolo...
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