It all began with The Scream. And ended with . . . well, if we told you that, it wouldn’t be a mystery! But in between The Scream and The Ver...
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reviews
Sep 02, 2009
Inge
rated it: 
Starting this book, I noticed a real Blue Balliet "Chasing Vermeer"-type of vibe. But, that quickly evaporated. The Red Blazer Girls are much more accessible than the Balliet protagonists, who are genius child-prodigy types. You get the feeling that Sophie, Rebecca, and Margaret could be your friends, and that you (yes, plain old average-intelligence "you") could help them solve the mystery. Yet, I appreciated the fact that the mystery wasn't at easy to solve as you'd think,
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Mar 09, 2011
Reading Vacation's Mom
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REVIEW
Do you like puns? This mystery was full of them and they made me laugh. Oh, and there was a dash of romance mixed in. This mystery also had geometry problems and word puzzles to solve. How’s that for unique?
The idea of a girl detective made me think of Nancy Drew, but Nancy was always older. I loved that The Red Blazer Girls were in middle school and Sophie is a “reader.” This made it easy for me to relate to them. I also liked how well they got along and worked together.
The plot d More...
Do you like puns? This mystery was full of them and they made me laugh. Oh, and there was a dash of romance mixed in. This mystery also had geometry problems and word puzzles to solve. How’s that for unique?
The idea of a girl detective made me think of Nancy Drew, but Nancy was always older. I loved that The Red Blazer Girls were in middle school and Sophie is a “reader.” This made it easy for me to relate to them. I also liked how well they got along and worked together.
The plot d More...
Dec 21, 2011
Lauren
rated it: 
Witty, clever, and fun, these middle school detectives made for a cute and light mystery with a little bit of fluff thrown in. Rebecca, Sophie, and the ultra-brainy Margaret are close friends at a private school who consider themselves the Nancy Drew crew of the modern era. These girls are bright, optimistic and, yes, they enjoy doing math problems! They interact happily with their parents, their teachers, and other adults in a healthy and mature way which makes this a great book for 'tweens. Pe
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Sep 29, 2011
Shauna
rated it: 
The Book Diva brought this to Aerie. I was really excited about it's high ratings and surprise ending. (it's for those who love mystery, math and a modest measure of mayhem) It sounded perfect for her.She loves math, mystery and mayhem! And the second book is all about a vanishing violin--what could be more fitting? However, after she read it for an hour or so during Sallie's group class today, she said, "I really don't like it." I told her I was surprised that she didn't like it, be
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Sep 09, 2011
Lj
rated it:
When listening to an audio book with a juvenile main character, it can make all the difference to my shallow listening skills to have someone whose voice matches the age level of the characters but does not make an exaggerated attempt to sound young. This was the case for me in listening to this audio book, voiced by Tai Alexandra Ricci. The Red Blazer girls are four friends who go to a catholic girls school in New York City. They find themselves embroiled in a mystery when one of the girls sees
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Dec 28, 2010
Julie
rated it: 
This was a lot of fun. Having just read Heist Society and Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer, I can say it fits in nicely with those others.
I expected the puzzles and mystery; what I didn't expect was the good writing and characterization. The protagonist, Sophie St. Pierre, narrates in a funny, fresh, likable voice that reminds me of several of my favorite bloggers.
Again, as in Theodore Boone, you have a functional professional family who still makes time to be together when it's i More...
I expected the puzzles and mystery; what I didn't expect was the good writing and characterization. The protagonist, Sophie St. Pierre, narrates in a funny, fresh, likable voice that reminds me of several of my favorite bloggers.
Again, as in Theodore Boone, you have a functional professional family who still makes time to be together when it's i More...
Nov 08, 2010
BookKids
rated it:
In this series Sophie, Margaret, and Rebecca are in school together in Manhattan where they meet an older woman next door who has just uncovered the first clue of a mystery. Intrigued, the girls decide to follow the (math-based) clues to try and find the treasure hidden at the end. Of course, other nefarious characters are also after the treasure, and the girls must use their wits to outsmart them.
It’s a fun, fast-paced, easy read (except for the math.) Fortunately, you don’t have to More...
It’s a fun, fast-paced, easy read (except for the math.) Fortunately, you don’t have to More...
Jun 22, 2010
Denise
rated it:
This book didn't live up to my expectations based on the reviews I've read AND that it has been nominated to go on the Lone Star list. I'm a middle school librarian - grades 7 and 8. I think my younger students, mostly girls will like this book. The writing just seemed so juvenile - not much sophistication to it. I know it is supposed to sound like a 7th grade girl telling her own story but it just didn't ring true to me. I would recommend it to the elementary librarians but there is 'language'
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May 11, 2010
Madeline
rated it:
I was a kid, I read Nancy Drew nearly every day in fourth grade. (I also read The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, The Bosbey Twins, Cherry Ames, The Three Investigators and pretty much every mystery like these except for The Boxcar Children. I somehow missed The Boxcar Children.)
You can probably guess that I liked mystery series as a kid. So imagine how excited I when the BookPeople buyer handed me a new children’s mystery series for girls. I even like to think of it as the Nancy Drew More...
You can probably guess that I liked mystery series as a kid. So imagine how excited I when the BookPeople buyer handed me a new children’s mystery series for girls. I even like to think of it as the Nancy Drew More...
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Mar 10, 2010
Ruhama
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Sophie, Margaret and Becca are your typical trio of friends just starting seventh grade at St. Veronica's, new red blazers and all, except that they've managed to get involved in a mystery in the first month of school. It all begins when Sophie sees a face in the window of the church and decides they need to investigate. This leads to a secret passage, Elizabeth Harriman and a twenty year old scavenger hunt. Mrs. Harriman's father was a famous archeologist who passed on his love for discovery to
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Aug 31, 2009
Aaron
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One of the reasons I love serving on the Rhode Island Teen Book Award Committee is that it exposes me to so many interesting books that I would probably not have heard of or at least not picked up on my own. Not all of them are worthy enough to make it to the list, but they are still great reads, all the same. I think this one might make the list for 2011, but only time will tell.
Set in Manhattan, this is the story of four seventh grade girls who are attending a private school (St. V More...
Set in Manhattan, this is the story of four seventh grade girls who are attending a private school (St. V More...
Jun 18, 2011
Krista
rated it:
One day in class like any other day, Sophie looks out the window at school and thinks she sees a ghost in the window of the building next door and screams. She and her friends decide that during lunch they are going to investigate. They end up sneaking through the church and "breaking in" to the upper floors which connect the church to the adjacent building where the old Ms. Harriman resides. Ms Harriman of course finds them snooping and befriends them. Eventually Ms Harriman decides t
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Oct 10, 2011
Rosalyn
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This was a clever middle-grade novel, following four seventh-grade friends as they try to solve a decades old mystery for an old lady who lives near their NYC Catholic school. The girls are all smart and fun (particularly the main character, Sophie, who tells the story) and I liked how wholesome (for lack of a better word) the story felt. Although each of the characters has her own challenges, the challenges were believable ones for middle school students, and none of the characters faced life-o
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May 09, 2011
Ariel
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 23, 2009
Elisha
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I still haven't found a good groove at the new library we are forced to patronize. Our real library is closed for a 2 year renovation and we miss it badly. I haven't found any recommend books at this new library that I've cared about at all.
Except this one. I found it in the kids section because I had to stay there while the little girl I was with searched out her books. If left alone I can hear her using a threatening voice to other kids saying "that's MY book", so I s More...
Except this one. I found it in the kids section because I had to stay there while the little girl I was with searched out her books. If left alone I can hear her using a threatening voice to other kids saying "that's MY book", so I s More...
Apr 08, 2011
Rosalia
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Sophie see's a woman in a window at school and drags two of her friends. The women needs help solving a twenty year old mystery that may reunite her with her estranged daughter. In addition to the mystery there are boy problems, a Great Expectations skit and an evil deacon.
This was a cute little mystery. There wasn't anything super exciting about it. If you think about it enough a couple chapters in and you can figure out who dunnit. The girls are sweet and likable as are many o More...
This was a cute little mystery. There wasn't anything super exciting about it. If you think about it enough a couple chapters in and you can figure out who dunnit. The girls are sweet and likable as are many o More...
Aug 12, 2010
Sarah
rated it:
This is a sweet story that I enjoyed--and I normally can't stand mysteries. It was well-written with very likable characters.
Sophie is a seventh-grader who is close friends with Margaret and Rebecca; they all attend St. Veronica's, a private school in New York City. While sitting in class one day, Sophie thinks she sees a figure in one of the windows of the church across the way in a place she thought was unused. She and her friends check it out and end up meeting a kind, if not o More...
Sophie is a seventh-grader who is close friends with Margaret and Rebecca; they all attend St. Veronica's, a private school in New York City. While sitting in class one day, Sophie thinks she sees a figure in one of the windows of the church across the way in a place she thought was unused. She and her friends check it out and end up meeting a kind, if not o More...
May 13, 2011
Rosie
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While I found this book to be completely unbelievable, I think this is a great book for tweens who like Nancy Drew. Four 7th grade girls who attend a prep school befriend an elderly woman who tells them about a mystery she wants them to solve for her. The woman's father, who was a famous archeologist, made a scavenger hunt for his granddaughter's birthday with a priceless ring as the prize. Unfortunately, he died before he could give her the first clue, which the elderly woman recently stumbled
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Oct 13, 2009
ananka
rated it:
It was ok and probably most of my beefs are with the reading, since I listened to this book. The woman reading did a good job with the voices, but her portrayal of the older woman kept making me think she was trying to pull one over on the girls. I was waiting for the cat to be let out of the bag. Instead the flip was someone else. Maybe I just wanted to dislike her for her over-niceness. My second problem was with the "teaching moments". They were painfully obvious and I could i
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Dec 08, 2011
Erin
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The Red Blazer Girls
by Michael D. Bell
Calling all math geniuses! The girls from St. Veronica's Catholic School stumble across a secret passageway that takes them on a quest to find something very special, something hidden over twenty years ago right in New York City. Strangely enough, the answers to the quest are hidden in a series of riddles that test the girls' knowledge of algebra and geometry. Sound boring? I think not. It's fun to see how the girls work together and reason over More...
by Michael D. Bell
Calling all math geniuses! The girls from St. Veronica's Catholic School stumble across a secret passageway that takes them on a quest to find something very special, something hidden over twenty years ago right in New York City. Strangely enough, the answers to the quest are hidden in a series of riddles that test the girls' knowledge of algebra and geometry. Sound boring? I think not. It's fun to see how the girls work together and reason over More...
Jun 23, 2011
Carolyn
rated it:
This book starts out promisingly enough with a likeable French-American main character and a pleasingly multi-cultural cast, but quickly devolves into a strange amalgam of Nancy Drew and a soap opera. Unbelievable plot turns conspire to force a team of intelligent but high-drama middle school girls into a hunt for an extremely valuable religious artifact. Over-explanation of the brain teaser clues (including a lengthy discussion of the simple concept of the Pythagorean Theorem) are only part o
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Sep 08, 2010
Kathryn
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Fun, fun, fun! I SO enjoyed reading this story of four friends attending Catholic middle school in NYC and the unexpected mystery they find themselves unraveling in hopes of finding a lost and very valuable birthday present that's been hidden for over twenty years--one that will have even more worth if it can help bring a divided family back together again. I love that the girls are fun and spunky and unabashedly into their school subjects, totally geeking out over Charles Dickens and geometry
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Sep 10, 2009
Barky
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When Sophie sees a face in the window of the church across from her classroom, she freaks out – but later gets her friends (Rebecca and Margaret) to help her investigate. The face ends up belonging to an elderly woman who asks the girls to help her with a mystery. Her husband hid a birthday present for his granddaughter (a former student at the same school) in the school somewhere, and left a series of clues to help her find it. He then passed away before he could tell his granddaughter about
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Aug 08, 2011
Belann
rated it:
The red blazer girls are a modern day version of Nancy Drew. The new heroine is named Sophia St. Pierre. One day in English class Sophie sees someone in the window of the church across the way and she is asking for help. When Sophie and her friends go to find out who the person is, they discover that she is an older woman who needs help solving an old family mystery. The girls become involved in helping the woman solve the mystery, which is finding the "ring of Rocamador." The rin
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Feb 07, 2010
Nancee
rated it:
What fun! The mix of cozy mystery, detective noir, puzzles -- algebra, English literature, art, religion -- and great character & plot development makes this such a great, escapist read! I loved Sophie's voice, and all the girls and their families were so real. Okay -- the ending was impossibly happy, but that's how the best cozies end! I felt like I was in fifth grade again, wanting to meet the Sophie, Rebecca, Margaret and Leigh Ann at Perkatory (what a cool name for a coffee shop) and join
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Jan 05, 2010
Alex
rated it:
We started this on our Xmas baby tour, but I got hooked and finished it by myself. In fact, I listened to most of the last disc just driving around our neighborhood not wanting to go home until I finished.
Four 7th grade girls in NYC that attending a boarding school (named St Veronica's- and one of the girls was named Rebecca!!!) are sent on the trail of a 20 year old treasure hunt. Great sense of humor throughout, really nailing down the energy of that age, with school dramas, boy More...
Four 7th grade girls in NYC that attending a boarding school (named St Veronica's- and one of the girls was named Rebecca!!!) are sent on the trail of a 20 year old treasure hunt. Great sense of humor throughout, really nailing down the energy of that age, with school dramas, boy More...
Apr 14, 2011
Heidi
rated it:
Best friends, Sophie (narrator of story), Margaret and Rebecca are 7th graders at a Manhattan Catholic school. While in English class, Sophie sees a ghostly face in the church window across the courtyard and screams. The girls' curiosity is piqued and they find out who it was that Sophie saw, a Ms. Harriman. Ms. Harriman has found a card that leads to more clues to solve a 20-year-old puzzle, and she believes the 3 friends can solve it. However, they're not the only ones looking for the treasure
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Sep 26, 2009
Allison
rated it:
Beil, Michael D. Red Blazer Girls 304pgs. Knopf Books for Young Readers Language~G, Sexual Content~G; Violence~G
Move over Nancy Drew and crew. There is a new group in town! Sophie St. Pierre and her 3 best friends stumble upon a mystery that leads them clue by clue through the church across the street. Odd place to find clues, I know, but it works. The clues are intriguing and involve the reader in finding the solution. As narrator, Sophie includes the reader in their findings More...
Move over Nancy Drew and crew. There is a new group in town! Sophie St. Pierre and her 3 best friends stumble upon a mystery that leads them clue by clue through the church across the street. Odd place to find clues, I know, but it works. The clues are intriguing and involve the reader in finding the solution. As narrator, Sophie includes the reader in their findings More...
Jun 17, 2009
Sps
rated it:
Surprisingly well-reviewed.
Not so surprising after reading it. Snappy but believable middle school dialogue, feelings, and situations. E.g. the narrator flips out and is kind of mean to a friend when she thinks the friend has stolen the boy she likes, but she's also into math and books and being loyal to her friends. The kids have homework and parents that interfere with the exciting and somewhat glamorous mystery. They're Catholic, they go to a Catholic school, and the mystery un More...
Not so surprising after reading it. Snappy but believable middle school dialogue, feelings, and situations. E.g. the narrator flips out and is kind of mean to a friend when she thinks the friend has stolen the boy she likes, but she's also into math and books and being loyal to her friends. The kids have homework and parents that interfere with the exciting and somewhat glamorous mystery. They're Catholic, they go to a Catholic school, and the mystery un More...
Feb 05, 2010
Debby
rated it:
First in a new teen mystery series. Sophie St. Pierre is in her first month of St. Veronica's "upper school" (7th grade). She and her friends accidently discover and meet the lady next door to the church in their school - Ms. Harriman. Harriman's father, a famous archeologist, left clues for a treasure hunt for her daughter just before he died. The girls decipher the clues, find the treasure, reunite the family, make new friends, etc. Clever, with mathematical and literary clues.
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