The Case of the Crooked Carnival

Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives #5

by Michele Torrey, Barbara Johansen Newman (Illustrator)

Science super-sleuths Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey are back—this time in a never-before-published addition to the popular series! They’ve got an exciting collection of cases,   Are ghosts and ghouls keeping Edgar Glum awake? Have aliens invaded Mossy Swamp?  What’s the crooked game everyone’s losing at the carnival? And why is the town bridge going bananas? Kids will have fun following the clues—and learning about such real scientific principles as amplification, ecosystems, magnetic fields, and more.  Plus, budding Doyles and Fosseys will find actual experiments to try!

Genres: Mystery

96 pages, Paperback

First published May 4, 2010

About the author

Michele Torrey, author of chapter books for young readers and novels for middle grade, young adult, and adult, is a two-time Thurber House Residency in Children's Literature nominee, plus a two-time winner of PNWA's Zola Award. Among other honors, her books have received starred reviews from “Publisher’s Weekly” and “Kirkus,” been chosen by the Junior Library Guild, and been nominated for numerous state medals.

Torrey holds a degree in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Washington (’88), and a Master of Arts in Religion from Graceland University (’06). She currently lives on Fox Island, Washington, but has lived and traveled all over the world. She has three sons and five grandchildren. In addition to her writing and traveling, she is a director and co-founder of Orphans Africa, a 501 c 3 nonprofit charity (www.orphansafrica.org). Orphans Africa works primarily in Tanzania, building boarding schools for children orphaned by AIDS.

Reviews

[Katt Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Who hasn't been to a carnival and felt frustrated by how rigged the games were? Downright depressing! Ah, but Fossey and Doyle are on the case, as always. This ones loses a couple of points for just how farfetched it seems for a carney to be working with a local bully. The wobbly bridge seems a bit out there as well. On the other hand, the science is sound, the experiments are great - and the comments snuck into the instructions at the end made me laugh out loud. So four stars overall.

[Sean Harding · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doyle and Fossey the children science detectives return in book five of this energetic and stimulating series. A series that seeks to entertain and to promote science, not dissimilar to the old TV series in Australia The Curiosity Show. Complete with activities to complete in the back, and real science, these are educational as well as fun stories, all with click bait style titles as well as almost in this case anyway throwback titles to kids mystery series of decades gone by.
A great idea which is executed very well, and the stories themselves are quite brief there is no padding here.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I had found this when I was younger it might have made me like science

[morninglightmama · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never heard of any of the Doyle and Fossey Science Detectives Books for middle grade readers, but after reading this newest offering, I'm thrilled to know they're out there! With humor and silly mysteries as the context, kids are exposed to the Scientific Method and real-world issues such as invasive plant species, magnetism, resonance, and amplification, which are the four issues addressed in this book. At the end of the book, there are directions for children to replicate the experiments on their own... perfect for Science Fair Project time!

[Rene Kirkpatrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

And there's not enough plain old books featuring science out there! Michele Torrey's Doyle and Fossey books are great mysteries for kids who like facts and realistic fiction (okay, maybe not so realistic). The books are made up of short stories where mysteries are solved using scientific process. In the back are experiments and more explanation about the information we've just learned. They are good for ages 8 and up, funny, and perfect for kids who like straight forward stories.

[Jaci Visintainer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to use to teach alliterations and to determine unknown meaning of unknown words using context clues. There's also science to solve the crime and it teaches children how to conduct their own experiment. Cliche "mystery solvers" chapter book plot which is why I have it a 4 but overall I would recommend this!

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Science, mystery, and a good read for early elementary readers. Nice twist on a genre of books that too many children are not familiar with. Review blogged here --> http://bit.ly/tllyRr

[Luca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love Doyle and Fossey