Grooves: A Kind of Mystery

by Kevin Brockmeier

A quirky middle–grade novel about an enterprising seventh–grader who discovers an astonishing plea for help in the grooves of his blue jeans. Dwayne Ruggles is a regular kid living in a regular town until evil entrepreneur Howard Thigpen shows up. Thigpen seems to have the ability to make people do whatever he wants, and sparks of light swirl around him wherever he goes. But the mystery doesn't stop there. Dwayne discovers that the grooves in his Thigpen–brand blue jeans and the ripples in his Thigpen–brand potato chips contain a secret message, "Please. You must help us. He's stealing the light from our eyes." It's a race against time to solve the mystery, but first Dwayne better figure out what that strange message means. Ages 8+

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Juvenile, Fantasy, Childrens, Young Adult, Humor

208 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2006

About the author

Born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Brockmeier received his MFA from the Iowa Writer's Workshop in 1997. His stories have been featured in The New Yorker, McSweeney's, Crazyhorse, and The Georgia Review. He is the recipient of an O. Henry Award, the Nelson Algren Award, and a National Endowment of the Arts grant.

Reviews

[Andrew Bernstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

i'd go 3.5 stars, but couldn't get myself to round up to 4.

been reading a lot of Brockmeier the past month or so and I saw this and thought it would be fun for my 11 year old and I to read about the same time as I had really enjoyed his writing style and other stuff.

I was disappointed that this didn't feel "Brockmeier-y" enough to me, however it was a fun, quick read and had a lot of little bits of humor and clever wordplay.

I picked it up on a lazy Sunday (it was sitting next to me and my kindle was all the way across the room) and read it in one enjoyable sitting.

[Luke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry to all those who loved this book, but I just did not liked this. I found it very annoying that the author was constantly referring to the characters by their full names: "Kevin Applebab" or "Emily Holmes". (I also did not like the names very well...)

The concept really appealed to me. Talking jeans! How cool is that? Anyway, the author just didn't come through.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good, all though I feel like it resolved a little too quickly and easily in the end. I like the concept a lot, though. If you liked this book, you should try reading The Mysterious Benedict Society series, it has lots of similarities. Overall, this book was pretty good.

[Sydney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book has haunted me for the last fifteen years. The concept is so absurd that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. Don’t recommend but I am glad I finally found it.

[Brionna Kincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in middle school. It's about this everyday kid solving a weird mystery with his friends. I personally loved the little details each character received. Helped them to be more real to me. Though I do understand if it's a bit to quirky for some readers.

If you like strange mysteries, attention to details, or going on an adventure with an everyday Joe, than you'll like this book.

[Ellice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wonder if Kevin Brockmeier read a lot of Daniel Pinkwater when he was young--he's about the right age for it, and Grooves: A Kind of Mystery sure feels like a classic Pinkwater novel. It's just delightful, if you enjoy that kind of thing--three unique, semi-outcast main characters, a middle-American everytown that seems both modern but also eternally the same, and a mysterious and fantastic problem that urgently needs to be solved. So sweet, so good, and so very different from Brockmeier's masterpiece The Brief History of the Dead.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an intriguing, unpredictable book--in a good way. Couldn't guess what was going on; enjoyed the camaraderie of the kids. Summary: A quirky middle-grade novel about an enterprising seventh-grader who discovers an astonishing plea for help in the grooves of his blue jeans.

Dwayne Ruggles is a regular kid living in a regular town until evil entrepreneur Howard Thigpen shows up. Thigpen seems to have the ability to make people do whatever he wants, and sparks of light swirl around him wherever he goes. But the mystery doesn't stop there. Dwayne discovers that the grooves in his Thigpen-brand blue jeans and the ripples in his Thigpen-brand potato chips contain a secret message, "Please. You must help us. He's stealing the light from our eyes." It's a race against time to solve the mystery, but first Dwayne better figure out what that strange message means.

Ages 8+

[Teen]

I love booktalking this one - a guy is learning about how phonographs/records work in his science class and starts "listening" to the grooves in walls, his jeans, etc. - he hears voices begging for help and goes on a quest to find out what's up - very funny in a deadpan way. Good times. (JLR)

7th grader Dwayne is learning about how phonographs/records work in his science class and starts "listening" to the grooves in walls, his jeans, etc. He hears voices begging for help and goes on a quest to find out what's up - very funny in a deadpan way.

[Mark Holtzen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Not sure why he pulled punches with this one - it certainly shouldn't have been because it's a kid book. Maybe an editor got a hold of it? His writing is so great but this one had too many scenes of waiting for the bus. I feel he dumbed down too much. Kind of cool concept but just didn't have teeth. Maybe having read his short stories and a novel recently made this seem more watered down.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was silly and irreverent and a bit strange. It reads like something Piers Anthony might have done if he was given two hours and ten random words or phrases to play with. I enjoyed it, but probably wouldn't buy it for my kids -- this one is best borrowed.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Messages encoded in jeans, potato chips, and fingertips. Help me, help me. Just go with it, and the book is kind of fun to read. And the TV shows described in the book are pretty funny. Again, just go with it.

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot's a little thin in places, but it's all about discovery and thinking and experimenting. I really enjoyed this one.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

cutely written, but overly predictable.

[Rose]

JF Bro

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique story idea but the writing is kind of simple. Everything goes pretty easy for the kids. Fun, quick read though.

[Israel Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real fast read. The author is from Little Rock. I enjoyed it, but be aware it is a young adult book so not too earth shattering or plausible, just a fun quick read.

[Annika · Rating 3 out of 5]

Accidentally deleted my review for this so I think I might have to read it again anytime soon.

[Samantha Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In YA Lit we had to read mystery books, so I read this one ironically. However, I actually ended up really liking the book.