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The Red Blazer Girls #4
The Secret Cellar
The perfect series for kids who loved THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more mysteries!
"With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, The Red Blazer Girls represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- Huffington Post 's 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
Mysteries seem to find the Red Blazer when Sophie finds a secret message in the antique fountain pen she bought for her father, the girls are on a case. Soon, they're at the home of the pen's original owner, a secretive man who kept to himself. His house is full of puzzles, all of which protect a hidden treasure, and the Blazers will do anything to get to the bottom of things. Throw in an ill-tempered bookstore owner with a motive, a missing will, a walking stick that doubles as a key, a school Christmas play, and a rat named Humphrey, and it all adds up to another thrilling adventure for the Red Blazer Girls.
Michael Beil, a New York City high school English teacher and life-long mystery fan, delivers a middle-grade caper that's perfect for middle-grade readers who have finished THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more advanced mysteries!
From the Hardcover edition.
"With wit, cunning, snappy dialogue and superior math skills, The Red Blazer Girls represent the best of girl-detectives while still feeling relatable and real. Nancy Drew would be right at home with this group." -- Huffington Post 's 15 Greatest Kid Detectives List
Mysteries seem to find the Red Blazer when Sophie finds a secret message in the antique fountain pen she bought for her father, the girls are on a case. Soon, they're at the home of the pen's original owner, a secretive man who kept to himself. His house is full of puzzles, all of which protect a hidden treasure, and the Blazers will do anything to get to the bottom of things. Throw in an ill-tempered bookstore owner with a motive, a missing will, a walking stick that doubles as a key, a school Christmas play, and a rat named Humphrey, and it all adds up to another thrilling adventure for the Red Blazer Girls.
Michael Beil, a New York City high school English teacher and life-long mystery fan, delivers a middle-grade caper that's perfect for middle-grade readers who have finished THE LEMONADE WAR series and are ready for more advanced mysteries!
From the Hardcover edition.
288 pages, Library Binding
First published October 9, 2012
15 people are currently reading
372 people want to read
About the author
Michael D. Beil
10 books90 followersIn a time not long after the fifth extinction event, Edgar Award-nominated author Michael D. Beil came of age on the shores of Pymatuning Lake, where the ducks walk on the fish. (Look it up. Seriously.) For reasons that can’t be disclosed until September 28, 2041, he now lives somewhere in Portugal with his wife and their two white cats, Bruno and Maisie. He still gets carsick if he has to ride in the back seat for long and feels a little guilty that he doesn’t keep a journal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
March 12, 2017
This is a very exciting finale to the excellent Red Blazer Girls series by this author. The plot is multi-faceted and fast-moving and (like the other three books in the series) educates while it entertains. The story is peppered with some basics of mythology, mathematics, English literature, science, astronomy, code-breaking without becoming didactic, and demonstrates healthy, tolerant, and loving relationships among seventh-graders and with their families, teachers, and adult friends. Highly recommended for a family read-a-long!
October 9, 2022
The gang from St. Veronica’s Roman Catholic Church — Sophie St. Pierre, Margaret Wrobel, Rebecca Chen, and Leigh Ann Jaimes — are back and on a new case! Sophie finds a secret message in an antique fountain pen she’s bought at auction estate sale, and that message leads her to the fabulous home of the late and very secretive Curtis Dedmann and lots and lots of secrets for the Red Blazer Girls (as the foursome call themselves) to investigate.
Author Michael D. Beil, a teacher at a Catholic girl’s school quite like St. Veronica’s, has penned a book worthy of this great series. All our old favorites are back: the eccentric, elderly Elizabeth Harriman and her beloved ex-husband Malcolm Chance; Rafael “Raf” Arocho, Sophie’s love interest and the once wicked, but now reformed, Olivia “Livvy” Klack.. We even get see the Winterbottoms again, Gordon and Winnie, from the first book in the series, The Ring of Rocamadour— although in a whole new light. Fans of the series will adore this book, but newbies will be able to enjoy this book without having read the previous three.
My only quibble is that Beil’s fourth book in this series appears to be his last, as it was published 10 years ago. Please, please, tell me he’s not done!
Postscript: The Three Wise Men in the story is based on a real-life event. In 1942, four German spies were landed on Long Island while another four were landed near Jacksonville, Fla. They were supposed to sow fear on the Homefront through acts of sabotage on American soil; instead, the eight would-be saboteurs were arrested within two weeks, before they had committed a single act of sabotage.
Author Michael D. Beil, a teacher at a Catholic girl’s school quite like St. Veronica’s, has penned a book worthy of this great series. All our old favorites are back: the eccentric, elderly Elizabeth Harriman and her beloved ex-husband Malcolm Chance; Rafael “Raf” Arocho, Sophie’s love interest and the once wicked, but now reformed, Olivia “Livvy” Klack.. We even get see the Winterbottoms again, Gordon and Winnie, from the first book in the series, The Ring of Rocamadour— although in a whole new light. Fans of the series will adore this book, but newbies will be able to enjoy this book without having read the previous three.
My only quibble is that Beil’s fourth book in this series appears to be his last, as it was published 10 years ago. Please, please, tell me he’s not done!
Postscript: The Three Wise Men in the story is based on a real-life event. In 1942, four German spies were landed on Long Island while another four were landed near Jacksonville, Fla. They were supposed to sow fear on the Homefront through acts of sabotage on American soil; instead, the eight would-be saboteurs were arrested within two weeks, before they had committed a single act of sabotage.
February 23, 2021
An amazing detective story for kids! My 13-15 year old self would've loved this a lot.
-It is unexpectedly funny with some bad puns thrown here and there.
-It could be read in a single sitting, every chapter is intriguing, not too fast paced neither too slow.
-It contains interesting facts and information along with entertainment.
An interesting thing I found is the subtle way the reader is asked to participate in solving the mystery instead of waiting and reading the characters solve it for you.
Totally recommend this to anyone who likes solving mysteries, nancy drew kind of stories and of course children's books.
-It is unexpectedly funny with some bad puns thrown here and there.
-It could be read in a single sitting, every chapter is intriguing, not too fast paced neither too slow.
-It contains interesting facts and information along with entertainment.
An interesting thing I found is the subtle way the reader is asked to participate in solving the mystery instead of waiting and reading the characters solve it for you.
Totally recommend this to anyone who likes solving mysteries, nancy drew kind of stories and of course children's books.
March 22, 2017
This book was a great book. Of course, mysteries find the Red Blazer Girls. It all starts because it is Christmastime and Sophie is out looking for a gift for her dad. She finds a fountain pen and gets it at an auction. But, when she opens it up, there is a clue inside and it has something to do with a German spy. The girls go the house where the man died and there is the assistant there. She shows the girls a cellar and the girls investigate. They find that there is a dumbbell that goes the kitchen and is another way to get from the cellar to the main floor. Also, Margaret notices that the clue they have is just an one part of an elaborate puzzle that unlocks something in the cellar. Unfortunately for the girls, the person who has the other keys is a mean old book store owner who treats them like little girls and doesn't like any of them. But, the girls power through and get all the keys to solve the puzzle. Also, remember Mr. Winterbottom? Well, he is back and now owns an antique store. His assistant, is in cahoots with the mean old book store keeper in order to find the secret part of the cellar. To go along with that, there is a story about how 4 German spies landed in America, but only 3 were picked up and the girls start to wonder about the mysterious 4th spy. Eventually, the stones start rolling for the girls and they find out one, that the assistant for the dead guy is actually the granddaughter of the dead guy and to go along with it, the girls find all the keys and open up the secret part of the cellar. In the secret location, they find tons and tons of expensive wine that cost thousands and thousands of dollars along with a letter and will. In the will, it declares that the granddaughter is the rightful heir of his house and that he was the 4th German spy. And technically, he wasn't a German spy. He was just trying to get away from the harsh rule in Germany with his wife, which went along as planned.
July 13, 2022
Ok, this is my new FAVORITE author. I just finished the 4th book, woops, and will be picking up the other 3 asap. I will also be adding them to my book order for the school library as well. These wonderful books are on SORA, the ebook platform for the district I work for. They will be promoted this fall as fantastic reads in the library. These books will make a great read aloud for 4th graders!
November 28, 2019
Another cool adventure. But why is Becca so snarky?
June 9, 2021
I love love LOVED this. The plot was genius and the characters are soooo lovableee. Sophie is an awesome MC and this was such a fun read.
April 17, 2022
4.5 stars
February 3, 2020
Another enjoyable installment in the series. It's a shame he stopped at 4, but I do like how we saw the return of a few characters from previous books.
October 16, 2014
The book The Red Blazer Girls: The Secret Cellar is another fascinating mystery adventure, by Michael D. Beil. It's almost Christmas and Sophie wants to find something nice for her dad. She spots an antique fountain pen at GW Antiques and Curiosities. Turns out, the pen is going to be auctioned and Sophie intends to bid for it. Marcus Klinger, an owner of a bookstore who is unfriendly to the RBG, bids for almost everything including the pen. It's really unusual why he wants these items, but truth is, he's a very clever guy. He won every bidding, and hasn't hesitated on raising the price. At the end, Sophie does end up getting the pen, and in the pen contains a short poem. If you have read the first three books, you'd know that the RBG have something called the Red Blazer Girls Detective Agency, or often referred to as the RBGDA. They decipher the message of the poem and find more and more answers to how to open the secret cellar in the basement of Mr. Dedmann. Mr. Dedmann is a man who recently passed away and is the rightful owner of the items that were on auction. Dedmann had left clues, which lead up to a secret part of his life, and how to open the cellar. The cellar contains a collection of wines. Like I said, Marcus Klinger is very clever, but not enough to get what he was after. The RBG caught Klinger red handed stealing wine from a secret passageway, which is coincidentally linked to his bookstore. The RBGDA solved yet another mystery worth reading. Overall, I thought the book was well written, it kept me interested and reading. The author uses a few illustrations to clarify clues that might be harder to describe in text. He also puts a teeny bit of romance into this book, more towards the end. This book deserves a 9/10 rating. I loved how one clue leads up to another, and how smart the girls are when it comes to solving riddles and puzzles. If you liked the previous books in this series, you'll definitely enjoy this one too! I would absolutely recommend this book, this series, to anyone who enjoys mystery/detective, and puzzles. I have to say, this book and the rest of the series is written more for girls because of the perspective, and language used to keep the female reader interested. This is the fourth and last book in the series and honestly, I really did enjoy it all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2017
Great book! The mystery in this one is amazing! Hope the red blazer girls return!
March 24, 2013
It's Christmastime in New York and the girls are out shopping. When Sophie comes across a pen being auctioned at an estate sale she jumps at the opportunity to buy it for her father. This pen ends up having a piece of paper hidden inside of it that starts them on a big mystery to discover the clues.
In this edition of the Red Blazer Girls Mysteries, they will not only solve the story behind the clues in the pen. But also help their favorite coffee shop open again and help a woman learn about a grandfather she never knew she had.
The Red Blazer Girls mysteries are perfect for the 21st century reader. Just like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys they are smart, intelligent, witty and very funny. Michael Beil is able to mix in the perfect amounts of the girls daily routines in with the mysteries they solve. You get to know each of them as friends as well as getting to work out the clues along with them.
As the girls decipher the clues that lead them to research great men in history. They are given access to the deceased Mr Deddmann's house and a very grande, extravagant and amazing basement that he designed himself and has clues throughout the room to uncover the true secret.
Sophie, Becca, Leigh Ann, & Margaret not only make friends as they solve their mysteries. They also gain some enemies as well. Especially those that do not want the girls to discover the secrets.
The Red Blazer Girls' series is by far one of my favorite middle grade mysteries. Great for readers of all ages. The clues the girls are given could throw any of us for a loop and it's amazing how smart and courageous they are. Each story will throw you for a loop and keep you on your toes. It's great to play along and try to research the answers before the girls reveal the answers.
In this edition of the Red Blazer Girls Mysteries, they will not only solve the story behind the clues in the pen. But also help their favorite coffee shop open again and help a woman learn about a grandfather she never knew she had.
The Red Blazer Girls mysteries are perfect for the 21st century reader. Just like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys they are smart, intelligent, witty and very funny. Michael Beil is able to mix in the perfect amounts of the girls daily routines in with the mysteries they solve. You get to know each of them as friends as well as getting to work out the clues along with them.
As the girls decipher the clues that lead them to research great men in history. They are given access to the deceased Mr Deddmann's house and a very grande, extravagant and amazing basement that he designed himself and has clues throughout the room to uncover the true secret.
Sophie, Becca, Leigh Ann, & Margaret not only make friends as they solve their mysteries. They also gain some enemies as well. Especially those that do not want the girls to discover the secrets.
The Red Blazer Girls' series is by far one of my favorite middle grade mysteries. Great for readers of all ages. The clues the girls are given could throw any of us for a loop and it's amazing how smart and courageous they are. Each story will throw you for a loop and keep you on your toes. It's great to play along and try to research the answers before the girls reveal the answers.
November 9, 2012
New York's Red Blazer Girls are back with a new mystery. This time, it involves recently deceased Curtis Dedmann. Sophie buys his fountain pen at an auction, then discovers that the pen holds a secret--and the starting point to some amazing discoveries in the vast room below Dedmann's house. Who exactly was Dedmann? What has he hidden behind his walls? How will they unlock the intricate, built-in system of secret locks, all connected with arts, literature, history, astronomy, and the number nine? And whatever they do, can they do it before the evil bookstore owner, Marcus Klinger, beats them to it? (And will Sophie ever get to return the rat she stole?)
I love this series. It's Nancy Drew meets Elizabeth Enright meets Enid Blyton meets just a bit of Ann Brashares. Beil clearly loves the old-fashioned kind of mystery, with codes and secret passages and hidden messages, which happens to be the kind of mystery I love as well. I'm not sure he makes this one as believable as the others, but I kind of didn't care because it was so much fun. I'm also not sure what was the point of them going to a psychic in the beginning--it didn't really add anything, so it could have been left out. Sophie has prophetic dreams anyway (ever since her night with the mystical Ring of Rocamadour), so that would have been just as effective. Anyway, a great, clean mystery series particularly for girls not ready for the more violent fare.
I love this series. It's Nancy Drew meets Elizabeth Enright meets Enid Blyton meets just a bit of Ann Brashares. Beil clearly loves the old-fashioned kind of mystery, with codes and secret passages and hidden messages, which happens to be the kind of mystery I love as well. I'm not sure he makes this one as believable as the others, but I kind of didn't care because it was so much fun. I'm also not sure what was the point of them going to a psychic in the beginning--it didn't really add anything, so it could have been left out. Sophie has prophetic dreams anyway (ever since her night with the mystical Ring of Rocamadour), so that would have been just as effective. Anyway, a great, clean mystery series particularly for girls not ready for the more violent fare.
February 1, 2013
4 Stars!
First of all, this was beautifully crafted together, but I took off a star because of how I wasn't sucked in the story.
Now, for the actual reviewing! Okay, so meet our comrades Leigh Ann, Rebecca (Also known as Becca), Livvy Klack, Margaret, Mr.Eliot (English teacher.), Gordon, Elizabeth, Raf, some NEW characters (Only exclusive in this book, I must presume.) called Lindsay, Shelly, Mr. Dedmann, and Marcus Klinger. Most importantly, Sophie St. Pierre. (Our protagonist, and main character in the series.) Now, as our comrades walk along in the midst of a shopping time for Christmas, they find a twenty dolllar bill.
Now, Sophie and her friends walk up a Fortune Telling area to spend the money. Afterwards, they go inside an antique shop to go in search of a gift for Sophie's father. This is where the name Lindsay comes in. She welcomes them in, and a fountain pen catches Sophie's eye. She immediately thinks of her dad, and asks to buy it. Unfortunately, the pen is way too expensive. Luckily, Lindsay tells Sophie that it will be a participant in an auction, as it is an item that a character named Mr.Dedmann last held in his hand.
Okay, now I can't tell you much more, but the fortune teller place? The fortune's beginning to show up in this thrilling new mystery. And I can't wait for more!
Recommend to: Mystery lovers, thrill seekers, adventure and action hunters, and much more!
Read it?
First of all, this was beautifully crafted together, but I took off a star because of how I wasn't sucked in the story.
Now, for the actual reviewing! Okay, so meet our comrades Leigh Ann, Rebecca (Also known as Becca), Livvy Klack, Margaret, Mr.Eliot (English teacher.), Gordon, Elizabeth, Raf, some NEW characters (Only exclusive in this book, I must presume.) called Lindsay, Shelly, Mr. Dedmann, and Marcus Klinger. Most importantly, Sophie St. Pierre. (Our protagonist, and main character in the series.) Now, as our comrades walk along in the midst of a shopping time for Christmas, they find a twenty dolllar bill.
Now, Sophie and her friends walk up a Fortune Telling area to spend the money. Afterwards, they go inside an antique shop to go in search of a gift for Sophie's father. This is where the name Lindsay comes in. She welcomes them in, and a fountain pen catches Sophie's eye. She immediately thinks of her dad, and asks to buy it. Unfortunately, the pen is way too expensive. Luckily, Lindsay tells Sophie that it will be a participant in an auction, as it is an item that a character named Mr.Dedmann last held in his hand.
Okay, now I can't tell you much more, but the fortune teller place? The fortune's beginning to show up in this thrilling new mystery. And I can't wait for more!
Recommend to: Mystery lovers, thrill seekers, adventure and action hunters, and much more!
Read it?
December 19, 2012
I can't recommend the Red Blazer girls enough. As I've no doubt said before, these smart, sassy, ultra-capable girls are the best kid/tween detectives out there, along with Wendelin Van Draanen's Sammy Keyes. I defy any Nancy Drew fan worth their salt out there not to immediately fall in love with Sophie, Becca, Leigh Ann, & Margaret, & their fun, ever-fascinating New York City stomping grounds, populated with great friends & family members, interesting & multifaceted people of all ages who are friends just waiting to be made, & of course more absolutely fascinating & mind-boggling puzzles than you can imagine. I adore that narrator Sophie generally outlines the clues the girls find & then pauses before revealing what the girls figure out from them, leaving the reader a chance to think it over & reach their own conclusions.
This time, the fabulous four are dealing with a mystery dating from the World War II era, an elderly & very secretive man, & a very cool antique fountain pen. The mystery is great, the clues are interesting, the villains are slimy, & the fun is on every page. Michael D. Beil had best be prepared to write as many books about the Red Blazers as he possibly can, because I for one can't wait to see what they get into next - & pass it on to any mystery-loving tween girl I happen to run into.
This time, the fabulous four are dealing with a mystery dating from the World War II era, an elderly & very secretive man, & a very cool antique fountain pen. The mystery is great, the clues are interesting, the villains are slimy, & the fun is on every page. Michael D. Beil had best be prepared to write as many books about the Red Blazers as he possibly can, because I for one can't wait to see what they get into next - & pass it on to any mystery-loving tween girl I happen to run into.
May 15, 2016
The Red Blazer Girls are back! New mysteries, new adventures and more.
Various happen in this book, you have a mystery and you also have the closure of the Perkatory (their coffee/place to be) and also the return of Mr. Winterbottom, and how they are trying to get him and his girlfriend to get together again.
I must say this was my favourite book so far. We got all the girls now + Lizz, and I must say this is perfect. The girls really amazing.
This time it is winter/almost Christmas and the girls are searching for presents.
Sophie buys a pen for her dad at an action, and thus the mystery starts when she finds a secret message in the pen. Who is Mister Dedmann, why did he leave the clues, and also how are they going to solve it.
I recently finished Dash & Lily's book of Dares, and what did I find in this book? Yes, a Reference towards that book!!! That was like instant love when they went to Strands and Sophie found that red notebook!
The mystery and how they solve it is wonderfully old-fashioned. They do everything by searching, hunting for clues and don't really use fancy gadgets for that.
I am really hoping for a fifth book, because I feel there is space enough for more books.
Various happen in this book, you have a mystery and you also have the closure of the Perkatory (their coffee/place to be) and also the return of Mr. Winterbottom, and how they are trying to get him and his girlfriend to get together again.
I must say this was my favourite book so far. We got all the girls now + Lizz, and I must say this is perfect. The girls really amazing.
This time it is winter/almost Christmas and the girls are searching for presents.
Sophie buys a pen for her dad at an action, and thus the mystery starts when she finds a secret message in the pen. Who is Mister Dedmann, why did he leave the clues, and also how are they going to solve it.
I recently finished Dash & Lily's book of Dares, and what did I find in this book? Yes, a Reference towards that book!!! That was like instant love when they went to Strands and Sophie found that red notebook!
The mystery and how they solve it is wonderfully old-fashioned. They do everything by searching, hunting for clues and don't really use fancy gadgets for that.
I am really hoping for a fifth book, because I feel there is space enough for more books.
June 15, 2012
The junior detectives of Manhattan are at it again, this time trying to solve a mystery which involves a German spy, a fountain pen, and Alexander the Great. On the side, the girls are trying to figure out why their favorite coffee place closed shop and try to get their arch nemesis Gordon Winterbottom back together with his wife, Winnie. As with the other Red Blazer Girl books, the plot is mixed with mystery, boys, school, friendship and family, and is completely unbelievable. These girls have a level of independence at twelve that I didn't have until college, but that's half the fun. Personally I would rather be a Red Blazer Girl than a Gossip Girl, so it's all okay. This series is good for mystery loving girls, and you don't have to read the series in order to keep up. They remind you of plot points along the way. Some parents may object to the girls finding dozens upon dozens of cases of rare wine in this episode, when before they were looking for priceless jewelry and art, so for kids with squeaky clean parents, show them the other RBG books before this one, and they'll be okay.
February 25, 2013
If I were really being strict about my goal to judge books by what they set out to achieve, I'd have to rate this four stars. As an adult, I didn't find it absolutely gripping, but I did find it - and the whole series - well-crafted and charming. The heroines are four NYC schoolgirls, 12 or 13, going to a Catholic school on the upper east side. The narrator, Sophie, gets the action going when she tries to buy a Christmas present for her dad, only to be (nearly) thwarted by a mean used-book seller. Shortly thereafter, she and her friends find themselves up to their necks in mysteries old and new. One involves a WWII Nazi spy!
Beil writes witty, smart, and believable youngsters, and invites young readers to think out the mysteries along with his protagonists. For an adult, there's nothing terribly new here, but I still enjoy this series, and enjoy recommending it to mystery-loving middle and junior high school students. Nicely done.
Beil writes witty, smart, and believable youngsters, and invites young readers to think out the mysteries along with his protagonists. For an adult, there's nothing terribly new here, but I still enjoy this series, and enjoy recommending it to mystery-loving middle and junior high school students. Nicely done.
May 8, 2013
Friday, November 30: 15 minutes.
Saturday, December 1: 25 minutes.
Wednesday, December 6: 20 minutes.
Friday, December 7: 20 minutes.
Saturday, December 8: 15 minutes.
Tuesday, December 11: 15 minutes
Friday, December 14: 60 minutes
Saturday, December 15: 20 minutes
Monday, December 24: 1hr
Thursday, December 27: 1hr 30min.
Friday, January 4: 30 minutes.
Saturday, January 5: 1hr.
Monday: 30 min - mspaintadventures.com
Tuesday: 2 hour - mspaintadventures.com
Wednesday: 2 hours 30 min. - mspaintadventures.com
Monday, February 25: 20 min
Thursday, February 28: 50
Friday. March 1: 20 min.
Wednesday, March 6: 30 minutes
Friday, March 8: 50 minutes
Saturday, March 9: 20 minutes
Wednesday, May 8: 40 minutes
Saturday, December 1: 25 minutes.
Wednesday, December 6: 20 minutes.
Friday, December 7: 20 minutes.
Saturday, December 8: 15 minutes.
Tuesday, December 11: 15 minutes
Friday, December 14: 60 minutes
Saturday, December 15: 20 minutes
Monday, December 24: 1hr
Thursday, December 27: 1hr 30min.
Friday, January 4: 30 minutes.
Saturday, January 5: 1hr.
Monday: 30 min - mspaintadventures.com
Tuesday: 2 hour - mspaintadventures.com
Wednesday: 2 hours 30 min. - mspaintadventures.com
Monday, February 25: 20 min
Thursday, February 28: 50
Friday. March 1: 20 min.
Wednesday, March 6: 30 minutes
Friday, March 8: 50 minutes
Saturday, March 9: 20 minutes
Wednesday, May 8: 40 minutes
January 2, 2016
In this final edition of the Red Blazer Girls, the author returned to the magnificent combination of intriguing educational concepts, historical facts, and fascinating characters to create a high quality conclusion to the series. While the second and third books were far too simplistic and slow to rate a high score from me, I was delighted that the author returned to his initial educational focus to make book number four just as intriguing as the first. The introduction to classic art masters, literature geniuses, antiquities of all sorts, astronomy and astrology, and a blend of cultural lifestyles combined with an ethical person in need makes this book intensely engaging, from start to finish. As such, I'm giving it a 5 star rating.
May 27, 2016
The Red Blazer Girls books are always entertaining mysteries. I enjoy that the girls in the books behave as I would imagine girls going to a Catholic middle school in New York would behave. They're somewhat interested in boys, but they're also interested in solving curious mysteries that evolve from the people that they know. They think that studying for school is important and most have time consuming extra-curricular activities (music, sports, and art). Consequently, the mysteries make sense to me. These books are fun to read. I recommend them frequently.
May 26, 2013
The Red Blazer Girls from St. Veronica’s are back with a new adventure and mystery to solve. Sophie buys her father a fountain pen at a local antique store. Little does she know what mystery that will open up. She finds a message in the pen that leads to a secret cellar. They go to the home of the man who originally owned the pen. He is a mystery himself with a house full of puzzles. Now the girls are really determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.
September 28, 2016
This is the first Red Blazer Girls book I've read and I look forward to reading more. Sophie bought an old fountain pen at an auction and discovers it holds a secret message from a dead man. The Red Blazer Girls solve the code and it leads them to several other mysteries. Along the way they reference
mysteries and people from other books but there is enough information given that it works with this book.
mysteries and people from other books but there is enough information given that it works with this book.
June 12, 2012
I'm a big fan of the Red Blazer Girls - the voice is so smart and funny, and the setting is why-can't-life-be-like-that good. But the plots in books 2 and 3 were a little lame, so I'm thrilled that The Secret Cellar gets back to the form of the first book - satisfying and engaging mystery with some fun puzzle along the way.
April 19, 2013
I've been enjoying this series for awhile now, and I felt book three lacked just a bit, but I was happy to see that book four came back strong. The clues are harder in this one, but I liked it. I liked that it's a bit more complex. I think kids are going to really get into the mystery of it all. Beil did a great job with it.
November 24, 2012
I've become quite the fan of The Red Blazer girl books. The characters are very engaging and the mysteries are equally smart and fun. The Secret Cellar mystery was not the quest that the previous mysteries have been, but it was fun and the way Beil parsed out the information kept me involved.
April 4, 2014
This book is an amazing mystery novel. It has huge plot twists, well thought out characters, and full of action and sups- pence. This book is always keeping you on your toes ready for more. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in for the thrill. It is a great read!
April 13, 2014
I'm starting to wonder why adults "hire" middle school students to solve a mystery. A middle school student would probably not ask this question. But- I do like reading about smart, strong girls who aren't afraid to show their intelligence.
September 6, 2016
In this one, the girls buy a pen at an auction and discover a secret note that leads them to a secret cellar that is made as a big puzzle. As they rush to solve the puzzles they make new friends and meet old ones.
March 31, 2013
I couldn't find this in any libraries to borrow. Finally had to order it from Amazon to get my fix. It was worth the wait.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews