Marty Frye, Private Eye

Marty Frye, Private Eye #1

by Janet Tashjian, Laurie Keller (Illustrator)

This poetic detective has got a lot on his plate as a classmate's diary is stolen, a doll goes missing from the store, and his sister's bag of flour is taken without a trace. Reprint.

Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Chapter Books, Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Janet Tashjian is a middle-grade and young adult novelist who’s been writing books for children for fifteen years. Her first novel Tru Confessions was made into a critically acclaimed Disney TV movie starring Clara Bryant and Shia LaBeouf. The Gospel According to Larry is a cult favorite and Fault Line is taught in many middle and high schools. Her novels My Life As a Book, My Life As a Stuntboy, and My Life As a Cartoonist are all illustrated by her teenage son, Jake. Their collaboration continues with Einstein the Class Hamster coming in August.

Janet lives with her family in Los Angeles, enjoying her respite from the long Boston winters. When she isn’t writing, she’s rewriting.

Janet has been doing school visits for fifteen years; you can email her at spatulaproductions@mac.com for details.

We invite you to follow her on Twitter @JanetTashjian and like her books on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/My-Lif...
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Plus, check out her YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/janettash...

Reviews

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book*]

Tashjian, Janet Marty Frye Private Eye: The Case of the Missing Action Figure & Other Mysteries, illustrated by Laurie Keller, 76 pages. Christy Oviano Books (Henry Holt), revised edition, 2017. $16. Language: G; Mature Content: G; Violence: G.

BUYING ADVISORY: EL-ADVISABLE

KID APPEAL: MEDIUM

Marty Frye is a rhyming guy and also a private eye. He solves three mysteries in this book, if you’d care to take a look: The Case of the Missing Diary, The Case of the Action Chuck, and The Case of the Mixed-Up Flour. Marty Frye searches for clues and makes a list of suspects for each mystery. He makes a few mistakes, but in the end he always solves the mystery.

Solving crimes with rhymes is an excellent combination. Author Janet Tashjian makes Marty Frye both likable and smart (and obviously a good rhymer). The illustrations in the book are expressive and eye-catching; and sure to catch the imagination of early chapter book readers. The format combines cartoon word blurbs, pictures, and formal text to tell the story and they work seamlessly together. If kids are interesting in catching crooks, they should try out these rhyming books.

Samantha Hastings, MA, MLS.
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...

[Martha]

Marty Frye is a good natured young boy who helps his friends and neighbors solve cases through deductive reasoning, with lots of enthusiasm. Written in bold font with whimsical cartoon like illustrations that make each mystery come to life, this title has three separate mysteries which Marty must solve. "The Case of Action Chuck" the mystery of the box of missing action figure dolls called "Action Chuck" is a hoot. Marty asks lots of questions, and often accuses characters of crimes they haven't committed, before solving the case properly. Rhymes are sprinkled throughout, making the story a fun choice for readers to practice reading aloud. The Marty Frye Private Eye series is a perfect choice for mystery readers ready to navigate into chapter books with suspense and humor.

[Barbara]

This new series for young readers features a young detective who also likes to speak in rhymes. The poetic and observant Marty Frye solves three mysteries in this book, and he makes a mistake each time on the way to solving them, either accusing the wrong person or misunderstanding something someone said. The mysteries revolve around a classmate's missing diary, a toy store's missing action, and Marty's sister Katie's missing flour that she intended to use to make goop. Marty's pretty clever and imaginative, especially for a seven-year-old. I would expect this series with its appealing illustrations and determined protagonist to be a hit with the younger set. Some readers may enjoy making predictions about what they think will happen next as Marty tries to solve these problems.

[Debra]

This young detective manages three mysteries solved in the course of one day. Marty loves poetry and often speaks in rhyme. His family is supportive of his skill and focus and allow him to hone the skills by encouraging him to continue finding clues and solutions to simple mysteries of items that have gone missing. First is a diary in this collection. Second is an action figure in this collection. Finally it is a bag of flour. In each case, he looks for clues, follows leads, interviews witnesses and gathers facts. I think mystery lovers will adore these books and teachers who used to use Encyclopedia Brown will connect to them quickly, as well. (As for me, the quirky rhyming conversation is humorous. I, too, love poetry and playing with rhymes.)

[Michelle]

I vascilated between three and four stars. I kind to like it a lot but not to the level of my other 4-star books, so it gets three stars. I'm an elementary school librarians and our third graders do a literacy unit on mysteries as a genre, so this series will be perfect for them. I like the identical, clear structure of the small chapters and I like that the mysteries are can be solved by careful readers. The rhyming idea is cute but distracting. Overall, I'm excited to have this series in my library collection and look forward to adding more

[Diane]

"It says POET detective. I make up rhymes while I solve crimes."

Marty has an interest in poetry and mysteries, so why not combine them? In this first book, Marty solves three crimes: The Case of the Missing Diary, the Case of Action Chuck and The Case of the Mixed-up Flour.

Whenever he's involved in a case, he rhymes while he's investigating and questioning suspects. Lots of visuals and white space makes this a good choice for those new to chapter books.

[Pat Salvatini]

This beginning chapter book is broken up into three short chapters, each featuring a different crime for poetry loving rhyming detective Marty Frye to solve. There are plenty of black-and-white cartoon illustrations to interest young readers and build interest. Tashjian leaves her characters loosely developed, relying on the clever dialogue to carry the story. Unfortunately the rhyming feels forced at times and the final case is so transparent that the ending is rather disappointing.

[Ro Menendez]

A beginner's chapter book about a boy who loves solving mysteries almost as much as he enjoys reading poetry and speaking in rhyme. This realistic fiction story does not stray from the reality of a young boy playing detective, there are no real bad guys, just situations that are misunderstandings Marty straightens out. Chapters are short, with large font, and illustrations to help readers further understand and construct meaning.

[Hannah Watson]

An amusing mystery for kids, with an added bit of rhyming fun.
This includes three stories of everyday mysteries- all things that someone might run into in day-to-day life. My 5yo and 7yo had a blast trying to figure out the mystery, and my 5yo proudly yelled out all the rhyming words. The kids loved it and are looking for the next in the series.

[Sharon]

A cute, clever set of short mysteries in rhyme. There are 3 mysteries and a preview of the 4th, which is in the next book. The rhyming adds to the story and makes it more fun. The children in my daughter's classroom will get to definitely enjoy it next week when I donate it to her.

[Rebecca Stalnaker]

I found this book to be a very fun story and would highly recommend any middle grader to read it! Be sure to check out my full review on my blog!
https://bookreviewbecca.wordpress.com...

[Niki]

A great first mystery to introduce the genre to younger students!

[Trinity]

Adorable early chapter perfect for first and second grade readers. I especially enjoyed the rhymes.

[Yapha]

Fun mystery for students beginning to read chapter books. Marty is a detective who loves poetry and rhymes while solving his cases. Recommended for grades 1 &up.

[Sarah Threlkeld]

An entertaining beginning chapter book consisting of 3 different mysteries. Marty is a rhyming detective who helps a classmate, a shop owner, and his sister. Great illustrations elevate the text.

[The Brothers]

Dexter (9yo) read.

[Elijah]

Scribed by mom: I like that Marty rhymes things and helps his friends.

[Lauren Tarver]

This book is about a young boy named Marty Frye who solves fun mysterys by using poetry. He solves two mystrys in this book, the first is a missing diry and the second is his sisters missing flour. I like how the book is easy and fun to read. The mysterys are clever and funny. Young children would enjoy this book. I think they could relate to Marty and the things he does at school and at home.