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Herculeah Jones Mysteries #1
The Dark Stairs
Despite the disapproval of her private detective mother, Herculeah Jones is determined to solve the mystery--and possible murder--at the "Dead Oaks" estate, but she soon begins to think that she has taken her adventure too far.
130 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1994
About the author
Betsy Byars
140 books160 followersBetsy Byars was an American author of children's books. She wrote over sixty books for young people. Her first novel was published in 1962. Her novel Summer of the Swans won the 1971 Newbery Medal. She also received a National Book Award for Young People's Literature for The Night Swimmers and an Edgar Award for Wanted ... Mud Blossom!!
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
Daughters Betsy Duffey and Laurie Myers are also writers.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
March 8, 2018
The Dark Stairs is the first book in a cute middle-grade kid detective series, The Herculeah Jones Mysteries. I came across this series by accident, but I'm glad I did. I needed a lighthearted read to clear my mind between adult thriller novels, and The Dark Stairs was a fun, enjoyable read.
The basics: Herculeah (named after Hercules because her mom was watching a cheesy Hercules movie when she was in labor) Jones is curious, inquisitive and an amateur sleuth. She comes by it naturally -- her mom is a private detective and her dad is a cop. She always knows when something strange is going on because her hair frizzles (starts to stand on end). Her neighbor and friend is a boy called Meat. He's a bit of a chicken, but occasionally does help Herculeah out of a jam. In her first mystery, Herculeah is drawn to an old abandoned mansion in town. It's called Twin Oaks, but everyone calls it Dead Oaks. The old man who owned the house disappeared years before and nobody ever found him. Now someone is in town asking about the house and the old man. Despite her parents telling her to stay out of it, Herculeah's hair is frizzling and she just can't stand it til she investigates the old house. What happened to old man Crewell? And who is the creepy guy asking about him?
Meat reminds me a bit of Chunk from Goonies. He's the comic relief, but a good friend to Herculeah. They make a good team, even if he is a bit of a chicken. Herculeah is smart, curious and daring. At times, her curious nature gets her into big trouble.
There are seven books in this series. It is middle-grade appropriate. There is nothing too scary or graphic. Just a cute, light-hearted kid sleuth story. I thought her hair frizzling every time she felt a mystery coming on was cute. The books were written from 1994-2006. Betsy Byars is the author of many middle-grade books including the Bingo Brown series and the Blossom Family series.
Cute book! I'm glad I came across this series. I'm going to read the rest of the books in between adult mystery stories. Perfect quick reads to relax with and enjoy.
The basics: Herculeah (named after Hercules because her mom was watching a cheesy Hercules movie when she was in labor) Jones is curious, inquisitive and an amateur sleuth. She comes by it naturally -- her mom is a private detective and her dad is a cop. She always knows when something strange is going on because her hair frizzles (starts to stand on end). Her neighbor and friend is a boy called Meat. He's a bit of a chicken, but occasionally does help Herculeah out of a jam. In her first mystery, Herculeah is drawn to an old abandoned mansion in town. It's called Twin Oaks, but everyone calls it Dead Oaks. The old man who owned the house disappeared years before and nobody ever found him. Now someone is in town asking about the house and the old man. Despite her parents telling her to stay out of it, Herculeah's hair is frizzling and she just can't stand it til she investigates the old house. What happened to old man Crewell? And who is the creepy guy asking about him?
Meat reminds me a bit of Chunk from Goonies. He's the comic relief, but a good friend to Herculeah. They make a good team, even if he is a bit of a chicken. Herculeah is smart, curious and daring. At times, her curious nature gets her into big trouble.
There are seven books in this series. It is middle-grade appropriate. There is nothing too scary or graphic. Just a cute, light-hearted kid sleuth story. I thought her hair frizzling every time she felt a mystery coming on was cute. The books were written from 1994-2006. Betsy Byars is the author of many middle-grade books including the Bingo Brown series and the Blossom Family series.
Cute book! I'm glad I came across this series. I'm going to read the rest of the books in between adult mystery stories. Perfect quick reads to relax with and enjoy.
October 10, 2024
Realistic fiction was Betsy Byars's go-to genre, and the Herculeah Jones Mysteries were something of a departure. Young Herculeah has detective work in her blood, her mother being a private investigator and father a police detective. So when she and her best friend, Meat, see her dad at the scary old house known as Dead Oaks, Herculeah's curiosity ignites. She doubts he would enter Dead Oaks without an important reason. Her suspicions are confirmed when Herculeah goes home to find her mother speaking to a large man who has a vaguely threatening manner. Mrs. Jones often accepts sketchy clients for her P.I. business, but from what Herculeah overhears of their conversation, the man's case involves Dead Oaks.
Mrs. Jones often lets Herculeah help on cases, even stakeouts. She's sure her mother will clue her in on the details after the man leaves, so Herculeah is surprised when Mrs. Jones refuses. She wants her daughter nowhere near Dead Oaks or the mystery man. Herculeah takes to calling him the "Moloch", after a monster in the Hercules movie her mother named her for. Herculeah and Meat keep tabs on the Moloch and Dead Oaks, waiting for a break in the case.
Eventually Herculeah sneaks inside Dead Oaks on her own. The house has been abandoned ever since Hamilton Crewell, the elderly man who lived there, was rumored to be murdered. Police never found his body, so the house is still owned by him. The night Herculeah tiptoes into the creaky mansion, she finds she isn't alone: the Moloch is there. Is he following her? Would he harm Herculeah? Surviving the encounter without serious malady, Herculeah puts her head together with Meat about how to proceed. She believes the Moloch has a dark reason for his interest in the house, but Herculeah can't solve the mystery until she knows the secret. Was what happened at Dead Oaks decades ago traumatizing enough to turn the Moloch into a genuine threat if Herculeah unveils the truth?
Betsy Byars writes in entertaining fashion as always, with good characters and realistic dialogue, but The Dark Stairs isn't much as a mystery story. Herculeah doesn't really solve anything; she's just following the trail of facts Mrs. Jones wants to conceal. Herculeah adds nothing to the investigation until the end, and even that is something the Moloch could have shown Mrs. Jones. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with Herculeah and Meat. The Dark Stairs breaks no new ground in the genre of juvenile mystery, but I'd reread it anytime.
Mrs. Jones often lets Herculeah help on cases, even stakeouts. She's sure her mother will clue her in on the details after the man leaves, so Herculeah is surprised when Mrs. Jones refuses. She wants her daughter nowhere near Dead Oaks or the mystery man. Herculeah takes to calling him the "Moloch", after a monster in the Hercules movie her mother named her for. Herculeah and Meat keep tabs on the Moloch and Dead Oaks, waiting for a break in the case.
Eventually Herculeah sneaks inside Dead Oaks on her own. The house has been abandoned ever since Hamilton Crewell, the elderly man who lived there, was rumored to be murdered. Police never found his body, so the house is still owned by him. The night Herculeah tiptoes into the creaky mansion, she finds she isn't alone: the Moloch is there. Is he following her? Would he harm Herculeah? Surviving the encounter without serious malady, Herculeah puts her head together with Meat about how to proceed. She believes the Moloch has a dark reason for his interest in the house, but Herculeah can't solve the mystery until she knows the secret. Was what happened at Dead Oaks decades ago traumatizing enough to turn the Moloch into a genuine threat if Herculeah unveils the truth?
Betsy Byars writes in entertaining fashion as always, with good characters and realistic dialogue, but The Dark Stairs isn't much as a mystery story. Herculeah doesn't really solve anything; she's just following the trail of facts Mrs. Jones wants to conceal. Herculeah adds nothing to the investigation until the end, and even that is something the Moloch could have shown Mrs. Jones. Regardless, I enjoyed my time with Herculeah and Meat. The Dark Stairs breaks no new ground in the genre of juvenile mystery, but I'd reread it anytime.
November 24, 2018
This review covers the entire Herculeah Jones series, which includes the following titles:
The Dark Stairs (1994)
Tarot Says Beware (1995)
Dead Letter (1996)
Death's Door (1997)
Disappearing Acts (1998)
King of Murder (2006)
The Black Tower (2006)
Between February and October 2018, I read all seven of the Herculeah Jones books by Betsy Byars. Published from 1994 to 2006, this series follows Herculeah, who was named for the Hercules film her mother was watching during labor, and her best friend, Meat, as they solve crimes loosely based on some of the 12 labors of Hercules. The series ends abruptly with the seventh book; though the ending of that last mystery does hint at further sequels, none have been published to date.
In addition to the mysteries, which are usually murders, and can be a bit scary, there are also a variety of other themes woven into these books. One of these is the problems of Herculeah's and Meat's parents. Herculeah's mother and father are a private investigator and a police officer, respectively, and sometimes the people and issues they are dealing with at work have an impact (for better or for worse) on Herculeah's crime-solving. The Joneses are also divorced, so Herculeah goes back and forth between them. Meat's mother is a single mom, and for much of the series, Meat doesn't know his dad. Meat's desire to do what would make his absent dad proud of him often factors into his involvement in Herculeah's cases. The strong friendship between Herculeah and Meat also comes into play quite a bit, and their dynamic is really the backbone of the series.
In terms of style, these books are written very tightly, with few words spared for unnecessary description. Dialogue is the main means by which Byars furthers the plot, and when she describes physical actions, the text is always clear and to the point. Byars also shows a more humorous side in this series than she does in many of her middle grade novels that I have read this year. Herculeah has a really optimistic outlook on life, and her perseverance in the face of danger and fear often also leads to a good laugh or two.
Though these books are on the older side now, I think they hold up pretty well, mostly because friendship stories are timeless, and that is what is most central to the plot of each book. Herculeah would be a good character to meet in fourth or fifth grade in preparation for meeting Ruby Redfort or Daisy Wells from the Wells and Wong series in middle school.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
The Dark Stairs (1994)
Tarot Says Beware (1995)
Dead Letter (1996)
Death's Door (1997)
Disappearing Acts (1998)
King of Murder (2006)
The Black Tower (2006)
Between February and October 2018, I read all seven of the Herculeah Jones books by Betsy Byars. Published from 1994 to 2006, this series follows Herculeah, who was named for the Hercules film her mother was watching during labor, and her best friend, Meat, as they solve crimes loosely based on some of the 12 labors of Hercules. The series ends abruptly with the seventh book; though the ending of that last mystery does hint at further sequels, none have been published to date.
In addition to the mysteries, which are usually murders, and can be a bit scary, there are also a variety of other themes woven into these books. One of these is the problems of Herculeah's and Meat's parents. Herculeah's mother and father are a private investigator and a police officer, respectively, and sometimes the people and issues they are dealing with at work have an impact (for better or for worse) on Herculeah's crime-solving. The Joneses are also divorced, so Herculeah goes back and forth between them. Meat's mother is a single mom, and for much of the series, Meat doesn't know his dad. Meat's desire to do what would make his absent dad proud of him often factors into his involvement in Herculeah's cases. The strong friendship between Herculeah and Meat also comes into play quite a bit, and their dynamic is really the backbone of the series.
In terms of style, these books are written very tightly, with few words spared for unnecessary description. Dialogue is the main means by which Byars furthers the plot, and when she describes physical actions, the text is always clear and to the point. Byars also shows a more humorous side in this series than she does in many of her middle grade novels that I have read this year. Herculeah has a really optimistic outlook on life, and her perseverance in the face of danger and fear often also leads to a good laugh or two.
Though these books are on the older side now, I think they hold up pretty well, mostly because friendship stories are timeless, and that is what is most central to the plot of each book. Herculeah would be a good character to meet in fourth or fifth grade in preparation for meeting Ruby Redfort or Daisy Wells from the Wells and Wong series in middle school.
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
August 9, 2016
Бетси Байърс е герой и ветеран на детската литература! Американската писателка е удостоявана с не едно и две отличия за своето творчество. Измежду престижните награди на които тя е носителка са медалът „Нюбъри” (едно от най-големите признания, които детски писател може да получи), Националната награда за младежка литература на САЩ, медалът „Реджина” за цялостно творчество и наградата „Едгар”. И дори след като прехвърля 80-годишна възраст Бетси Байърс продължава да бъде активна с перото и да радва почитателите си с нови приключения. Най-накрая и българските деца имат възможност да прочетат нещо от нея, благодарение на издателство „МОНТ”, под чието лого излязоха пълната поредицата „Загадките на Еркюлея Джоунс”. Прочетете ревюто на "Книжни Криле":
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
https://knijnikrile.wordpress.com/201...
September 27, 2016
The book The Dark Stairs was about a girl named Herculeah Jones and her friend Meat. Herculeah's mother is a private detective and one of her clients seems suspicious to Herculeah. She and Meat see him go in to an abandoned house and they follow. Eventually, she gathers up the courage to go inside the house. She finds a dead body at the bottom of the stairs
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good mystery book because it made you think it was the man but you find out that he accidently killed the person. I feel that it had an suspenseful plot and interesting characters. I did feel this book was a pretty easy read for me so I would recommend this book to kids in fifth to early sixth graders. I don't think I will continue the series however just because I found that the first one did not challenge me, which I like in book. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.
I enjoyed this book. I thought it was a good mystery book because it made you think it was the man but you find out that he accidently killed the person. I feel that it had an suspenseful plot and interesting characters. I did feel this book was a pretty easy read for me so I would recommend this book to kids in fifth to early sixth graders. I don't think I will continue the series however just because I found that the first one did not challenge me, which I like in book. Overall I enjoyed reading this book.
March 14, 2017
I don't really enjoy Herculeah. She is kind of mean to her friend, Meat, and she is sneaky and rude to her parents. She has the flimsiest excuses when she gets caught. I understand the curiousity, but she is not pleasant to read about. And she really didn't even solve the mystery. Her mother would have gotten it just after she did and she literally "fell" into the answer.
June 2, 2018
This was a pretty good book. Its about a girl named Herculeah that doesn't now how to mind her own business but ends up helping solve a 10 year old disappearance of an old man. Its a good book for kids that are in middle school. Its a good mystery for kids that like mysteries like this.
June 28, 2015
It was ok, not the greatest, and it really doesn't seem like the mystery of this book was really compltetly solved, and the bit that was solved was solved in an anti-climactic way.
April 24, 2020
I read this as a palate cleanser and remembered that it was one of the scariest books from my childhood. It’s weird to think of how slow a reader I was, but my imagination was much more powerful.
Herculeah and Meat are great teen characters and their antics are just like what I got up to as a kid.
It’s a good book, nothing spectacular for a kids book. But the ending and resolution of the mystery is pretty rushed and a bit convoluted to be understood.
Herculeah and Meat are great teen characters and their antics are just like what I got up to as a kid.
It’s a good book, nothing spectacular for a kids book. But the ending and resolution of the mystery is pretty rushed and a bit convoluted to be understood.
July 6, 2018
Not sure how old Herculeah is supposed to be. She's not a very likeable character, Meat is much nicer.
The story is rather simple so I'd say it's for younger kids (8-10) and it's not very realistic. For example Herculeah gets locked in an abandoned building by a weird character, she says so in front of Meat's mother. Yet the mother never comments od does anything about it...
The story is rather simple so I'd say it's for younger kids (8-10) and it's not very realistic. For example Herculeah gets locked in an abandoned building by a weird character, she says so in front of Meat's mother. Yet the mother never comments od does anything about it...
January 3, 2022
I loved this book it was a super good mystery. I finished this in one day. BTW the reason I finished it really quick was because I was at school. And at school we do a lot of reading. And than I also got the book on my IPad. So that is why.
Love,
Averie
👗🌸💜🥀❄️📚🌈👡👢💍🌙
Love,
Averie
👗🌸💜🥀❄️📚🌈👡👢💍🌙
June 1, 2023
I didn’t like anything about this, the characters, the mystery, the dialogue, anything. Nothing was working for me. I didn’t like anything; I wasn’t interested in the story of the house or what happened. I just found everything lame and stupid and ridiculous.
Starting with her name. Herculeah is a stupid name. Then moving on to her friend’s name. Meat is a stupid name. His real name is Albert but only his mom called him that. Herculeah calls him Meat which meant he was almost always referred to as Meat. He was only called Albert once.
He’s described as big in so many ways. She kept going on about how large he was. His knees are as big as frying pans and basketball-sized. He sounded hideous.
Herculeah—named so because her mom was watching Hercules while she was in labor—names the bad guy the Moloch—another stupid name—who was apparently the monster in the movie. Her mom gave birth to Herculeah before she got to see what the Moloch looked like, but it’s usable for this situation.
Her hair frizzles when something bad is going to happen. Wow, precognitive hair! That’s what I’m talking about! And I just thought frizz was hereditary or happened when moisture was in the air! Of course a child detective with a cop for a dad and a private investigator for a mom would have a built-in warning system like that. How convenient.
Herculeah was into everything, asking her parents a million questions and thinking she could save the day, and being rude to Meat. It was all really annoying and unlikable. A child detective is just ridiculous and unrealistic.
Meat had seen this suspicious-looking man going into Herculeah’s house to see her mom as a client. He had burning eyes and looked at Meat’s house and caught him catching, even though Meat stood behind the blinds; it was like the man could see through them.
He had a stupid way of talking. He kept saying “let us say,” when it didn’t make sense to use it.
“Your friend shouldn’t be looking in other people’s windows. He could get—let us say, arrested for things like that.”
“Some people take, let us say, offense at being spied on. They don’t like to be offended. It makes them, let us say—”
“I had wanted to go for a long time, but I couldn’t get, let us say, out.”
“Let us say, I couldn’t.”
It didn’t make him intimidating at all. It made him sound stupid.
There’s a house called Dead Oaks where a family had died of mysterious circumstances. A man was missing and all of his things were still left in the house but no one found the body. The will stated that the house couldn’t be sold or disposed of until after his funeral. The wife died under mysterious circumstances. There was a son. Someone wrote an anonymous letter that there was a dead body there down the dark stairs.
Hurculeah went to investigate and Meat was the lookout outside. He couldn’t even do that and fell asleep and the Moloch came inside to the room where Herculeah was. He got something out of a drawer and left. But the close call didn’t make things better, still irritated at stupid Meat for falling asleep on the job. And to make things worse, the Moloch nailed the gate door shut on his way out.
She was able to get out herself by pushing the rotten door open. And she was determined to go back. They found an old picture of a crowd at the house waiting for the body to be found and the Moloch was there. And he called and left a message for her mom that the key was still there.
Herculeah listened to the tape her mom made of her session, and the Moloch was asking her to find the body of his dad, the old man who disappeared. He said he was in prison in an asylum for the insane.
Her mom said the Moloch escaped the asylum twice and the first time he did was 10 years ago and after that his dad was never seen alive again.
Herculeah’s mom went to the old house and Herculeah went there too, to find the key. The Moloch showed up and she overheard them talking about how his dad accused him of pushing his mom down the stairs and killing her. The Moloch said his mom had planned to take him on a trip and he never would have hurt her. They were about to leave when his dad came home early and his mom told him to go to his room and his dad said terrible things and then he heard a scream and came out to see her at the bottom. His dad accused him of killing her and the boy said he was going to kill him and the servants stopped him.
Herculeah realized the Moloch had come back and killed the old man 10 years ago when he escaped and thrown him down the stairs. She accidentally stumbled on the secret staircase that closed back over her and smelled a bad smell and knew the body was there. How would it smell bad 10 years later when it was just a skeleton?
The Moloch just wanted to know that his dad was dead and wanted to go back to the asylum.
At the end Meat was watching Hercules and figured out the Moloch was a guy in an iron cat mask and underneath his face was scarred, a letdown to be named Herculeah for that. But the next movie coming on was Hercules vs the hydra so it set it up for her next adventure.
There were a few funny quotes but I didn’t enjoy reading this at all and just wanted to be done with it. Not a good story and not a pleasure to read.
Starting with her name. Herculeah is a stupid name. Then moving on to her friend’s name. Meat is a stupid name. His real name is Albert but only his mom called him that. Herculeah calls him Meat which meant he was almost always referred to as Meat. He was only called Albert once.
He’s described as big in so many ways. She kept going on about how large he was. His knees are as big as frying pans and basketball-sized. He sounded hideous.
Herculeah—named so because her mom was watching Hercules while she was in labor—names the bad guy the Moloch—another stupid name—who was apparently the monster in the movie. Her mom gave birth to Herculeah before she got to see what the Moloch looked like, but it’s usable for this situation.
Her hair frizzles when something bad is going to happen. Wow, precognitive hair! That’s what I’m talking about! And I just thought frizz was hereditary or happened when moisture was in the air! Of course a child detective with a cop for a dad and a private investigator for a mom would have a built-in warning system like that. How convenient.
Herculeah was into everything, asking her parents a million questions and thinking she could save the day, and being rude to Meat. It was all really annoying and unlikable. A child detective is just ridiculous and unrealistic.
Meat had seen this suspicious-looking man going into Herculeah’s house to see her mom as a client. He had burning eyes and looked at Meat’s house and caught him catching, even though Meat stood behind the blinds; it was like the man could see through them.
He had a stupid way of talking. He kept saying “let us say,” when it didn’t make sense to use it.
“Your friend shouldn’t be looking in other people’s windows. He could get—let us say, arrested for things like that.”
“Some people take, let us say, offense at being spied on. They don’t like to be offended. It makes them, let us say—”
“I had wanted to go for a long time, but I couldn’t get, let us say, out.”
“Let us say, I couldn’t.”
It didn’t make him intimidating at all. It made him sound stupid.
There’s a house called Dead Oaks where a family had died of mysterious circumstances. A man was missing and all of his things were still left in the house but no one found the body. The will stated that the house couldn’t be sold or disposed of until after his funeral. The wife died under mysterious circumstances. There was a son. Someone wrote an anonymous letter that there was a dead body there down the dark stairs.
Hurculeah went to investigate and Meat was the lookout outside. He couldn’t even do that and fell asleep and the Moloch came inside to the room where Herculeah was. He got something out of a drawer and left. But the close call didn’t make things better, still irritated at stupid Meat for falling asleep on the job. And to make things worse, the Moloch nailed the gate door shut on his way out.
She was able to get out herself by pushing the rotten door open. And she was determined to go back. They found an old picture of a crowd at the house waiting for the body to be found and the Moloch was there. And he called and left a message for her mom that the key was still there.
Herculeah listened to the tape her mom made of her session, and the Moloch was asking her to find the body of his dad, the old man who disappeared. He said he was in prison in an asylum for the insane.
Her mom said the Moloch escaped the asylum twice and the first time he did was 10 years ago and after that his dad was never seen alive again.
Herculeah’s mom went to the old house and Herculeah went there too, to find the key. The Moloch showed up and she overheard them talking about how his dad accused him of pushing his mom down the stairs and killing her. The Moloch said his mom had planned to take him on a trip and he never would have hurt her. They were about to leave when his dad came home early and his mom told him to go to his room and his dad said terrible things and then he heard a scream and came out to see her at the bottom. His dad accused him of killing her and the boy said he was going to kill him and the servants stopped him.
Herculeah realized the Moloch had come back and killed the old man 10 years ago when he escaped and thrown him down the stairs. She accidentally stumbled on the secret staircase that closed back over her and smelled a bad smell and knew the body was there. How would it smell bad 10 years later when it was just a skeleton?
The Moloch just wanted to know that his dad was dead and wanted to go back to the asylum.
At the end Meat was watching Hercules and figured out the Moloch was a guy in an iron cat mask and underneath his face was scarred, a letdown to be named Herculeah for that. But the next movie coming on was Hercules vs the hydra so it set it up for her next adventure.
There were a few funny quotes but I didn’t enjoy reading this at all and just wanted to be done with it. Not a good story and not a pleasure to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2024
This book was great because it had very interesting parts with herculeah and the molach. This book was very mysterious too. Over all This book was a five stars for me and people who liked it can also agree with me. For me the best part was at the end of the book.
July 27, 2018
Quick. Easy. Adventurous.
August 2, 2021
Cute story that my Grand-daughter and I read together.
June 6, 2022
series from my childhood...loved it <3
much scarier than i remembered
accidentally deleted...
much scarier than i remembered
accidentally deleted...
February 4, 2023
I wanted to check out this middle-grade mystery series. The book was a little short, but I liked it overall. I would definitely recommend it as an engaging read for my 6th graders!
May 4, 2024
I loved this series as a kid so I had to go back and read for the nostalgia of it all
March 20, 2026
not a great mystery deadly.
God writer usually but not this book. Very disappointing. Barely a mystery. I know the age group this book is intended but it’s too lazy
God writer usually but not this book. Very disappointing. Barely a mystery. I know the age group this book is intended but it’s too lazy
March 15, 2017
The book I read was The Dark Stairs by Betsy Byars. This book has a lexile of 570. This book is about a girl named Herculeah who finds a man looking at a dead person in an abandoned house. Then the man sees the girl and chases her out of the house. The man seen where she went and every day he keeps walking around where she lives. Her mom, a cop, does an interview with audio recording with the man, and Herculeah sees him and tries to get him out of the house. It ended up being okay, because the man wanted the mother's help. The man goes back to the abandoned house with Herculeah and her mom where they get dead body. The mom starts to investigate the murder of the body.
The central idea of my story is a girl finds a man looking at a dead body. The book was written to entertain people who like mystery stories. Some things that created action in the story are Herculeah running away from the man, the man stalking Herculeah for a couple of days, and the interview with Herculeah's mother.
I thought this was a good book. I would recommend this book to people who are into mysteries. I think that this book is best for teenagers because it is like some of the things that happen now-a-days. My favorite part was when she was in the abandoned house and got chased down the street to her house. I thought that the ending was weird because they worked together to find out how he died or who killed him.
The central idea of my story is a girl finds a man looking at a dead body. The book was written to entertain people who like mystery stories. Some things that created action in the story are Herculeah running away from the man, the man stalking Herculeah for a couple of days, and the interview with Herculeah's mother.
I thought this was a good book. I would recommend this book to people who are into mysteries. I think that this book is best for teenagers because it is like some of the things that happen now-a-days. My favorite part was when she was in the abandoned house and got chased down the street to her house. I thought that the ending was weird because they worked together to find out how he died or who killed him.
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March 8, 2017I thought it was really good....but I already knew what was going to happen at the end :(
February 12, 2013
A review from my old blog (of the whole series)...
I enjoyed these books. I wouldn't say that these were the best mystery books I have ever read although I have to admit that I haven't read Nancy Drew books or other mystery books written for that age in a long time.
Personally I felt that the subject matter was a little serious for the age group that the books were aimed for but Byars avoided telling any gruesome details and managed to tell a fairly good mystery although a bit convoluted and obvious.
I did find out something interesting. Byars mentioned in passing a local grocery store and I thought, "wait, I know that store. She has to be from somewhere around here." So, I flipped to the back and saw that indeed... she lives in the same relative area that I do. I found that quite interesting.
I enjoyed these books. I wouldn't say that these were the best mystery books I have ever read although I have to admit that I haven't read Nancy Drew books or other mystery books written for that age in a long time.
Personally I felt that the subject matter was a little serious for the age group that the books were aimed for but Byars avoided telling any gruesome details and managed to tell a fairly good mystery although a bit convoluted and obvious.
I did find out something interesting. Byars mentioned in passing a local grocery store and I thought, "wait, I know that store. She has to be from somewhere around here." So, I flipped to the back and saw that indeed... she lives in the same relative area that I do. I found that quite interesting.
October 14, 2011
This is a mystery for upper elementary and middle-school-aged readers that is a real mystery. The story is focused on who the gigantic, scary stranger is, and what his connection to Dead Oaks and its possibly dead owner is. I don't know how old Herculeah Jones is, because I don't need to know. I know how she got her name because it's related to the story. Herculeah and her friend, Meat, are quirky and likeable characters - as are Herculeah's divorced parents, Mim and Chico, who drink beer together and argue about Herculeah and Mim's profession (she is a private investigator; he is a police detective; and unavoidably, Herculeah "has a terrible curiosity"). I enjoyed this book, which has many characteristics of adult mysteries, but is simplified for younger readers.
May 21, 2015
Down the Dark stairs wasn't my favorite book. Im not the bigest mystery fan though so I have a biased oppinion. This book may have been more aimed at younger kids because it is told about a younge girl.
The book is based of a ten year old girl named Herculeah Jones who is very interested in both her parents work. She just wants to know the mysterys they know and will stop at nothing to find out what it is. Herculeah listens in on one of her moms meetings with man needing a private investigator. He tell he mom he needs to know that his dad is no longer living, but he may be linked to his fathers death because he was in an asylum for the criminally insane.
The book is based of a ten year old girl named Herculeah Jones who is very interested in both her parents work. She just wants to know the mysterys they know and will stop at nothing to find out what it is. Herculeah listens in on one of her moms meetings with man needing a private investigator. He tell he mom he needs to know that his dad is no longer living, but he may be linked to his fathers death because he was in an asylum for the criminally insane.
July 22, 2008
Herculeah Jones comes by her curiosity honestly. With a P.I. mom and a Dad on the police force, Herculeah feels like solving mysteries is a legacy she has inherited. With her pal, Meat, by her side, Herculeah must get to the bottom of what her mom's newest client is up to. With narrow escapes, hidden stairs and an old abandoned house, this mystery will appeal to Nancy Drew fans. (Though classified as a YA book, I think this would also appeal to jFic readers more than YAs)
April 2, 2011
The book The Dark Stairs is a good mystery. I liked the characters Herculeah and Meat. The halarious part of the book was when Meat's mom had a frying pan when Meat got scared at Dead Oaks and ran home to get his mom for help. Meat and his mom went to the house to help Herculeah. Meat's mom made me laugh so hard because she was ready to fight. I enjoy reading mysteries. My mom does too. I would recommend this book to her.
August 17, 2009
Good characters, dry humor, and just enough tension to make this a good book. Readers Advisory info - mystery books for kids, this series by Betsy Byars has a good female protagonist and an entertaining overweight male sidekick named Meat, divorced parents - dad a cop and mom a private eye. Entertaining and an easy read. good 3rd grade reader and up.
September 27, 2011
It was very suspencefull, and it grabed you and wouldn't let go. No matter what happened you nrver wanted to put the book down personaly i love Besty byars and all her books i have read. If you want a bookthat is awsome and that you would want to recomend to your friend this is a perfect book to do that.
September 27, 2010
Herculeah's mther is a private eye, and her father is o the police force so she is very curious and her parents get annoyed by that a lot.I learned from this book how to identify evidence and to make sure you got the right person.
July 10, 2013
This book is really meant for kids around third grade it was a very easy read which I didn't expect when I got it from my older sister. It's a good book just not meant for any one older than 9 tops I believe.
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