This series is a regular one to read at bedtime with our seven-year-old. He would probably give it 4 stars. I'm more inclined toward 2 stars. Three seems like a fair compromise. It's full of smart, responsible, resourceful kids solving "mysteries." Nothing wrong with that, but there's not a lot for the adults here--unlike, say, Suzanne Selfors's Imaginary Veterinary Series, which we both find genuinely funny.