Trouble in New York

by Sylvia Bishop

Jamie Creeden has always wanted to be a reporter - so when he is given a tour of the famous YORKER newspaper, he can't believe his luck. But a chance phone call draws him into the mystery of the missing actress. Soon Jamie, along with his new friends Ellie and Rose, must navigate a tense world of infamous villains, double crosses and carefully planted clues - a world in which he can trust absolutely no one. He still longs to be on the front page - butat what cost? Set in 1960s New York, this is another beautifully written mystery from Sylvia Bishop, author of THE SECRET OF THE NIGHT TRAIN.

Genres: Middle Grade, Childrens

304 pages, Paperback

Published September 5, 2019

About the author

Sylvia Bishop spent an entire childhood reading fiction, dreaming up stories and pretending. She then tried very hard to get to grips with the real world by studying politics and going in to social science research. This was a shock. Thankfully, she discovered improvised comedy at university, which allowed her to carry on making up stories for at least 30% of her waking hours.

Now she writes her stories down, preferably by lamp-light with tea. She only ever really writes the bad ones: the good ones write themselves without warning, generally when she was planning to go to bed.

Sylvia now lives in London, where she continues to work in research, and is one half of improvised comedy duo the Peablossom Cabaret. Her first book for young readers, Erica’s Elephant, was published by Scholastic in 2016, followed by The Bookshop Girl in April 2017. Sylvia’s third novel, The Secret of the Night Train, is out now.

Reviews

[MYA BYRNE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a while ago and I forgot to review it so here is my review: I LOVED this book I really liked Jamie as he and I share the common interest that we both want to be reporters. I LIVED for the clever plot twists in this book and I thought that it was really satisfying when Jamie figured them out. I feel that Sylvia Bishop represented 1960's America really well and accurately.

[The Bookshop Umina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our two junior book club groups were merged for April and read the delightful mystery, Trouble In New York. We enjoyed the clever plot twists and misdirections and the evocation of the Newspaper biz in the 60s.
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​We scored it:
​10 / 8 / 9 / 8.5 / 9

[Shivanshi Agrawal · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was so boring. The idea was good but the way it was written was horrible. I guessed the person behind the conflict and I was correct . Not worth it

[Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good mystery book although some parts didn't make sense in the end. I spotted a few typing errors.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Sylvia Bishop’s last mystery, the Secret of the Night Train, and so I was pleased to discover that this one, with it’s 60s New York setting, was just as excellent. It’s about a boy named Jamie, who is desperate to become a journalist, and a criminal conspiracy he stumbles across in the pursuit of his dream, which becomes a huge danger to him, his family and his newfound friends Eve and Rose. Like with Secret of the Night Train, my favourite part of this was definitely the narration, which has this lovely quality to it with gentle humour sprinkled throughout, and I loved the news articles too, for the same reason! The main trio of characters were wonderful- I loved Jamie’s ambition but also his love for the people around him, Eve’s ingenuity in handling her mother and Rose’s desperation to keep her father safe. The supporting cast were all really interesting too, and I loved the reveal about what was genuinely going on, even though I can’t say too much about on account of the fact it might spoil it. I’m not sure if or when Sylvia Bishop’s next upper MG will be, but whenever the time comes I absolutely can’t wait to read it.

[Shivaay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good interesting read . It makes your mind itch with wats going on inside the book all he double planted clues its very interesting .

[Linli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun detective/adventure novel. Good recommendation for kids, but especially for those who prefer real-world settings over fantasy in their adventure stories.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this author’s children’s books and this was no exception. This time we are in sixties New York following the adventures of young Jamie who wants to be a reporter. Lots of fun and adventure.

[Nav (she/her) 🌧 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read so many mystery and thrillers type books recently so I felt it was time to mix things up a bit. I've previously read some of Sylvia Bishop's middle grade books and enjoyed them so thought I'd try out another one.

WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?
Jamie is a young boy living in New York. He has a part time job delivering newspapers for a major newspaper, although he dreams of being a reporter and writing his own stories when he's older. A chance encounter with the owner of the newspaper leads to Jamie being caught up in a dangerous mystery.

PLOT
- As Jamie wants to be a reporter, there was a writing theme throughout the book which I found interesting and enjoyed.
- There were so many mysteries throughout the story but I couldn't solve any of them. This kept me interested in the story as I could never work out which way the storyline would go.
- There was a part of the story where the kids went on a prison visit. This is a memorable part of the story for me and I think that's because the whole thing was so far fetched and felt unrealistic.

CHARACTERS
- The friendship group Jamie had with the other kids. It was nice that Jamie wasn't on his own during his difficult times and had other people who looked out for him and supported him.
- It would have been nice it we had seen more of Jamie's Mum in the story. She was clearly important to Jamie but she didn't play much of a role in what was happening in the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. I'm unlikely to read it again but definitely glad I read the story.

[Marco Giorgini · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice novel. After the stunning "The Secret of the Night Train" I'm amazed to discover that this author was able to intrigue me as much with a completely different story - for characters, setting and time period. Jamie and his crew are charming, but there's not a single elements in Trouble in New York less than enjoyable.
A must-read book - if you like adventure&friendships and you don't mind reading mid-grade novel.