Book Scavenger (Book Scavenger, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Feb 11, 2015 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-about-books-about-books, mg-booknerds, netgalley-says-noooooo

i don't really read enough middle grade to know how this book stacks up against others written for that age range; i'm a middle grade tourist who only pops in when i come across a book that's either so magnificently written that it carves out a little bed in my heart (Rooftoppers) or when it's about baby booknerds or baby chefs or cats having adventures or something else that would have caught my eye when i was in that 8-12 age range, so long ago.

this falls into that second category. it's not a ...more

108 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2018 Lisa Vegan rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens, fiction, readbooks-female-author-or-illust, zz-5star, goodreads-author, mystery, 1-also-at-librarything, novel, san-francisco, reviewed

Had I read this book when I was 9-12 I think I would have given it 5 stars. The children’s mysteries available to me then were nowhere near as good, and none that I can remember took place in San Francisco.

This story is great for both boys and girls, and will likely also be appealing to many reluctant readers. Even though this is a children’s book I think many older people (13 and all the way up) can also enjoy it. I particularly loved the San Francisco setting and that this is a book about boo Had I read this book when I was 9-12 I think I would have given it 5 stars. The children’s mysteries available to me then were nowhere near as good, and none that I can remember took place in San Francisco.

This story is great for both boys and girls, and will likely also be appealing to many reluctant readers. Even though this is a children’s book I think many older people (13 and all the way up) can also enjoy it. I particularly loved the San Francisco setting and that this is a book about books. I thoroughly enjoyed the real San Francisco portions. The fictional San Francisco parts felt a bit jarring to me (though likely not true for readers who didn’t/don’t live in the city) but they were still gratifying and a hoot.

This was a fun, light, enjoyable book. At times I found it scary, with a tad more feeling of menace that I prefer, but given that this book is for middle grade children I knew it wouldn’t get too dark, and it didn’t. There were a couple times I had to suspend disbelief, but not so much that it took me out of the story. Some smartly done red herrings too!

Interestingly, the instructions that start the story, although short, were a bit of a drudge for me (I have a story about the exercise my wonderful fifth grade teacher gave us about the importance of carefully reading instructions and they reminded me of that.) But they made the book’s story feel all that more authentic, and I think many readers will enjoy them.

I was left feeling love for the main characters and happiness for them. I felt invested in their lives: the three kids, the parents and some of the other adults, and properly scornful of the villains.

This is a lovely friendship story and a great romp. Lots of fun, with heart. Perfect for children who are fans of mysteries, puzzles, codes, and definitely children who’ve lived in or visited San Francisco or who have some interest in the city.

The author’s notes at the end are wonderful, and I learned a lot about Poe and some other subjects related to this story. ...more

44 likes · Like · see review

Mar 03, 2016 CLM rated it really liked it

Shelves: childrensbooks, 21st-century, nephews, friendship, united-states, books-bookstores, series

A charming read for middle schoolers about books, friendship, and puzzles. I bought this for my nephew James' birthday. Here is a link to my review: http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/201... ...more

3 likes · Like · see review