The Ghosts of Tupelo Landing

Starred review from November 11, 2013
After solving a murder in their small North Carolina town over the summer, the heroes of Turnage’s Newbery Honor–winning Three Times Lucky “went famous for about a week until the gravity of habit pulled our lives back into regular orbit,” says narrator Mo LoBeau in this equally hilarious sequel. Sixth grade is starting, but who has time to worry about interviewing elderly residents for a history project to mark the town’s 250th anniversary when the dilapidated inn that Miss Lana, Mo’s guardian, just acquired at auction is obviously haunted? One mystery per book is not enough for Turnage, so there’s also buried treasure, a missing moonshine still, impending financial ruin, and strange goings-on in the woods. Not every thread is fully tied off, but the residents of Tupelo Landing are so companionable and Mo so indefatigable (and funny) that readers can only hope those loose ends mean another installment is in the works. The budding detective has clearly taken to heart something her foster mother always emphasizes: “All the world’s a stage, sugar, so hop on up there.” Ages 10–up. Agent: Melissa Jeglinski, the Knight Agency.

Starred review from December 1, 2013
With heaps of Southern charm and the homespun humor of a favorite uncle, Turnage presents the spirited follow-up to her Newbery Honor debut, Three Times Lucky (2012). Just as its predecessor did, this sequel shines thanks to Turnage's deft, lyrical language and engaging characters. Mo LoBeau and her Desperado Detective Agency cohort, Dale Earnhardt Johnson III, are sixth graders now. When a purportedly haunted historic inn goes on auction and Mo's guardian, Miss Lana, wins the bid, Mo is determined to use her detecting skills to find the ghost. Dale isn't so sure, but Mo is a force of nature when she sets her mind. But Dale fears Mo has gone too far when, in a fit of one-upmanship with her archnemesis Anna "Attila" Celeste Simpson, Mo declares that she and Dale will do a class project on the town's oldest citizen. Turnage crafts a laugh-out-loud scene: "It would mean extra credit," Miss Retzyl points out. "Extra credit looms large with Dale, who specializes in the Recess Arts.... Attila flashed her braces. 'There isn't anyone older [than Mayor Little's mother], Mo-ron'....My temper popped like bacon on a hot skillet. 'There is too somebody older....Dale and me are interviewing a ghost.' " Naturally, Mo and Dale learn as much about growing up as they do about spirits from the great beyond. This delightful sequel demonstrates that Tupelo Landing may be even better on a second visit. (Mystery. 10-14)

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Starred review from January 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-Gr 4-6-The perspicacious Mo LoBeau is at it again! This companion to Three Times Lucky (Dial, 2012) takes place only three months after the Desperado Detective Agency's first case in Tupelo Landing. Mo and her partner, Dale, are entering the sixth grade and their very first assignment is to interview a town elder. Mo's first thought is an interview with Grandmother Miss Lacy Thornton, but arch-enemy Anna Celeste Simpson (a.k.a. Attila) has dibs on her. Mo blurts out that she and Dale will interview the ghost that is purportedly haunting the inn that her guardian, Miss Lana, impulsively purchased at an auction with Grandmother Miss Lacy as her partner. The whole town is buzzing about their rash purchase so, in typical Mo fashion, the child tackles the rumors, the ghost, and a few other mysteries head-on. Humor and action abound with Mo's saucy commentaries comprising the cherry on top. The story is filled with the sixth grader's colorful, Southern-flavored friends and her equally juicy similes. Underlying all this fun are more serious themes, including an abusive father doing time, a grandfather involved in an illegal distillery, Mo's absent and unknown mother, and the stunting power of guilt and greed. All of these challenges define Mo's reality, but her unfailing pluck robs them of their sting.-Kathy Cherniavsky, Ridgefield Library, CT

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
Grades 4-6 *Starred Review* More tightly focused than Turnage's Newbery Honor book, Three Times Lucky (2012), this absorbing sequel quickly reacquaints readers with the Tupelo Landing, North Carolina, setting and its quirky inhabitants, while introducing a few new characters and another mystery for Mo and her friend Dale (aka the Desperado Detective Agency) to solve. Each question they answer leads to another: Who was the girl whose ghost haunts the dilapidated Old Tupelo Inn, which operated from 1880 to 1938? How did she die? Who killed her? Why does she still haunt the inn? When a sixth-grade history project sends Mo, Dale, and their classmates out to interview elderly residents, the pieces of the puzzle gradually move into placewith an occasional nudge from the ghost herself. The intrepid Mo LoBeau, who narrates the story, gives full credit to her best buddy, the occasionally trepid Dale, and slowly warms up to Harm, an initially cocky newcomer whose family history is intertwined with the mystery. The portrayal of Dale's attitude toward his father, now in prison, is handled with sensitivity and perceptiveness. Turnage's ability to create convincing characters and her colorful use of language combine to make this a fresh, droll, rewarding return trip to Tupelo Landing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

May 26, 2014
In this sequel to Newbery Honor–winning Three Times Lucky, Mo and Dale of the Desperado Detective Agency find themselves in the midst of another mystery involving their hometown of Tupelo Landing, N.C. But rather than bank robberies and dead bodies, this time around their investigation involves a supernatural twist. The sale of the Tupelo Inn sets off a chain of events that lead young detectives on a quest to find the origin of the ghosts that apparently haunt the inn. They must solve the case for the endearing Miss Lana, Mo’s guardian, now the owner of the inn, as well as for the ghosts themselves. Told through the eyes of Mo, the narration calls for a mixture of wide-eyed innocence, inquisitive gumption, and Southern charm. Fortgang sets the tone perfectly and is an absolutely charming narrator. Listeners will think that they’re listening to Mo tell her story directly. Her delivery is smooth and natural. The Southern twang, coupled with a shifting tempo of narration dependent upon the story’s need, produces a perfect mix for listening enjoyment. Ages 10–up. A Dial hardcover.

July 1, 2014
In this sweet, laid-back sequel to Three Times Lucky, Mo LoBeau and Dale find themselves in another mystery. When the abandoned Tupelo Inn goes up for auction, Miss Lana and Grandmother Miss Lacy outbid a snippy banker and take ownership of the ramshackle inn, including a strange apparition. Mo's distinctive voice, full of humor and Southern colloquialisms, narrates a tale with many twists and turns.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2014
Those who visited Tupelo Landing previously (in Newbery Honor book Three Times Lucky, rev. 7/12) are familiar with the numerous colorful inhabitants of this small North Carolina town. Newcomers, though, will need more than a smidgen of time and patience to sort them all out, time that would be more enjoyably spent reading the first book. But once readers get the lay of the land, their efforts will be rewarded. Mo LoBeau (accent on the final syllable) and her best friend Dale find themselves slap-dab in the middle of another mystery. When the abandoned Tupelo Inn goes up for auction, Mo and Dale accompany Miss Lana (who, along with The Colonel, form Mo's "family of choice") and Grandmother Miss Lacy (no relation, but the nicest old person in town) to the sale. Fearing that a snippy banker will buy the property, the two women outbid her and take ownership of the ramshackle inn and all its history, including a strange apparition. Mo's distinctive voice, full of humor and Southern colloquialisms, narrates a tale with as many twists and turns as North Carolina's own Tar River, giving readers a sweet, laid-back story that reveals a ghost who, bless her heart, just wants to set the record straight about her death. betty carter

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)