Sly the Sleuth and the Sports Mysteries

May 1, 2006
These mother-and-son collaborators' spry follow-up to Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries may be rather short on sports action and suspense, but its chipper narrator and her entourage will likely draw kids into this trio of tales. In the first and strongest of the three, Sly (short for Sylvia) comes to the aid of her pal Jack, who is hoping to hone his kicking skills for his final soccer game. But a flock of obstinate birds overtake the field so he can't practice-until Sly discovers that the near-sighted school custodian may inadvertently be at the root of the problem. The second, more meandering case finds Sly attempting to uncover why her best friend Melody's ballet slippers and then swim fins disappear from Melody's cubby, in which a pair of soccer cleats just as mysteriously appears (the previous story provides the key clue to the culprit). The final story stretches the sports concept: Sly's endearing four-year-old neighbor's curious antics turn out to be futile attempts to make himself tall enough to play basketball-a denouement that most youngsters will see coming. Maione's spirited art and the characters' engaging repartee join forces to convey the kids' personalities. Reluctant readers will appreciate the novel's punchy dialogue, concise chapters and relatively large type size. This may well whet kids' appetites for the soon-to-be served up Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries. Ages 7-up.

May 1, 2006
Gr 2-4 -While Sly is a curious girl and does show an interest in looking for misplaced sports items, her sleuthing is minimal -and boring. The book consists almost entirely of action dialogue, so there is little character development. Sly -s two best friends are Melody and Brian, a nursery school child whose vocabulary often seems too advanced for his age. The book is separated into three sections and then further divided by word headings to indicate a change of topic. The topics do not fit together and, overall, the story is disjointed. The pencil sketches are not particularly engaging. Children interested in mystery stories would do better to look elsewhere." -Diane Eddington, Los Angeles Public Library"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 8, 2006
These mother-and-son collaborators' spry follow-up to Sly the Sleuth and the Pet Mysteries may be rather short on sports action and suspense, but its chipper narrator and her entourage will likely draw kids into this trio of tales. In the first and strongest of the three, Sly (short for Sylvia) comes to the aid of her pal Jack, who is hoping to hone his kicking skills for his final soccer game. But a flock of obstinate birds overtake the field so he can't practice-until Sly discovers that the near-sighted school custodian may inadvertently be at the root of the problem. The second, more meandering case finds Sly attempting to uncover why her best friend Melody's ballet slippers and then swim fins disappear from Melody's cubby, in which a pair of soccer cleats just as mysteriously appears (the previous story provides the key clue to the culprit). The final story stretches the sports concept: Sly's endearing four-year-old neighbor's curious antics turn out to be futile attempts to make himself tall enough to play basketball-a denouement that most youngsters will see coming. Maione's spirited art and the characters' engaging repartee join forces to convey the kids' personalities. Reluctant readers will appreciate the novel's punchy dialogue, concise chapters and relatively large type size. This may well whet kids' appetites for the soon-to-be served up Sly the Sleuth and the Food Mysteries. Ages 7-up.

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2006
Sly is a finicky sleuth: she only takes "cases that a cat would care about." This odd requirement sets the tone for an offbeat mystery full of quirky characters and silly story lines (all sports related). The droll humor hits the mark, but Sly's narration, following in the footsteps of the hard-boiled detective's, is too choppy at times. Friendly sketches accompany the text.

(Copyright 2006 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)