LOW FLAT RATE $9.90 AUST-WIDE DELIVERY
Lewis B. Montgomery is the pen name of a writer whose favorite authors include CSL, EBW, and LMM. Those initials are a clue-but there's another clue, too. Can you figure out their names? Lewis lives in eastern Pennsylvania and also writes under the pen names Eleanor May and Nan Walker. Amy Wummer has illustrated more than 50 children's books. Amy and her husband, who is also an artist, live in Pennsylvania.
The first book in the Milo & Jazz Mysteries series gets it just right: a fun, easy-to-solve mystery, readily identifiable young detectives, and some extras readers will enjoy. Milo is excited when he receives his detecting kit from Dash Marlowe, Super Sleuth. Dash's instructions (written in invisible ink) say to observe carefully, and the first thing Milo notices is his new neighbor, Jazz, reading Whodunnit magazine. Jazz wants to be a detective, too, and after some uneasy negotiations, the duo decide to partner up and find out what has happened to Jazz's brother's lucky (and stinky) socks. Without them, he's afraid he won't be able to pitch a winning game. The short chapters, written in a large typeface, are punctuated by pen-and-ink illustrations of better quality than those often seen in series books. Even kids who aren't sports-oriented will enjoy flexing their detective skills here and in the second installment in the series, The Case of the Poisoned Pig (2009). The story cleverly ends with new materials from Dash Marlowe, offering additional opportunities for armchair sleuthing. <p> -- Ilene Cooper Booklist
