Friday means fun!

Friday Barnes: Girl Detective

By R.A. Spratt

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Series: Friday Barnes

Hardcover: 272 pages

Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (January 19, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1626722978

ISBN-13: 978-1626722972

Approximate Lexile: 1050

Publisher’s Blurb:
Imagine if Sherlock Holmes was an eleven-year-old girl!


    When Friday Barnes, girl genius, solves a bank robbery, she uses the reward money to send herself to Highcrest Academy, the most exclusive boarding school in the country―and discovers it's a hotbed of crime!
    Soon she's investigating everything from disappearing homework to the terrifying Yeti haunting the school swamp. But the biggest mystery yet is Ian Wainscott, the handsomest (and most arrogant) boy in school who inexplicably hates her. Will the homework be found? Can they ever track down the Yeti? And why is Ian out to ruin her?


My Thoughts:
    This was a lot of fun! Though I’m nowhere near as well-read, knowledgeable, or socially awkward as Friday, she reminds me enough of me at that age. My eight-year-old daughter is just at the young end of the age range for this book, though certainly at the right reading level. Like Friday, she is the family surprise baby; unlike Friday, we pay lots of attention to her! In a few months, I am definitely going to introduce her to Friday!
    Admittedly, some of the situations are a bit outlandish, but that’s part of the fun. It’s no more outlandish than, say, Pippi Longstocking, and less so than A Series of Unfortunate Events.
    There are many sly references tucked in for the adults, as well. I am four times the top of the suggested age range, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Maybe it’s also because I’m a teacher, so some of the descriptions of teachers at Friday’s boarding school were quite amusing to me.
    Friday solves many small mysteries on the way to the biggest mystery—the Swamp Yeti. The pacing in this book is perfect, with lots of action, and just enough rests to make the action fun rather than annoying. It’s also well-edited—yay!—and the descriptive passages are easy to visualize.
    Also good to note is that Friday develops emotional depth as the book progresses. Her character is allowed to be vulnerable and open to new friendships, and even to develop a crush (without it being sappy).


Possible Objectionable Material:
    Mild violence. Crime. Kids sneaking out at night and disrespecting authority. Dishonesty.


Who Would Like this Book:
    The suggested age range is a good start. The 1050 Lexile means it might be challenging for the lower end of that range. There is a girl on the cover, but boys shouldn’t be afraid of this book; Friday’s adventures and emotions transfer well, and there are plenty of male characters too. Kids who enjoy solving mysteries in the Encyclopedia Brown vein will probably like this one.


Thank you, NetGalley, for a fun read!