Now 2023 Previous Articles Road Essays Road Reviews Author Black Authors Title Source Age Genre Series Format Inclusivity LGBTA Portfolio Artwork WIP

Recent posts


Month in review

Reviews
Apple Cider Slaying by Julie Anne Lindsey and Amy Melissa Bentley (narrator)
Arf by Spencer Quinn
Bingo Love by Tee Franklin
Bird & Squirrel All Together by James Burks
Castle Shade by Laurie R. King
Cat-Cat by Gertrude Hevener Gibson
Death by Café Mocha by Alex Erickson and Melissa Moran (Narrator)
Drew LeClair Gets a Clue by Katryn Bury and Devon Hales (Narrator)
Elegant Yokai Apartment Life, Volume 4 by Hinowa Kouzuki and Waka Miyama (Illustrator)
Girl in Reverse by Barbara Stuber
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
I Am a Cat Barista, Volume 1 by Hiro Maijima
It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds
Key Player by Kelly Yang
Lost Lad London, Volume 1 by Shinya Shima
Lowriders to the Rescue by Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third (Illustrations)
Murder Spills the Tea by Vicki Delany and Shaina Summerville (Narrator) (2022)
My Dress-Up Darling, Volume 4 by Shinichi Fukuda and Taylor Engel (Translator) (2019)
Noragami: Stray God, Volume 15 by Adachitoka
Paola Santiago and the Sanctuary of Shadows by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Paws and Effect by Sofie Kelly and Cassandra Campbell (Narrator)
A Poisonous Page by Kitt Crowe and Tina Wolstencroft (Narrator)
Room to Dream by Kelly Yang
The Sound of Thunder by J. Torres and Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrations) (2014)
A Sprinkle in Time by Dana Mentink and Stephanie Nemeth-Parker (Narrator)
Turkey Day Murder by Leslie Meier and Karen White (Narrator)
Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay and Susan Boyce (Narrator)
You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty by Akwaeke Emezi

Miscellaneous
October 2022 Sources

October 2022 Summary

Previous month



Rating System

5 stars: Completely enjoyable or compelling
4 stars: Good but flawed
3 stars: Average
2 stars: OK
1 star: Did not finish

Reading Challenges

Canadian Book Challenge: 2023-2024

Beat the Backlist 2023

Artwork
Chicken Art



Privacy policy

This blog does not collect personal data. It doesn't set cookies. Email addresses are used to respond to comments or "contact us" messages and then deleted.


Drew LeClair Gets a Clue: 11/01/22

Drew LeClair Gets a Clue

Drew LeClair Gets a Clue by Katryn Bury and Devon Hales (Narrator) (2022) is the start of a new middle grade mystery series set in Oakland, California. Drew was named for Nancy Drew. She loves mysteries and loves profiling people. When a cyberbully starts targeting her school she has the distraction she needs to avoid thinking about her mother who has run off with the school's counselor.

Drew hero worships a local investigator and author, Lita Miyamoto. In her own investigation she references Miyamoto's, In the Shadow of a Killer in which she recounts how she tracked down the Junipero Valley Killer. More on that later.

The setting, a school, the crime, cyberbullying, and the protagonist, a school aged girl, makes this a middle grade book. The tropes, basic outline and pacing of events, even the family trouble, are all things common to the types of cozy mysteries I regularly read.

One fantastic bonus is the setting. It's set in Oakland — a recognizable Oakland. Drew and her father talk about local landmarks and events. She even mentions going to Redwood Regional — not something I've ever seen in a novel before. The local color brings this book to life.

But I listened to the audiobook. This now is the second audiobook this year with California places — meaning Spanish words and names. Like the narrator for Nacho Average Murder, Devon Hales butchers some basic Spanish pronunciations. Especially annoying was listening to her mangling of Junipero, as in the "Junipero Valley Murderer" a phrase that shows up in nearly every chapter. I am taking one star off my review for Hales's performance.

The second book in the series is Drew LeClair Crushes the Case and is scheduled for release on April 18, 2023.

Four stars

Comments (0)


Lab puppy
Name:
Email (won't be posted):
Blog URL:
Comment:

Twitter Tumblr Mastadon Flickr Facebook Facebook Contact me

1997-2023 Sarah Sammis