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Sam (74 KP) rated The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5) in Books

Mar 27, 2019  
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5)
The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5)
Lemony Snicket | 2000 | Children
10
8.3 (23 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Baudelaires, after every other disaster that has happened in their lives, arrive at Prufrock Preparatory School with Mr Poe.

The Austere Academy doesn’t even start off happy. The school the Baudelaire’s arrive at looks depressing at best. The individual buildings look like tombstones, and the vice principal is a self-obsessed, violin playing dictator.

The Baudelaire’s go straight off to a rough start, being told that since they didn’t have a guardian’s permission to live with the rest of the students, they must live in the Orphan Shack – a mouldy shack infested with crabs.

It’s probably one of the most depressing books in the series so far because even though Count Olaf reappears (shocker), they’ve begun to give up telling adults who he is because they are never believed. The Baudelaires seem on the verge of completely giving up and letting Count Olaf and his associates win.

There is a small beam of hope where they meet the Quagmires, and I’ll leave it at that to avoid spoiling the entire book.

The series is just starting to pick up with this book as it begins to reveal some of the mysteries and secrets which have been looming since the first book. It really seems that this book marks a turning point in the series and really starts off the uncovering of all of the mysteries surrounding the Baudelaire’s circumstances.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2353 KP) rated Bear Bottom in Books

May 25, 2021 (Updated May 25, 2021)  
Bear Bottom
Bear Bottom
Stuart Gibbs | 2021 | Children, Mystery
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Missing Necklace and Bison
Teddy Fitzroy is in Yellowstone with his parents and the McCrackens to evaluate a ranch that J.J. McCracken is thinking about buying. The ranch is just outside of the national park, and the Fitzroys are also using the time to enjoy the beautiful scenery. The ranch raises bison, and they’ve had a couple go missing, so Teddy is asked to try to figure out what has happened to them. Before he can even start on that, the house where everyone is staying is broken into by a Grizzley bear. In the aftermath, Mrs. McCracken’s expensive necklace disappears. Can Teddy solve both mysteries?

Part of the fun of the FunJungle series is the setting and the recurring characters. I’ll admit I missed them. However, this book does have a core cast of regulars, and I enjoyed spending time with them. Both mysteries are intriguing and kept the pace steady. Watching Teddy work is always fascinating, and we got some wonderful action scenes along the way. While the series always tackles some environmental issues, I felt like this book lectured a bit more than the series usually does. It doesn’t help that one thing intended to be funny didn’t come across that way to me; instead, if felt like more lectures. I still did enjoy this book overall. It’s just not quite up to Stuart Gibbs’s usual high standards.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2353 KP) rated Murder at a London Finishing School in Books

Jul 26, 2023 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)  
Murder at a London Finishing School
Murder at a London Finishing School
Jessica Ellicott | 2023 | Mystery
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Returning to Their Alma Mater Means Murder
Brit Edwina Davenport and American Beryl Helliwell first met at Miss DuPont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies and forged their decades long friendship there. But now they’ve been hired by Miss DuPont to find out what is going on at the school that is driving down enrollment. The duo aren’t getting far with their investigation when they stumble on a dead body. Have the pranks escalated to murder?

If you look for the dead body to drop early, you might be disappointed with this book. I wasn’t. Between the early investigation and meeting the new characters, there was plenty to keep me engaged. Of course, things kick up a notch when murder enters the story. The ending, while logical, did feel a little rushed, but that was a minor complaint. We don’t see much of the series regulars, although a couple do make cameos. The new characters more than make up for it, and I appreciate how complex they were by the end. Beryl and Edwina grow as a result of visiting some place from their past. The story is set in the 1920’s, and things going on in society infuse the book. If you enjoy historical mysteries or mysteries set in England, you’ll be glad you picked this up.
  
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Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Johnny Graphic and the Attack of the Zombies (Johnny Graphic Adventures, #2) in Books

Jan 12, 2018  
Johnny Graphic and the Attack of the Zombies (Johnny Graphic Adventures, #2)
Johnny Graphic and the Attack of the Zombies (Johnny Graphic Adventures, #2)
D.R. Martin | 2013 | Children, Paranormal, Young Adult (YA)
10
5.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
[D.R. Martin] does an excellent job continuing the adventures of young boy photographer, Johnny Graphic and his friends. I [Johnny Graphic and the Attack of the Zombies] Johnny, Mel, Nina, and Dame Honoria continue the battle against Percy. This time Percy has created an army of zombies.

The classic style of the writing reminds me of Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew mysteries. It is a great throw back with a modern twist. I really enjoyed the style and the characters. The new characters that [Martin] added fit very well into the plot and enhanced the story line. I really recommend this book and feel it would be great in a classroom.