Middle Grade Review: Frankie Dupont and the Mystery of Enderby Manor

  

Title: Frankie Dupont and the Mystery of Enderby Manor

Author: Julie Anne Grasso.  2014, 135 pages

Source: Free review e-book

Summary:

When his favorite cousin Kat disappears from Enderby Manor, 10-year-old Frankie Dupont, sleuth-in-training, is on the case. He has to deal with dubious and devious characters at the Manor, not to mention the bumbling Inspector Cluesome, before the final dramatic race to save Kat in time.

Review:

This was a fast, fun read! Frankie is an engaging character, and the story is well plotted to keep the interest of even reluctant readers. There is just a touch of the absurd, with just-over-the-top characters, and a dash of fantasy.  I went into this expecting another realistic kids-and-school type book, and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was something a little different. The book does require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, but as the story develops and moves farther from the every-day, that becomes very easy.

The book is well edited, and illustrated with fun line drawings that depict key moments in the story. My main reservation is that Frankie has an awful lot of chutzpah, and I kept waiting for him to stumble. Things went just a little too smoothly for him, I think, but that is in part due to the short-and-simple nature of a book intended for younger middle-grade readers.

Recommendation:

Kids who enjoy mysteries (I was going to say Encyclopedia Brown and the Hardy Boys, but I might just be showing my age a bit) should enjoy this. Some might be a bit put off by the fantasy elements, but as many will probably be drawn in by them, given the popularity of fantasy just now.  I would class this as early-middle grade, for kids maybe 8-10 or 11, and probably very good for reluctant readers as it is written fairly simply and moves fast.

Full Disclosure: I was given a review copy of Frankie Dupont and the Mystery of Enderby Manor by the author, in exchange for my honest, not my favorable, review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."