Lou Lou & Pea and the Mural Mystery (Book One)

I picked this book up at Barnes & Noble a few months ago, even though the protagonists, Lou Lou and Pea (short for "Peacock") are rather young - as in, elementary school, getting ready to go into middle school young. But the mystery itself - crimes begin to occur throughout their neighborhood, and clues appear in the various murals painted on the side of buildings - caught my attention. That, and the story seems to focus a lot on Hispanic culture (Pea's cousin's quinceañera, Dia de Los Muertos, etc), and there is a lot of Spanish dialogue throughout the story. It was nice to see a bit of diversity in a book aimed at children without it beating the reader over the head.  So, I bought it.

Lou Lou & Pea and the Mural Mystery turned out to be mostly enjoyable, with the two title characters being a lot of fun to read.  I will admit, it was a bit tedious to have their full names (Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl) repeated over and over and over again throughout the book - not sure what the author's intention was with that, but it became repetitive and annoying after a while. That aside, Pea's formal nature and Lou Lou's spunky side definitely played well off of each other, and they make quite a team. And while they were given a lot more freedom than real children their age ever would be, let's face it - this is a children's mystery novel, and in every mystery story I've read, the children and young adults have way more freedom than they actually should! That's what makes it enjoyable.

That being said, the mystery itself was certainly well crafted. Various incidents occur throughout El Carazón (their neighborhood) - Pea's cousin's dress is ruined by someone staining it; Lou Lou's prize plant is destroyed; their friend's rabbit is kidnapped; a singer's stage show is sabotaged; a craft store is water damaged; and the trusted candle lady's story is ransacked and robbed! And what is weird is that after each incident, something connected to the crime suddenly appears in one of the painted murals throughout their small neighborhood.  As the town gears up for the special Dia  de Los Muertos celebration, Lou Lou and Pea are determined to get to the bottom of the crimes. Lou Lou is certain that it is her new neighbor, the young boy with blue spiked hair, as all clues seem to point to him; but Pea reminds her to keep her mind open and not jump to conclusions.

Of course, it all culminates during the Day of the Dead celebration, where Lou Lou and Pea find the kidnapped rabbit and stolen items in the most unlikely of places - and find themselves trapped in the criminal's cellar with no way to escape!  The big revelation will definitely come as a surprise to most readers, as author Jill Diamond provides a surprisingly unexpected twist in the story, and the mystery ends in true Nancy Drew-fashion, with the culprit unveiled, the young detectives hailed as heroes, and all the wrongs made right again.

Diamond's story is littered with a number of cute illustrations by Lesley Vamos.  The art style is a bit cartoony, but considering the age level of the intended readership, I would have to say it fits in nicely.  In the back of the book is a glossary of the Spanish terms used throughout the book, so that readers gain a bit of a learning experience from reading it (although, in most cases, readers will be able to figure out the meaning of the Spanish sentences and phrases used by their context, and in other instances, the characters themselves provide the translation in the dialogue).

Overall, it was a fun little read, and I would certainly recommend it to those who enjoy children's mysteries.

RATING:  8 rose gold Sugar Mountain Sisters necklaces out of 10 for mixing mystery, diversity, and fun to create a really good book!