Friday Barnes, Last Chance

Friday Barnes has been an entertaining series of mysteries unlike any other.  The title character, a cross between Nancy Drew and Sheldon Cooper (of Big Bang Theory fame), is definitely one of the most quirky, unusual teenage sleuths, and the mysteries are always ingenuous with the right amount of humor mixed in.  What I had originally thought was going to be an eight-book series has expanded beyond that (to my overwhelming joy!), and it has been such fun following Friday and her friends as they travel beyond the halls of Highcrest Academy, where many of the first eight books took place.  After the last book's hi-jinks in Italy and Norway, I was curious to see where this book would take us - and R.A. Spratt did not disappoint!

Friday Barnes, Last Chance brings Friday, her sidekick and best friend Melanie, as well as her boyfriend (can she call him that?) Ian, and her Uncle Bernie to France in order to answer the all-important question - is the Mona Lisa hanging in The Louvre the real thing, or is it a masterfully reproduced fake?  It is interesting Spratt would use this premise for the mystery, as there has been speculation through the years as to whether the Mona Lisa that currently hangs in The Louvre is a masterful copy or the actual original painted by DaVinci.  And Spratt takes it a bit further, as Friday and Melanie observe the DaVinci, in the Mona Lisa and many of his other paintings, tended to paint prominent or misshapen noses on the people he painted.  This is a fact in the real world that has been a topic of discussion for art critics looking at his works.  Thus, Spratt integrates a bit of factual art history in this mystery.

So, in this book, after dealing with a bout of hypothermia (remember that last bit of adventure in Norway?), Friday heads to Paris to join her uncle and boyfriend as they investigate the claim that has been made about the Mona Lisa.  An aged letter was discovered behind some bathroom tiles of the home of one Signora Peruggia, a descendant of the infamous Vincenzo Peruggia, who stole the Mona Lisa back in 1911 (yet another integration of real facts!), which indicated the painting found and returned to The Louvre was actually a copy, and the original remained hidden somewhere, possibly painted over by another famous artist and hiding in plain sight!  This claim is bringing a lot of unwanted bad publicity to The Louvre, and so Interpol is called in - and since Friday, Ian, and Melanie are all now honorary Interpol assistants, they are on the case!

The series over the last couple of books has taken a departure from the original format of the series. In the beginning, each book had an over-arching mystery for Friday to solve, but along the way, she solved any number of smaller mysteries, seemingly in every other chapter.  In the last book and in this one, as well, there are fewer short mysteries along the way, and the text focuses more on the main mystery.  Yes, Friday does happen to solve a couple of quick problems (such as a missing passenger on the plane, the identity of a woman attacked by the police at the French airport, a girl using her phone to scam tourists in Paris, and tricking a young girl who has locked herself in the dorm bathroom to come out), but they are definitely fewer and farther between than what they were in the early books.

The book also features a couple of "identity" focal points that have never been raised before - the first being Agent Okeke, the woman sent to pick up Friday and Melanie from the airport.  She is tackled by the police at the airport for carrying a gun, and while Friday figures out who she is, the agent herself makes it clear she believes she was attacked only because of the color of her skin (being of African descent).  The second instance involves Ian.  When Friday and Melanie arrive in France, Friday's fear is that Ian has been enthralled by the beautiful French girls; however, she is surprised to be told that Ian is actually dating another boy now!  Of course, this turns out simply to be a ruse perpetrated by Ian to keep the girls away (since his heart belongs only to Friday); but I did find it interesting that the author used both of these somewhat topical issues in today's headlines as plot points in the book.

The villain in the story is not very difficult to spot; however, the ultimate goal of his criminal venture does make the story exciting, and how he and his group of bandits manage to steal the Mona Lisa from the most secure art museum in the world is rather ingenuous.  The supporting cast of characters are also unique (as is pretty much everything in this series!) and fun, giving Friday some challenges and surprises along the way.  In some ways, the series is developing into a soap opera, as there are elements that would clearly make for a good soap - does Ian really like Friday, or will he leave her for someone else?  why is the young girl in the bathroom so upset that her father is making her attend art school?  what secret does the boy who works for his uncle's pizzeria have?  how will Friday and her new friends escape from a locked chamber in the basement of The Louvre?  And why, oh why, is Friday being arrested yet again at the end of this book (leaving us a wonderful cliffhanger that will lead into the twelfth Friday Barnes mystery!)?  All the great trappings and tropes of a good soap!

As with every other book in this series, this mystery was a joy to read, and I am looking forward to the next one (hoping and praying that book 12 is not the last!).

RATING:  9 cases of bulletproof glass out of 10 for putting Friday Barnes in the middle of a real-life mystery and having her solve it in true Friday-style!

Friday Barnes, Undercover

If you have not read a Friday Barnes book, then you really don't know what you are missing!  Friday Barnes is a quirky, fifteen-year old girl detective with a Sheldon Cooper-like personality.  Her personal interactions are awkward, her knowledge seems infinite, and her ability to solve mysteries is uncanny.  And her best friend, Melanie Pelly, is just as strange as Friday herself - she is borderline narcoleptic, she is able to know instantly if someone is lying or telling the truth, and she is forever playing matchmaker with Friday and Ian Wainscott, the only boy (young man, I suppose at this point) to ever truly get under Friday's skin.  They are the most unlikely of friends, and yet their partnership has taken them on numerous adventures to solve countless crimes.  And now, here we are at book 10 of the series - and just in case you were wondering, yes, it is best if the series is read in order, as one book leads directly into the next (but thankfully, each book begins with the last few pages of the previous book, so the reader can catch up real quick before the new story begins....).

Friday Barnes, Undercover starts with Friday and her classmates still in Italy, where the class had taken a trip in the last book.  They are preparing to return home, but Friday has been approached by Interpol to become one of their agents, alongside her Uncle Bernie and her (maybe) boyfriend, Ian.  Friday is at a loss to know what to do, and thankfully, she is saved by a fortuitously timed telephone call from Melanie's older brother, Binky, who has found himself in a bit of a quandary.  It seems he is being court marshaled for alleged dereliction of duty, and only Friday can get him out of it!  So, she and Melanie sneak out and head over to Norway (after all, it's only a hop, skip, and a jump away from Italy, right?) to save Melanie's brother from the brig.

It's interesting that these books are beginning to delve more into Friday's personal life and the development of her relationship with Ian, as well as with those around her.  While we still get an over-arching mystery that Friday has to solve (in this case, it has to do with art being stolen from museums throughout the world), the number of smaller mysteries seems to be dwindling to allow more time for the soap opera that Friday's life is becoming.  We do get the mystery of what happened to her teacher's suitcase at the beginning ... and the mystery of who painted the back of a tortoise's shell ... and the mystery of the missing Haakon Stone ... but we also get Friday helping Binky pick out the right engagement ring for him to propose to Ingrid ... and we get Friday meeting a young prince who turns out to be just as awkward as she is in social situations ... and we get Friday wondering why Ian has shown up in Norway at Ingrid's birthday party - with a beautiful girl on his arm!

However, we also get the fun and adventure that always follows Friday on her mysteries - which ends up being at the Seed Vault in Svalbard (which, by the way, happens to be a very real place that happens to do the very thing explained in the book!).  The lights go out, something is stolen, and Friday is kidnapped and taken out into the freezing cold weather by some dastardly criminals.  And, of course, Ian is the only one who can save her.  And did I mention we also get a polar bear or two (along with some adorable polar bear cubs!)?

I think I'm enjoying the evolving storytelling and characterization as the series progresses.  Yes, Friday is still awkward and still an unrepentant know-it-all, but she's always becoming a teenager who recognizes her own idiosyncrasies and who is willing to apologize when she steps outside of society's accepted norm.  Plus, the growing relationship between her and Ian has been fun to watch as it develops, and I'm looking forward to what future stories have in store for these two.

I can't finish this posting without making mention of that cover - what was the artist thinking?  She's striking a very Macaulay Culkin pose there, right out of Home Alone!  Not sure it has anything to do with the story itself, and it certainly isn't in character with Friday.  I'm guessing the artist simply want to give Friday a different pose than she's had on any of the previous covers to date.

As always, Friday Barnes is a great read, and I'm glad to see the series is still going (I have yet to get books 11 and 12, but believe me, they are on my Amazon watch list to buy next!).

RATING:  9 well-read copies of War and Peace out of 10 for keeping the awkwardness, keeping the fun, keeping the mysteries, and keeping the adventure coming!

Friday Barnes, No Escape

This book is the first book in the continuation of the Friday Barnes series.  The series originally had only eight books, and the last book provided a somewhat nice conclusion (even if it did leave it open-ended).  But, apparently, the author decided to to continue the adventures of this Sheldon-like young female sleuth, for which I am very glad.  However, this book is a clear departure from the previous eight books for a number of reasons.  In fact, the book feels very much like a transition for the character, which makes me wonder what the future books have in store for our dear Friday.

Friday Barnes, No Escape opens with the usual recap from the end of the last book - Ian is leaving for Italy with his mother and her new husband, and Friday is left behind; but they make a promise to meet at that very spot in the airport in four years when they both finish school - to solve a mystery, of course!  Then, we get to the first chapter, which finds Dr. Belcredi (the school's headmistress) and Melanie Polly (Friday's best friend) sitting in a prison waiting room for Friday to be released.  Wait, what?!  I actually went back and read the end of the last book to make sure I didn't miss anything, and I confirmed that I did not.  So, how in the world did Friday end up in jail?  Well, remember how I said this book was a departure?  This is one of those instances.  Author R.A. Spratt actually does a time jump here, leaving readers with a bit of a mystery as to why and how Friday Barnes got thrown in jail, and how exactly is she getting out nearly a year later?  Spratt gives readers a few clues here and there before finally revealing the whole truth - Friday created a hypothetical scenario that was used by real terrorists, and so she ended up in jail (even though she didn't mean to do it, she still did it, however unintentionally).

So, it's back to Highcrest for Friday, whose whole demeanor has now changed.  She no longer wants to solve mysteries, and she has no desire to face all of her old classmates.  But, as she quickly finds out, she is not the only one who changed.  Her enemies have younger classmates to terrorize, so she is not a target on their radar any more.  Ian is gone, having to moved to Italy.  And speaking of Italy, it seems the upper class students are taking a trip to Italy, and the headmistress thinks it would be a good idea for Friday to join them - but Friday has no desire to go.  She would rather stay at the school and NOT solve mysteries.  Like helping Parker find his lost passport.  Or figuring out why Dr. Msamati has been so sleepy in the mornings.  Until Uncle Bernie calls.  He needs her help.  The museum where he provides security is fearful of being robbed, and only Friday can help him ensure the security system will prevent any thefts!  Thus, it's off to Italy for Friday and Melanie (and the rest of the upper class students).

The trip overseas turns out to be an interesting one - not just for Friday and her classmates, but for the reader as well.  Friday keeps telling everyone that she is no longer solving crimes or other mysteries, but it seems the one she really has to convince is herself.  Because no matter how hard she tries, it seems she is always solving one mystery or another - like how the airplane attendant got a chocolate-covered macadamia in his pocket ... or working out why the nun's tractor was not working ... or how the nuns' raspberry gelato got food coloring in it ... or even fixing a water heater problem when the heater isn't broken.  But, ultimately, it's the mystery surrounding the stolen lens from Galileo's telescope that scores Friday her biggest mystery in this book (other than why Ian claims to have written to Friday in jail, when she never received any of his correspondence).  The solution is not necessarily overly surprising, nor is Ian's involvement in the whole thing - but what does come as a big surprise is the offer Friday gets at the end of the book - an offer that, if she takes it, will definitely change the direction of this book going forward!

As always, there are a lot of fun moments in the book, mostly involving either Friday's lack of social skills or Melanie's unusual observation abilities.  Friday has a number of emotional moments throughout the book, which, again, marks another departure from previous books, as she has pretty much been lacking in a lot of the self-pitying emotions that many other students feel at her age.  Her self-doubt and constant wonder over whether Ian still likes her or not is a marked change in the character, and perhaps it is a sign of growth (both physically and emotionally).  The one constant is the overarching mystery that runs alongside all of the smaller, done-in-one-chapter mysteries that Friday solves along the way.  In any event, the series is definitely going in a completely different direction from here, and I, for one, can't wait to see what's next!

RATING:  9 cups of crema all'arancia gelato out of 10 for keeping the Friday Barnes series going, keeping it fresh, and keeping the surprises coming!

Friday Barnes, Never Fear

At long last, we reach the final book in the Friday Barnes series - well, it was originally the final book.  Then, suddenly, I found on Amazon listings for books 9 ... and 10 ... and 11!!!!  The series suddenly got new life breathed into it, as author R.A. Spratt decided to continue beyond this eighth book!  I, for one, am ecstatic, as I have thoroughly enjoyed this series.  Friday Barnes is a unique character - a cross between Sheldon Cooper and Nancy Drew, with a bit of Monk and Columbo thrown in for good measure.  There is always plenty of humor, plenty of surprises, and plenty of mystery - and Spratt manages to end every book with a cliffhanger that leaves you breathlessly waiting for the next book to find out what is going to happen next.

Friday Barnes, Never Fear picks up right where the last one left off - with Friday being advanced from year 8 to year 12, meaning that soon she will graduate, leaving her friends and boyfriend (?!) behind! With a brand new headmaster, a revelation that the school could be hiding a treasure in gold, a famous author living anonymously in the woods outside the school, and a long-awaited first kiss (yes, you read that right!  Friday and Ian FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kiss), this book is chock full of fun and, as usual, there are plenty of mysteries, both big and small, for our sleuth to solve. Plus, readers begin to see the character growth in Friday, as she realizes just how much she has come to depend on her friendship with Melanie and exactly what it is that she feels for Ian.  The sudden displacement from year 8 to year 12, some would say, is a good thing for the character, because what's the old saying?  You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?!

The overall mystery involves the discovery that there could very well be gold hidden somewhere on the school grounds, put there by the school's founder many years ago.  There is also the subject of Dr. Belcredi, the new headmaster at the school.  Friday suspects something is off, because the woman is just too perfect - her credentials are impeccable, her desire to help the school and the students are too altruistic, and her seeming desire to rid the school of Friday doesn't help either.  So, when Friday's uncle reports that a background check reveals that Dr. Belcredi's CV is full of lies - none of the schools she lists have ever had a student by her name there! - Friday knows there is more than meets the eye for this new headmaster.

But, as any fan of this series knows, it's not the big mysteries that make these books so much fun to read.  It's those little mini-mysteries that Friday solves along the way that prove to be hilarious and show just how incredibility intelligent and observant our Miss Barnes truly is!  From figuring out why the former headmaster's blood sugar levels keep spiking at the hospital to revealing why Mirabella's clothes are making her think she's gaining weight to explaining why Ian could not possibly have been cheating on his exam to teaching the science teacher a thing or two about why the custodian's truck isn't starting to determining just what happened to the recluse author's toilet paper - the quick little minute-mysteries are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face.

Because this was originally the final book in the series, the resolution to the "big" mystery, as well as the ending to this book, is actually rather different from those that have come before.  While there is a mild cliffhanger, it is not one that leaves you hanging; rather, it is one that makes you wistful and provides a beautiful "happily ever after" that is to come ... sort of open-ended, while still providing resolution.  And that hidden stash of gold?  Well, let's just say the answer to that truly does bring this series full circle!  And, lest we forget our dear Dr. Belcredi - Friday was right that nothing is what it seems with this woman, and Friday is definitely in for a surprise when she finds out the truth of what the good doctor is up to and how her plans will affect Friday's future!

Overall, another great read, but I will readily admit I am VERY thankful this is not the final Friday Barnes mystery.  This series, and this character, is just way too good not to keep going, and I already have book 9 on my stack of books to read, and will eventually add books 10 and 11 (and hopefully one day 12, 13, 14, and beyond if Spratt keeps them going!).

RATING:  10 old mining carts out of 10 for wrapping up the first chapter of Friday Barnes' adventures with some fun-filled mysteries and unexpected surprises!

Friday Barnes, Bitter Enemies

Well, we've reached book seven, and the never-ending troubles and mysteries that surround Friday Barnes continue, with surprises around every corner.  As you may recall (or maybe you don't, and that's why there's a "Previously in Friday Barnes..." prologue at the beginning of each book), when we last left our intrepid young sleuth, she and her friends returned to Highcrest Academy after spending a rather eventful summer vacation at camp (where they, of course, solved another mystery, this time involving an illegal mink-farming operation).  But their relief at returning to school was short-lived when they met Friday's brother and sister, Orion and Quasar.  Who were there to take Friday back home with them.  "Home" being in Switzerland, where the entire family (except Friday) were currently working and thriving in their respective scientific fields - and where Friday Barnes is about to attend a brand new school!

Author R.A. Spratt provides readers with an opportunity to see how the bonds Friday has formed with her friends, and even her enemies, at Highcrest Academy have grown over the course of the books as the new school year begins without Friday there.  Bitter Enemies opens with a rather depressed Ian and an even sadder Melanie, both of whom are unsure just what the new year is going to bring without Friday Barnes.  Even the school's Headmaster misses the young trouble-magnet, although he could certainly never admit that to anyone.  But, since this Friday's series of books, we can't exactly have a book without Friday in it - so, surprise, surprise! (or not really much of a surprise, considering how you want to look at it), Friday Barnes shows up unexpectedly, ready to start the new semester and return to her normal life at Highcrest.  The only problem is, her spot at the school has already been given away to a new student - Harrison Abotomey!  And even though the Headmaster informs her that she unenrolled and is no longer a student there, that doesn't stop Friday Barnes from moving back into the dorm with Melanie and resuming her studies  - - and crime-solving adventures!

Now, usually within each Friday Barnes book, Friday has solved a number of small (minor) mysteries along the way to solving the "big" over-arching mystery for that particular book; however, this time around, Friday's focus seems to be on uncovering who has it out for the headmasters of Highcrest Academy!   The school is preparing to dedicate a new fountain in the middle of the swamp (yeah, yeah, you have to read it to understand that one), when an accident results in one of the school's headmasters mysteriously disappearing!  Then another headmaster becomes violently ill.  Then the current one nearly has a heart attack.  Friday can see clearly that someone is determined to get even with the headmasters - but the questions are:  who and why?  And if that weren't enough to figure out, Friday also has to deal with Harrison Abotomey, who seems to be following her and Melanie everywhere they go.  Melanie is convinced Harrison is in love with Friday (why else would he be so angry with Ian all the time?  he sees Ian as competition!), but Friday does not have time to deal with a potential suitor when she's trying to save the lives of the headmasters before any more disappear.

Spratt keeps the humor that has made this series so much fun, with Friday's Sheldon-like thinking and Melanie's ever-so-lazy and clueless personality.  She also keeps that tension between Friday and Ian, with the ongoing "will they" or "won't they" tug-of-war between them.  Spratt manages to throw some great surprises and twists along the way when it comes to the mystery, which is yet another reason why reading these books is so enjoyable.  And, in case you were wondering, yes, she keeps the traditional book-ending cliffhanger - this time, Friday finds herself finally rewarded for her intelligence, analytical thinking, and well-above standard IQ - but it leaves Friday with a very important question that the reader will want to know as well - where will Friday go from here?

The final page encourages readers "To find out what happens next, read the final book in the series...Never Fear."  And the eighth book was the final book in the series - until I discovered on Amazon that book eight was, in fact, NOT the final book in the series, as there are available for purchase book nine (No Escape), book ten (Undercover), and book eleven (Last Chance).  And for that, I am eternally grateful, because Friday Barnes is just too good of a character to retire, and I hope to see her adventures continue for many years to come!

RATING:  10 identical dummy offices out of 10 for outrageously fun mysteries with a genius-level sleuth with no interpersonal skills whatsoever!

Friday Barnes, Danger Ahead

Book six in the Friday Barnes series is just as wacky as the first five books and just as enjoyable to read! This young female sleuth who could give Sheldon Cooper a run for his money when it comes to smarts and personality knows how to logically look at every situation, weed out the distractions, ignore the emotions, and dive straight into the heart of the matter to solve any mystery put before her.  But with this book, author R. A. Spratt places our beloved little crime-solver into some whole new situations that will truly test her mettle!

Danger Ahead does what every book before it has done - it picks up exactly where the previous book ended. Ian Wainscott has just discovered that his father has somehow regained his wealth and status and is whisking his son away to the Cayman Islands for a father/son vacation!  Friday and her faithful sidekick, Melanie Pelly, are there to see Ian off, and when the sleek, new, black car pulls up, Ian gets in and away he goes!  But this is Friday Barnes' world, remember, so everything is not necessarily as it seems.  Mrs. Wainscott soon shows up with Friday's Uncle Bernie, who just so happens to have just gotten married to Ian's mother (huh?), and she grows frantic that her (ex) husband has taken her son out of the country without her permission.  Only, he didn't take him.  They soon discover when Mr. Wainscott calls the school that someone has abducted Ian in order to extort money from the Wainscott family!  The police are their usual useless selves, so it's up to Friday and Melanie to rescue their friend before the trail runs cold.

And to think, all of that happens just within the first six chapters!  So, what, you may ask, is the rest of the book about?  So glad you asked!  Well, it seems the Headmaster at Highcrest Academy is sending the students off to camp to learn survival skills (but more accurately, to simply get them out of his hair for a while!).  Camp Courage is a four-week camp for students to sharpen their wilderness survival skills, and while Friday Barnes may not be much for outdoor / physical activity, she determines to go into the month-long adventure with the expectation that she will broaden her social skills.  Only, it's too bad that Camp Courage isn't about surviving in the wilderness - it's about surviving the mad woman who owns the camp and her punishment-like tasks that force the students to dig latrines, peel potatoes, clean buildings, and a sundry of other non-survival jobs.  But there's something off about the camp.  There's a ghost that haunts the river, and Geraldine warns the students to stay away from the river at night if they know what's good for them!  So, divided into four teams, with camp counselors who act more like lazy teenagers who only want to nap all day, the students find themselves competing not only for the level of cabins they will sleep in each night, but also for their food and other necessities to last the four week.  It's like that TV show, Survivor, only organized by a crazy woman for troubled pre-teens!

Friday certainly has her share of mysteries to solve along the way (if you've read any of the previous books, you'll recall that she solved a number of smaller mysteries while also trying to solve that one big mystery throughout the book).  She uncovers the identity of who mercilessly cut Mirabella's hair while she was napping on the bus ride to the camp.  She finds out who has been eating Jessica's secret stash of cereal that she snuck into the camp.  She discovers what happened to her team's houseboat (which served as their cabin for the month).  And she ultimately finds out the truth behind the so-called ghost and the real reason the counselor are always so tired and so disinterested in helping the students with anything other than keeping out of their way.  It's four weeks of camp like no other (heck, it would probably be easier to survive at Camp Crystal Lake than at Camp Courage! Get it? "Friday"? Camp Crystal Lake? Oh, never mind...), but Friday and her fellow classmates make it out the other side and arrive back at school just in time to find two special guests waiting for Friday - and just wait until you read what these two have to tell her!

There's plenty of fun, plenty of quick-wit, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments as Friday stops kidnappers, navigates her growing feelings for Ian, and manages to uncover a plot to capture and sell minks for their fur.  A great read that is well worth the time and money!

RATING:  10 exploding ping-pong balls out of 10 for keeping the mysteries coming, filled with light-hearted fun!

Friday Barnes, The Plot Thickens

I honestly didn’t think I would be getting any more of this series.  After the first four books were published here in America, I found no further solicits for the remaining books in the series on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or any other online retailer that sold books.  Eventually, books 5 through 8 of the British version of the series showed up on Amazon, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to order imports, as the prices would be more expensive.  So, I’ve had those last four books on my Amazon watch list for quite a while.  Then, quite unexpectedly, while browsing books at Barnes & Noble recently, I stumbled across the British paperback versions of books 5 and 6 on the shelf!  Now, I am one of those readers who absolutely hates it when a publisher changes format of a series – and up until now, Friday Barnes had been published in hardback, picture-cover format with brightly colored covers.  Now, here are the rather drab, mainly-brown paperback versions of the series for books 5 and 6.  Yet, I refused to pass them up, as who knows if I would see them in store ever again.  So, after God-knows how long, I finally got to read the next chapter in the lives of Friday Barnes and her fellow classmates…

Friday Barnes, The Plot Thickens picks up right where the previous book left off. In fact, just like with the last three books, the story opens with a quick recap of the last moments from the previous book.  In this case, Friday, Ian, and Melanie are enjoying their ice cream after Friday cleared Ian’s name from the charges brought against him – when suddenly, Ian’s father, Mr. Wainwright, shows up to take his son home!  Now, I know it’s been a while, but for those keeping track, the last time we saw Mr. Wainwright, he was being carted off to jail for stealing a diamond, resisting arrest, and assaulting a police officer.  So how, pray tell, did he get released well before his sentence was complete?  Well, before you know it, Friday’s keen sense of observation and deductive reasoning reveals the truth behind Mr. Wainwright’s sudden interest in his son, and when the truth comes out, Ian and Friday once again become enemies, despite their clear attraction for one another (just ask Melanie!).

The author, R.A. Spratt, provides a frolicking foray into the worlds of art and fitness as Highcrest Academy gets two new teachers – a highly acclaimed artist who has no interest in teaching school and a fitness instructor who is determined to whip the over-privileged children of Highcrest into tip-top physical shape, whether they like it or not!  Plus, there’s a new student, Epstein Smythe, who proves his worth to Friday when he rescues her from drowning after she is pulled into the lake by a motorized picnic table (yeah, don’t ask – you have to read it to believe it).  The mystery this time around involves the mysterious theft of one of the art teacher’s prized paintings, as well as the vandalized art throughout the school.  Someone is up to no good (of course, at this school, other than Friday, is there anyone really up to ANY good?), and Friday is determined to get to the bottom of it.  As always, along the way, she solves a number of minor little mysteries, such as who locked Travis in the art room closet? who knocked out Friday in the classroom? did Tom really cheat in his game of golf against Stephan? who cheated Mr. Maclean out of $10,000 for a new car? who was cutting holes in the fence to sneak out each night?  Friday answers these and more questions as she tunnels through all of the distractions to find out exactly what is going on with the stolen and vandalized art.

I had forgotten just how much Spratt makes me smile with these stories of Friday Barnes, and it finally dawned on me what, exactly, it was about Friday Barnes that I find so amusing.  Friday Barnes reminds me very much of Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory.  Friday is full of knowledge, and she is quick to correct others, but she has absolutely no people-skills whatsoever.  And, despite how much everyone around her hates it, she is almost always right.  And her sidekick, Melanie, reminds me of Penny from Big Bang Theory.  She is clueless to  a lot of what Friday talks about, but she goes along with her, and her mind is always on the most trivial, superficial things.  These polar opposites come together to make a humorous and unlikely pair who manage to solve every mystery put in front of them, which makes for some really great reading. 

And, of course, this book ends with yet another cliffhanger, which once again involves poor Ian, leaving him with an all-important decision to make that could affect his life in countless ways!

RATING:  8 wheels of brie cheese out of 10 for continuing the inane antics of the Highcrest Academy students and their resident girl detective, Friday Barnes.

Friday Barnes, No Rules

I have to commend any author that is able to make me laugh out loud when I'm reading a book, and R.A. Spratt is one of those authors.  Four books into the Friday Barnes series, and I can honestly say that each book gets better than the last.  While I prefer to read about teenage detectives, I am learning to accept the current trend for pre-teen detectives in children's mysteries - and 12-year old Friday Barnes is a Sheldon-esque sleuth with a knack for not only solving mysteries, but also for driving people crazy! (And if you don't know what I mean by Sheldon-esque - go watch an episode of Big Bang Theory...)

No Rules picks up exactly where the previous book left off (and that's one more thing I love about this series - the books always leave off with a cliffhanger, and the next book starts right off at that same exact moment - with a recap to boot!), with Friday suddenly finding herself being deported, as she find out she is not a legal citizen of the United States!  It seems Friday was born in Switzerland, and her parents never bothered to complete the proper forms to ensure Friday had her U.S. citizenship - so it's off to Switzerland with her.

In usual Friday Barnes fashion, Spratt soon has Friday solving a mystery for the Swiss government, thus earning her a passport that allows her to return home - and none too soon, it would seem.  Highcrest Academy has lost all of its teachers (it seems someone fired them all!), and the students are making the most of their newfound free time.  But Friday quickly uncovers the culprit - her very own nemesis/boyfriend, Ian Wainscott!  Ian is expelled, but Friday does not have time to even consider the consequences of that, since the school suddenly has a new Vice-Principal - one who is laidback and determined to change Highcrest into a whole new learning experience for its students.

Spratt fills the book with the overall mystery of who really fired all the teachers and why, but along the way, Friday has to solve "The Case of the Missing Math Textbooks," "The Case of the Wet Boy," "The Case of the Missing Furniture," and "The Case of the Colored Eyes," as well as figure out how the beef stroganoff was poisoned, who changed the signs during the cross-country race, and just who is the Vice-Principal really?  And, of course, there's always the ongoing question of when will Friday and Ian stop acting like enemies and finally just admit they like each other?!

Oh, and this book has one scene that literally made me cry out, "Yes, at last, someone recognizes it!" On page 111, Friday receives a telephone call from her uncle, and it goes like this:

When Friday picked up the phone in the school office, she recognized the heavy breathing on the other end.  "Uncle Bernie?"
"Friday, thank goodness! You've got to come at once," said Uncle Bernie.
"Are you in the bathroom?" asked Friday.
"What?" asked Uncle Bernie.
"Your voice sound echoey, as if you're talking to me on your phone from inside a bathroom," said Friday.
"So?" asked Uncle Bernie.
"I refuse to talk to you," said Friday.  "It's unhygienic."

FINALLY!  Someone else in the world recognizes that it is absolutely disgusting for someone to be talking on the phone while they are in the bathroom!  Of course, it turns out Uncle Bernie was only hiding in the bathroom so he could talk without being overheard, but that's beside the point.  It gave validation to my annoyance any time someone calls me while they are using the facilities...

There are plenty of laughs throughout the book, and yes, I did figure out who was behind the firing of the teachers (Spratt was just a bit obvious with the clue dropping in this one), but that didn't stop me from enjoying Friday's antics and the daring rescue that was required to save her from falling off of a cliff near the end.  And have no fear, for this book not only ends with yet another cliffhanger - the author bio at the end states that Spratt is working on the sixth Friday Barnes novel - which means we are getting at least two more in this series!!!  Yay!!!!!  More Friday Barnes is a good thing.

RATING:  10 packs of cookies dipped in strawberry sauce out of 10 for giving readers more fun than they can shake a stick at, with a main character that you can't help but love!

Friday Barnes, Big Trouble

"Something sneaky is going on at Highcrest Academy, and I'm going to get to the bottom of it." (p. 236). While this statement sounds like something Nancy Drew might say when getting ready to get to the bottom of a mystery, it's actually the declaration made by twelve year old Friday Barnes in her latest mystery, Big Trouble.

Author R.A. Spratt takes readers on another fun-filled, sarcastic-spouting, mystery with her child genius, Friday Barnes. Picking up immediately after the ending of the last book, Friday finds herself face-to-face with her father, Dr. Rupert Barnes has come to Highcrest Academy in search of his daughter's help - his wife, Friday's mother - the "other" Dr. Barnes - has disappeared! Of course, in typical Barnes fashion, nothing is quite what it seems, and soon enough, Friday uncovers the truth behind her mother's disappearance (much to the chagrin of the local police department) and must return to school, with her father in tow.

From there, the mysteries just keep on coming...

Spratt is a master of spinning an over-arching story that has numerous sub-plots, yet all without confusion, but with plenty of character development and Friday's blunt, no-holds-barred attitude. The main mystery involves the continuing thefts throughout the school campus - first, it's the headmaster's watch; then, a valuable letter written by Marie Curie; and the thefts continue, with laptops, jewelry, bond certificates, and even golf clubs going missing. Friday is on the case, but she finds herself constantly being pulled into other situations - such as helping her archnemesis (a/k/a her boyfriend?) Ian Wainwright's mother locate the jewely her prison-bound husband his before he was arrested, as well as helping two other students discover the source of the mysterious cries for help that they hear every night coming from the attic.

And, lest we forget, the school has welcomed two new students into its doors - the beautiful Norwegian princess, Ingrid, and the short, dowdy brown-haired girl who shares her dorm room, Debbie. These two girls play an important part of the overall story, particularly when the Binky, the brother of Friday's best friend, Melanie Pelly, falls head over heels for Debbie (yes, that's right - he's not interested in the beautiful princess - he's much rather have the frumpy one). Can Friday and Melanie help him talk to her? And can they help the princess protect the invaluable Haakon Stone?

It's a roller coaster ride of mystery, wise-cracking, and fun that just about anyone will enjoy. Each book gets better than the last, and I'm looking forward to the next book, Friday Barnes: No Rules!

RATING:  10 rhinestone-studded dog collars out of 10 for giving us big trouble, but an even bigger and better read!

Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion

Friday Barnes and her classmates may only be 11 years old, but their actions, their dialogue, and their whole demeanor more accurately portray the older teen set of today's society - - leading me to wonder, why didn't the author simply make them older and place them in high school?  Of course, let's face reality - there aren't really any young adult mystery series any more that feature older teens.  It seems authors only want to use 10 - 14 year old to solve their mysteries.  Even Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys have suddenly been given ambiguous ages (whereas they used to be 16, then 18, and now no age is given....)

However, I can easily overlook this for the simple matter that these Friday Barnes books are ABSOLUTE FUN!

Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion picks up exactly where the first book ended - with poor Friday being arrested in front of the entire school. An 11-year old an international terrorist?  That's what the police think, thanks to a tip they received and a suspiciously hollow hockey sticks that contains some very unique beans.  Of course, in true Friday Barnes style, she quickly points out to the police that the beans are common beans used in every day cooking and that she was being set up.  Once she is proven right (of course!), she quickly discerns that her love interest/nemesis, Ian Wainscott, was behind the whole plot...

...but not before she meets a man at the police station who was accused of stealing an expensive sapphire bracelet - and not before she takes the police on a visit to the woman's house and shows them exactly how and why the man (who begrudgingly tells her his name is Malcolm) is innocent.  As a result, Friday gets the $10,000 reward for returning the bracelet to its owner.

From there, R.A. Spratt takes readers another roller coaster of fun, as Friday solves one insignificant mystery after another - from the case of the missing calculator (which reveals another mystery involving an unbeknownst twin), to the mystery of the perfect quiche (which begs the question, what happened to the dead cat?), to the mystery of the not-so-kidnapped student (who ends up in the dump), to the mystery of the holes appearing everywhere on the grounds (and into which teachers and students alike seem to fall and hurt themselves), to how someone managed to steal a map of the school from a locked room (the answer involves a wet string and some of Friday's own saliva - don't ask!).  Of course, there's an over-arching mystery that concerns an escaped convict, an unconscious groundskeeper, and a secret that dates back all the way to 1987!  (Yeah, right, like that's really so long ago.....).  And with her usual finesse - or, actually, lack thereof, Friday manages to stay right in the thick of things and solve the mystery that even the police can seem to solve (or really, even care about).

And just to give you a taste of the kind of humor Spratt sprinkles throughout this series, below is one of my favorite scenes from the book...

"What's this?" asked Mrs. Cannon, holding up a thick novel.
"Les Miserables," said Melanie.
"I can see that," said Mrs. Cannon.  "Why on earth are you putting it in here?"
"It's painfully boring, ma'am," said Melanie.
"That's true enough," agreed Mrs. Cannon. "There are good bits in there, eventually. But you have to wade through so much blather before you get to the love triangles and barricades.  You're much better off going to see the musical.  But you can't put the book in the time capsule-there's not enough space."
"What if you burned it first?" asked Melanie. "Ashes would take up less room."
"Good point," said Mrs. Cannon.  "I like your lateral thinking.  Be sure to give yourself an A for this assignment."

I admittedly laughed out loud when I read this scene (and trust me, there's more where this comes from scattered throughout the book).

Spratt leaves us with another "To Be Continued..." at the end of this book, so you've got time to run out and buy the first two books before book three hits the stores early next year.  Trust me, it doesn't matter how old you are, you'll get a kick out of these books!

RATING:  9 pinto bean-filled hockey sticks out of 10 for making me laugh and reminding me just how enjoyable reading can be at times!

Friday Barnes, Girl Detective

I wasn't really sure what to expect when I picked up this book.  Quite frankly, I picked it up because I had a coupon for Barnes & Noble, I couldn't find any other new books, and the title described the lead character as a girl detective.  The tag line on the back reads: "Meet Friday Barnes! Student. Genius. Girl Detective." And, since I happen to enjoy reading that particular genre of books, I figured I'd give it a try.

At eleven years old, Friday Barnes (and yes, she realizes her name is a day of the week) is already in the seventh grade.  She is a girl genius - not by nature, but by self-determination.  Her parents are both scientists, and all of her siblings are their pride and joy.  Friday, on the other hand - well, she was an unexpected accident.  As the author describes her, "She was fairly small and dull-looking, with light brown hair and muddy brown eyes, and she had mastered the trick of finding the exact spot in a room with the least light, so that if she stood perfectly still nobody would notice she was there."  Thus, the reader gets the idea right off the bat that Friday is an outcast, a position she likes to be in.

That all changes when she uses the reward money she receives from solving a bank robbery to pay for a year at a prestigious private school.  She thinks she can fly under the radar, while at the same time being away from her parents and siblings.  But when she arrives at the school, she finds that she quickly becomes the center of attention, as she is mistaken by all of the rich, snobby, self-absorbed students as being the "scholarship" student of the year (that one student who attends the school each year on a scholarship, which automatically makes that student the brunt of everyone's negative treatment).  She does manage to make a friend in her roommate, who is also quite unusual in her own ways.

The author provides an over-all mystery involving a swamp yeti that is terrorizing the students; but, along the way, the author has Friday solving a number of smaller crimes, such as missing homework assignments, the alleged theft of the headmaster's clock, a low grade for a supposedly late report, as well as stolen desserts.

Friday's characterization is very much like Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory.  She is a genius, so she simply speaks the truth and makes keen observations without considering courtesy or decorum.  For example:

"So tell me, since you're the smarty-pants, what is going on down at the swamp?"

"I don't know!" said Friday.  She was surprised by the question.

"Really?  I thought you had the answers to everything," said the Headmaster.

"No," admitted Friday.  "It only seems that way because I do know a lot more than the average eleven-year-old.  I know a lot more than most adults as well."

The Headmaster sighed.  "But apparently you don't know when to keep quiet."

Having finished the book, I can say without question that I really enjoyed it.  The mystery itself was rather tame and definitely aimed for younger readers; however, Friday's personality and unfiltered comments, as well as her roommate, Melanie's quirkiness, are what really make the book the most fun.  There were several laugh-out-loud moments in the book.

Something readers should be warned out - the book does end on a cliffhanger (I won't spoil it for those who do want to read the book), so for those who read this on and enjoy it, you will be sucked into buying the next one so you can find out what happens.

The next book, Friday Barnes Under Suspicion, is scheduled to hit the shelves in August, so we'll see if R.A. Spratt can continue the fun into the second book.

RATING:  8 green felt pork-pie hats out of 10 for squeaky clean mysteries and fun that are safe for any reader.