Who Stole New Year's Eve?: A Chickadee Court Mystery

Who Stole New Year's Eve?: A Chickadee Court Mystery

About the AuthorMartha Freeman has written fiction for children of all ages. The Horn Book praised her rich details and well-drawn characters in her most recent novel The Orphan and the Mouse, declaring it "a satisfying package of happy homecomings, evil exposed, and the virtues of loyalty, bravery, and literacy rewarded." She lives in Philadelphia.Between Christmas and New Year's Eve, College Springs has a winter carnival, complete with ice sculptures; however, this year someone has stolen all thirty-seven of them, including one on Chickadee Court. Unfortunately, the twelve-year-old sleuths, Yasmeen and Alex, are having friendship issues--Yasmeen thinks that she's being replaced by a new girl who has come to Chickadee Court. Then, the whole gang comes together to solve the frosty mystery. Believe it or not, the clues lead to a fracking operation and the laboratory of a professor who is racing to invent a new alternative fuel before his competitors do.A companion to Who Stole Halloween? and Who Is Stealing the 12 Days of Christmas?From School Library JournalGr 4-6-Alex and Yasmeen are back. New Year's Day is around the corner, and so is the Ice Carnival. As the College Springs festival grows closer, however, someone steals all of the ice sculptures intended for the event. Around the same time, a new girl, Eva, moves into town and drives a wedge between Alex and his friend, Yasmeen. As an amateur detective and son of one of the town's police investigators, Alex feels obligated to solve the mystery, but can he do so without Yasmeen? Eve and another girl, Sophie, try to help him, but it isn't quite the same. The characters are a little underdeveloped, but the fast-paced plot will engage children. Reluctant readers will be drawn in by the humor and interesting clues that unfold. Fans of the series, and kids who like mysteries, friendship stories, and realistic fiction will enjoy this book.-Kira Moody, Whitmore Public Library, Salt Lake City, UTFrom BooklistThe student detectives from Chickadee Court are back, with a fresh mystery to solve. A new girl, Eve, moves into the neighborhood with her family and causes a rift between Alex and Yasmeen by laughing at Yasmeen