The Story Pirates Present

December 15, 2018
Grades 5-8 Part story, part manual for young writers, this Story Pirates mash-up features a mystery developed by a professional writer from a contest-winning idea submitted by an eight-year-old, linked section by section to an extensive gathering of prompts and advice on crafting a whodunit. A dedicated ghost hunter, Eliza is thrilled when her botanist mom is hired by an exotic plants business run out of a spooky old Brooklyn mansion. When a series of creepy incidents signal some eerie game's afoot, Eliza's sleuthing instincts come into play. The MacGuffin (not a term used here: the authors generally steer clear of genre cant) turns out to be not a ghost but a previously unknown, fantastically valuable stolen plant?with a shape-changing guardian who wants it back. The caper is charged with chills, thrills, and even funny twists; the technical advice (with its oft-repeated you have PERMISSION TO GET WEIRD! ) is spot-on, and the original idea (for which the young author was awarded a flat fee?welcome to freelancing!) is included at the end. Finished illustrations not seen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

Starred review from November 15, 2018
Arrr you ready to read (and possibly write) a spooky mystery?Following series opener Stuck in the Stone Age (2018), performers and writing teachers the Story Pirates issue their second novel and writing-manual mashup; this time, it's a ghostly mystery. Thirteen-year-old Eliza Stahl and her botanist mother plan to spend a couple of summer months helping rare-plant dealers Winston and Camilla Carroll identify exotic plants at their shop in New York City. Eliza's reluctant until she sees the shop; she wants to be a paranormal investigator, and she's sure Carrolls' Gardens is haunted. Strange noises in the attic, a shadowy figure, and the odd behavior of the Carrolls and their teenage nephew, Tommy, prompt Eliza to suspect ghosts and even possession. When a rare plant goes missing, Eliza's mother joins the investigation...but things are about to get weird! Eliza and her mom present white, while the Carrolls are people of color. As with the first in the Story Pirates Present series, this shivery mystery was inspired by a story idea from a real kid: here, Phoebe Wolinetz. Periodically throughout the tale, Rolo (captain of the Story Pirates) and Wolinetz pop up in an illustration to direct readers interested in the crafting of the mystery to the Mystery Construction Zone, 90 pages of detailed writing instruction, at the back. It's a fantastic, step-by-step guide with prompts, ideas, definitions, and forms for aspiring Edgar winners.West's tale, decorated with Aly's eerie, cartoon art, is well worth reading on its own--the writing manual takes it to a whole other level. (Paranormal mystery/nonfiction hybrid. 8-14)

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