It's 1920s Chicago — the guns-and-gangster era of Al Capone — and it's unusual for a girl to be selling the Tribune on the street corner. But ten-year-old Isabel Feeney is unusual... unusually obsessed with being a news reporter.
She can't believe her luck when she stumbles not only into a real-live murder scene, but also into her hero, the famous journalist Maude Collier. The story of how the smart, curious, loyal Isabel fights to defend the honor of her accused friend and latches on to the murder case like a dog on a pant leg makes for a winning, thoroughly entertaining middle grade mystery.
"Fantaskey keeps the chapters short and snappy, with each one ending on a mini-cliff-hanger, enticing kids to read on. There are guns and gangsters, future movie stars, glamour, sibling rivalries, bullet proof cars, polio, several possible suspects, and a host of eclectic personalities. Isabel is fearless but expresses her vulnerability in her desire to have friends. The author's historical note explains the inspiration for the novel: five real-life female reporters who wrote for the Chicago Tribune in the 1920s. A not-to-be-missed novel for middle graders looking for a satisfying mystery with a daring female heroine." — Helen Foster James, School Library Journal
Recommended Age | 9 - 12 |
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Author | Beth Fantaskey |
ISBN | 0544936965 |
Publication Date | Mar 1, 2016 |
Publisher | HMH Books for Young Readers |
Language | English |