Review of ‘Friday Barnes: Girl Detective’

One of my regular young reviewers is the gorgeous Jazzy, of ‘Jazzy’s Bookshelf’. You can read Jazzy’s complete bio here, see her blog homepage here and ‘like’ her Facebook page, managed by her mum, here. Today Jazzy is reviewing ‘Friday Barnes: Girl Detective’ by R.A. Spratt, in her usual bloggy review style: The Gist; The Judgment; Bookbbolt Rating. You can see all Jazzy’s other reviews for Children’s Books Daily by searching her name in the search box above.

“Vegetables do not, in and of themselves, prevent disease,” said Friday. “They provide vitamins that act as co-factors in enzyme reactions, carbohydrates for energy and fibre that assists ease of bowel function.”

Friday Barnes sure is one clever cookie. But there is more to her than just brains. Open the pages and open the door to Friday’s world of mystery…

THE GIST

When Friday Barnes, a seemingly ordinary 11 year-old girl, uncovers the culprit behind a bank robbery she earns $50,000. Friday spends her reward on going to Highcrest Boarding School, the best and most expensive boarding school in the country. Soon Friday learns that there are yeti running around the wild and untamed school swamp and she feels the urge to get to the bottom of it. Friday and her best friend Melanie also solve many other smaller mysteries along the way, like missing homework and even stolen dinner.

THE JUDGEMENT

I like that Friday Barnes is an unusual heroine. She’s petite, smart and peculiar. I find it quite boring to have a heroine that’s absolutely perfect like a robot; it is much more interesting to have an ordinary girl with an ordinary life.

Friday’s sidekick Melanie helps Friday solve mysteries. She actually is the key to the mystery, but I’m not saying how. The Headmaster at the Highcrest absolutely hated Friday from the moment he met her because she is eccentric and solved a mystery better than he could have.

The whole plot of this slowly moving novel fits together like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle. Without giving too much away, the people you least expect happen to be the villains, like in many good stories.

Friday uses some, ‘big’ words such as, ‘devolutionary’, ‘significant’, ‘perpetrate’, ‘inherent’ and, ‘janitorial’. It also contains suspense and some romance, so I think that Friday Barnes: Girl Detective best suits children aged eight and over

I give Friday Barnes: Girl Detective four bookbolts out of five because it is a great read with fantastic descriptions.

Publisher: Random House Australia

ISBN: 978-1-74275-962-3