Adam
Canfield is the co-editor of the Harris Elementary/ Middle School paper The
Slash. He is overworked and needs to prioritize. His co-editor is his
friend Jennifer who is everything he is not: organized, thoughtful, punctual,
and a good listener. During The Slash’s first meeting, Adam is
introduced to the paper’s eager new cub reporter Phoebe. Phoebe, a
third-grader, is a bit too eager and Adam has a major clash with her. What Adam
does not know is that Phoebe’s feature on the janitor is going to lead them all
on the trail of a story that will rock the town of Tremble to its foundation.

The
characters in this story are very likeable, if not a bit unbelievable. It is
hard for the reader to buy into a third-grade investigative reporter that is
smart enough to put together the clues to several stories that expose the city’s
leaders as possible frauds. The same goes for Jennifer and Adam. In a book
featuring older high school kids, this may work better. The author is able to
get away with this by creating a wonderful mystery that includes several side
plots. He is able to keep the details of the mystery under wraps, only
revealing small pieces as the story unfolds. He has created a wonderfully evil
villain in Miss Marris, principle of Harris that will make anyone reading glad
they never went to her school.

© 2006 Amy Ridley

Amy Ridley
received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Boston University.

Categories: Children