\ Young readers book *The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin* by Michael D. Beil - Curled Up With A Good Kid's Book
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*The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin* by Michael D. Beil- young readers fantasy book review
 
Also by Michael D. Beil:

The Red Blazer Girls: The Secret Cellar

Summer at Forsaken Lake
The Red Blazer Girls: The Vanishing Violin
by Michael D. Beil
Grades 5-8 336 pages Knopf August 2010 Hardcover    

Shortly after solving their first big mystery, The Ring of Rocamadour, the Red Blazer Girls (Sophie, Leigh Ann, Rebecca and Margaret) join together again, this time working together to solve three different mysteries woven together by the circumstances of pre-teen life at their all-girl Catholic school.

First, Sister Bernadette asks the girls to solve a school mystery: in the middle of the night, someone is performing random improvement projects around the school. Next, Margaret receives a mysterious letter with clues to a violin stolen many years ago.

Finally, the girls are determined to find out who stole a violin from their good friend, the violinmaker Mr. Chernofsky. The clues take center stage again, this time focusing on logic problems and cryptic messages.

Here’s our chance to really get to know the Red Blazer girls as we see them interact in their daily tween lives. The social lives of the girls surrounds much of their investigations as the girls form a band and even get the opportunity to play at the local coffee shop. Rebecca struggles with her father and brother’s impending moves, Margaret joins a string quartet and meets a handsome, young musician, and Sophie continues her light, fun romance with Raf.

Meanwhile, the girls also deal with their school assignments and a mean girl clique. Old friends from the first book become involved. In the end, the two mysteries surrounding the violins come together, and the reader is invited to figure out the clues along with the girls.

With plenty of friendship, humor and lots of popular culture jargon, this new mystery is sure to attract readers of the first in the series, although this one stands on its own as well. Michael Beil’s development of the girls’ personalities will have readers identifying with one or more of the characters - especially Sophie, who narrates the story.

All the adventure takes place in New York City, in the interesting settings of the old Catholic school with its mysterious basement, the local coffee shop and violin repair store.

Recommended for girls who love mysteries, music, logic problems, or who just want a good tween novel to pass the time.
 
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  Kristine Wildner/2010 for curled up with a good kid's book  






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