In this book, Sophie turns from foolish and stupid to clever. This is because she is the one who solves the riddle of: who doesn't belong in the list? It was a list of characters from the books of Charles Dickens. It turns out that the character which doesn't belong is a girl while the others are boys. Here is a quote that proves her smart wits: "It's Esther Summerson!, said Sophie.'She's the only female! Jeez, I've come a long way. Sorry Margaret, I think I stole your place of being the smart one." This quote proves that she is now thinking logically and intelligently because she was able to solve the puzzle. Sophie actually figured it out before Margaret, the most intelligent of the four friends, did. This book was an amazing book. I really liked how some parts of the book were puzzles that I could attempt to solve. After all, it is a mystery book! Sophie and her friends become involved in a mystery involving the rather eccentric Ms Harriman, who lives next door to the parish church. Ms Harriman's father was a famous archaelogist who wrote a series of mysterious clues for his grandaughter, who is estranged from her mother Ms Harriman. So Sophie and friends set out to solve the clues.The good bits - this is a fun to read mystery/school story. The girls are aged 12, and there's sub plots involving crushes on boys, family problems and school projects. The mystery is a series of clues that must be solved, and there's a few assumptions that are challenged, so it's nto too predictable.The not so good bits - are New York 12 year olds really this sophisticated? Do they catch subways/hail taxis/drink in coffee shops wtihout a care? Do 12 year olds in New York really read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? Or Great Expectations? Do they really solve geometry puzzles of this nature (one of the clues)? My daughter is 11 years old, and leads a very less sophisticated life. I'm not sure she would understand some of the references the girls drop nonchalantly to Miss Haversham, or tv series such as Seinfield.Other reviewers have criticised the language the girls use, but Hell and Damn don't even rate a mention compared to what I hear teenagers use on my bus :( While I enjoyed the books, I'm curious what their intended audience will make of them. They sit in the children's fiction section of the library I work in, and I think that's appropriate - the most steamy it gets is a kiss, although there was mention of Sophie's parents discussing their "first times". It's more the level of sophistication of the girls knowledge that I wonder about. The author is a teacher so it must be that he comes into contact with girls leading such urban sophisticate lives!Ps gave it to my 11 year old. She enjoyed it, although she said she skipped over the maths. The literary allusions went over her head, but she asked for the 2nd book in the series:)
What do You think about The Ring Of Rocamadour (2009)?
Girls Fifth grade and up will love this. Very creative. Strong girls role models.
—Alex1231
enjoyable read about catholic girl school students solving a mystery.
—dddddd
it's so fun to read specially for the one who wants PUZZLES!
—Becky
