Chase Against Time

Gr 3–6—Chase Manning is hoping to make the Sixth Grade Honors Orchestra next year and tryouts are today. The only problem is that there might not be an Honors Orchestra if the school can't raise enough money by auctioning off an expensive cello at the annual fundraising dinner. When the instrument goes missing, the principal turns to Chase to find the guilty party. Who would want to sabotage the music program? The fact that the story takes place in the course of one day gives a sense of urgency to each chapter as Chase follows the clues to the culprit. The characters and situations are not wholly believable, and the supporting characters lack depth, but kids who have graduated from Scooby-Doo will like Chase's perseverance. A fun mystery with a likable main character and a lot of red herrings.—Terry Ann Lawler, Phoenix Public Library, AZ