Samantha Sanderson: At the Movies

Gr 5–7—Seventh-grader Samantha Sanderson dreams of becoming an award-winning journalist just like her mom. She hopes that being a reporter for the middle school newspaper will lead to bigger and brighter things down the road. In At the Movies, Sam catches a big break when she and her computer whiz friend, Makayla, unwittingly discover a bomb set to go off at the local movie theater the next day during the showing of a controversial Christian film. Sam's dad, a police detective, is assigned to the case, and Sam is certain that he'll feed her insider information to help her write her article and blog posts. Sam's articles make a splash, but not necessarily in the way she wants. The second book, On the Scene, finds Sam and Makayla investigating a case of bullying that involves mysterious notes and packages. This Christian fiction mystery series aimed at tweens delivers a mostly realistic main character, with a supportive family, and a strong faith in God. The scenes at Sam and Makayla's church are thoughtful, and could invite some good discussion, yet manage to avoid being preachy. Sam's faith is part of her life, but at no time does it overshadow other aspects of her personality. Despite the fact that Sam's middle school sometimes seems more like a high school, the trials of the middle school years are well captured. Recommend for libraries where Christian fiction is in demand.—Heather Webb, Worthington Libraries, OH