The Camp Phoenix Caper

Gr 4–6—Twelve-year-old Charlie Collier and his trusty sidekick, Henry, have now taken on another partner, Scarlet, in their detective agency, and they are hired to find a friend's older brother, an outspoken nature lover and activist. At the same time, teens are suspected of committing a series of robberies in town. At a press conference, the mayor introduces Colonel Harvard Culpepper, who has a plan to rehabilitate the perpetrators-boot camp instead of incarceration. But there is more to him than meets the eye, and Charlie is determined to get to the bottom of the colonel's motives. Charlie still has a deep-rooted love of 1930s fictional private investigator Sam Solomon, which lends this contemporary story an old-fashioned feel. Scarlett and Henry have an antagonistic relationship, which will ring true with many readers. And Charlie's amusing Grandma is in full force again with her zany costumes, jokes, and mannerisms. This is a solid mystery, and the characters are reasonably well fleshed out. Hand this book to those who enjoyed Wendelin Van Draanen's "Sammy Keyes" series (Knopf) or Kevin Sylvester's "Neil Flambé Capers" (S & S).—Julie Shatterly, W.A. Bess Elementary School, Gastonia, NC