The Book Bandit by Caron Pescatore is an early middle-grade mystery story featuring some familiar characters from the Kids' Court Whodunit series: Phoebe Chen and Luana Porcello. This book actually takes place when the girls were in 3rd grade, a couple of years before the Court series.

When Becky, another friend from Phoebe and Luana's soccer team, announces that a favorite autographed book has disappeared, the girls are on the case to discover the culprit. They track down and question a number of suspects, all of whom have a possible motive and the opportunity to steal the book. Will the girls be able to recover their friend's beloved book? These young detectives are determined to find the answer!

This was a very pleasant, quick read, written at a level that will be very appealing to kids in about 2nd-4th grade. The dialogues are natural and the girls' process is methodical and thoughtful. I was surprised to discover the solution to the mystery at the end! Once again, Caron Pescatore has created a story full of fun, relatable characters, that will have readers engaged until the final page. Keep the Phoebe Chen stories coming! 

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