Saturday, August 4, 2012

The Mount Rushmore Face that Couldn't See by Steve Brezenoff

Cat and her friends Egg, Gum, and Sam are on a field trip to see Mount Rushmore. It was a long, hot trip to get there, but once they see the presidential faces carved into the side of the mountain, it makes the journey all worthwhile. But then things start going wrong. Their tour guide is tied up - literally tied up - in his cabin, people start shouting about a ghost, and spooky stuff starts happening at night. Cat might only be in the sixth grade, but it's up to her to solve this mystery...before things get even worse!

This book, part of the Field Trip Mysteries series, combines a gentle mystery with lots of facts about Mount Rushmore. When I first saw a thumbnail of the cover, there was something about the girl's clothing (her longer skirt and hairstyle) as well as the lack of cars, buildings, or anything around that made me think that this book took place in a long ago time. It doesn't, though; it's firmly set in the modern day. The book includes a bit of very balanced information about why there might be controversy over Mount Rushmore; all of the information is at a very appropriate age level for the target audience. Cat and her friends are intrepid sleuths in the way that fictional children sometimes are (see everyone from Encyclopedia Brown to Theodore Boone to the Babysitters Club) and they don't really do anything that's too outlandish. Some parts of the mystery reminded me of elements of Murder, She Wrote episodes, but being the major MSW fan that I am, I mean that in the best way possible. A solid pick for school classrooms, school libraries, and public libraries to consider for their collections.

See more information about Steve Brezenoff at his website

I received a review copy from NetGalley courtesy of Capstone.

Find it at IndieBound. 

Read it with:
The Ghost Who Haunted the Capitol by Steve Brezenoff
The Crook Who Crossed the Golden Gate Bridge by Steve Brezenoff
On the Bus, On the Case by Steve Brezenoff

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