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This month The Edge of the Forest reviews humorous Middle-grade
novels with male protagonists. The heroes of Half Moon Investigations and Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
use their special talents to make their way in the world and to find a spot that fits.
Half Moon Investigations
by Eoin Colfer
Reviewed by Jen Robinson, Jen Robinson's Book Page
Half Moon Investigations is the first book in what I hope is a new series by Eoin Colfer, of Artemis Fowl
fame. In Half Moon Investigations, Colfer leaves the world of fairies and Fowls behind, and focuses on a young
private investigator named Fletcher Moon.
12-year-old Fletcher has been interested in detective work since he was a small child (there's a funny story about
him solving his first case at three years old). He took a private investigator class by correspondence course (using his
father's birth certificate), and has a badge indicating that he's a licensed PI in the United States. Fletcher is a true
PI, who takes on cases from his classmates, and sometimes even gets paid in Euros (though more often in chocolate).
Fletcher, called Half Moon by the kids because of his small size, lives and breathes investigation. It's how he
distinguishes himself—a kid who isn't big, and isn't popular or good at sports. In this installment, the wealthy,
confident, pink-adorned April Devereux hires Fletcher to find a missing lock of pop-star hair, apparently stolen by town
bad-boy Red Sharkey. To solve the case, Half Moon must investigate the dangerous Sharkey family. Papa Sharkey is a known
thief, and Red's older sister and younger brother are both juvenile delinquents in training. Red is more complex, with an
alluring mix of danger and coolness (think Chris Chambers in Stand by Me). And Red does not want to investigated by Fletcher
Moon. Before long, Fletcher is threatened, and then assaulted so badly that he ends up in the hospital. While still
recovering from his injuries, he is framed for arson, and must go on the run with an unlikely ally to clear his name.
This book contains the elements of an adult PI mystery, set in the world that kids live in (bikes and backyards and school
and talent shows). There's a beautiful girl who may be guilty, a bit of breaking and entering by the good guys to look for
evidence, the use of electronic surveillance equipment, and the adept use of text messaging to foil a setup. Occasionally
the book does bog down a bit. I was disappointed by a scene in which Fletcher and his associate visit the home of an adult
private investigator, and obtain critical information from her for solving the case. They still ultimately solve the case on
their own, but this seemed like a bit of a cheat to me.
Half Moon Investigations does also touch on a couple of larger issues. Fletcher wrestles with whether or not it's
worthwhile to do the right thing when you know that someone you care about will be hurt by your actions. He also learns a bit about how difficult it can be to transcend the limitations
of one's own family and upbringing, and about how quick most people are to stereotype. These issues are handled with a
light-hearted touch, and with Colfer's trademark humor.
What I like most about this book is that Fletcher is a real private investigator, not just a kid who stumbles upon strange
situations. He has confidential sources, and an informant from the police department. He carries around a little notebook
for documenting his findings. His internal monologue is in a noir, PI sort of voice that, at least in the audio version,
works well. The gritty PI-speak, crossed with kid-speak, is actually quite funny. For example, "the crowd was so quiet, you
could have heard a potato chip crunch." There's also a scene in a pool hall in which an informant is bribed by having jaw
breakers rolled across the table and out of sight into his pockets.
There are actually remarkably few true PI series written for kids. Most of the children's mystery series are of the amateur
stumbling into a mysterious situation variety. Nancy Drew. The Boxcar Children. Trixie Belden.
The Famous Five. Ingrid from Echo Falls. None of them set up offices and say, "I'm an investigator, bring
me your cases." Instead, they go on vacations, and notice mysterious people on trains, or in the cottage next door, or
whatever. Of course there are a few kid detective agencies out there. The Encyclopedia Brown books come
immediately to mind. And there's Janie Stanley in Janie's Private Eyes, by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. I'm sure that
there are others. My point is that there are far more amateur detectives running around in the kid lit world than there are
formal detective agencies. For this reason, I hope that Eoin Colfer writes more books in the Half Moon Investigations
series. I think that they make a contribution. And they're a lot of fun, too. Kids who enjoy mysteries, especially humorous
mysteries, should find Half Moon Investigations an engaging read.
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time
by Lisa Yee
Reviewed by Kelly Herold, Big A little a
Stanford Wong's world turns upside-down in the summer between sixth and seventh grades. First, he's been named to the A-Team
in basketball and is the only seventh grader chosen for this honor. But, there's a hitch. As he failed English, he'll have
to pass summer school to be allowed to play in the fall.
Life at home is not without challenges either. Stanford's parents are fighting, his grandmother is being relocated to a
Home, and there's tension amongst his group of basketball-playing friends, the Roadrunners. To cap it all off, Millicent Min,
girl genius and all-around nerd, has been hired to tutor him in English.
Stanford tells a number of lies to protect his reputation over the summer. He tells the Roadrunners, for example, he's
working at his dad's office, rather than admit he's taking summer school because he flunked English. Wowed by Millicent's
friend, Emily, Stanford tells Emily that he's actually tutoring Millicent. And, Millicent goes along with it because she
doesn't want her new friend to know she's a genius and actually in high school instead of seventh grade.
Over the course of the novel, the truth has to come out and Stanford learns who he is in the process. In telling his own
truths he inspires those around him, especially his father, to do the same. The ending is a bit of
a tear-jerker, but in a happy-ending kind of way. Stanford is a great character, fully realistic, but sweet.
Half Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer. Miramax Books, 2006. ISBN: 0-7868-4957-6.
Stanford Wong Flunks Big-Time, by Lisa Yee. Arthur A. Levine Books, 2005. ISBN: 0-4396-2247-6.
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