Ninja Detective is just that–classic Nancy Drew sleuthing by a young lady with a black belt and bone fide martial arts skills. The martial arts action is really a bonus because it is the detective work that takes the spotlight in the story. Clue gathering, stakeouts, foot casting, and red herrings–all the elements of a good mystery are present, with an appendix full of instructions for middle grade students interested in acquiring their own detective skills. Randi is a heroine with plenty of spunk and she teams up with a couple of new friends, D.C. and Pudge, to solve this mystery. Just the right amount of suspense for young readers and a resolution that fits that demographic, this novel is the first in a series about Randi and her friends. New true blue mysteries seem harder to come by these days, so mystery fans will be pleased with The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit.
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Report of an injury; report of a death in the past from cancer; report of death in the past-presumed accident; verbal threats; skeleton found, non-detailed; character has minor bike crash resulting in scrape, mention of blood; fight using martial art skills to incapacitate characters and render them unconscious; character kicks another.
Sex/Nudity: None
Mature Subject Matter:
Death of a parent, cancer, economic distress/financial hardship.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
None
