REVIEWS+

Diamonds & Danger

A Mystery at Sea
by Elizabeth Levy
148p. 978-1-59643-462-2.
COPY ISBN
Gr 3—5—This story is predictable and pedestrian. Down-to-earth Philippa and mysterious, patrician Philip, both 11, live on a cruise ship, the S. S. Excalibur. Philip's father is the new captain and Philippa's parents are social directors. When an overbearing passenger and her two obnoxious nephews develop an immediate and unnatural interest in Philip and his dog, Philippa is determined to figure out what is going on. After some sleuthing, it is discovered that the woman is after a diamond she believes to be hidden in the dog's collar. As Levy develops the mystery, she layers Philip's character with a preponderance of backstory. Gerstein's competent line illustrations do little to enhance the story. Stock characters populate the book and a stock plot drives it.—Lisa Egly Lehmuller, St. Patrick's Catholic School, Charlotte, NC
Philippa Bath knows every nook and cranny of the cruise ship S.S. Excalibur--because she lives aboard it. On this story's voyage, Philippa has to contend with a new ship's captain, his son, and a snooty duchess--and nothing is what it seems. Gerstein's textured black-and-white illustrations add humor and expression to Levy's accessible mystery.
Reviewed by Lisa Egly Lehmuller , Nov 01, 2010

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