The Case of the Frozen Hearts

Gr 3—6—This first book in the series is uneven and ultimately unsatisfying. Told through the perspective of a Snicket-esque third-person narrator, it begins the story of Wilma Tenderfoot, orphan and aspiring detective. When she's hired as a servant for bitter Mrs. Waldock, she gets the chance to fulfill her dreams: legendary detective Theodore P. Goodman lives next door. While he attempts to solve a mystery involving a stolen jewel and victims found with frozen hearts, Wilma willfully inserts herself into the case, sometimes finding clues and sometimes just getting into trouble. For much of the book, even young readers may sympathize with Goodman over Wilma. She is a bit plucky, too precocious, and her appearances can be a grating. The mystery itself is interesting and develops well as Goodman, and, in a parallel plot line, villainous Barbu D'Anvers, follow well-placed clues to discover the culprit. However, the resolution is weak, and the frozen hearts have little to do with the culprit or plot.—Heather Talty, formerly at Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City