The Quick Fix

Gr 6–8—Seventh-grader Matt Stevens is in demand as a private eye. Melissa Scott, a respected cheerleader, hires him to find out why her basketball-star boyfriend is behaving strangely. It is up to Matt to follow the clues while avoiding the dangers that lurk at his middle school, including a team of bullies led by Vincent Biggio, aka Vinny Biggs, and Kevin, Matt's former friend. The bad guys wait in the corners with water guns to supply an embarrassing stream of water to unsuspecting students and thus putting them in "the Outs," the lowest group on the social ladder. With humor and wit, this intrepid, tough-talking, wise-cracking detective works toward unraveling two mysteries, one about a wooden ornament that everyone wants to get their hands on and the other about his dad, who disappeared more than six years ago. The quick-moving plot and interesting characters give this detective story plenty of reluctant-reader appeal. Although a sequel to The Big Splash (Abrams, 2008), there are enough clues from the previous book to allow for stand-alone reading.—Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD