Middle-Grade Review: The Graveyard Riddle

In mid-March , my choice for a recent novel fell on Lisa Thompson's grave, The Mystery of Goldfish 's Boyfriend (main character, Matthew). At this point, her focus is on Matthew's neighbor and friend, Melody, as she solves her family's matters and explores a secret in the cemetery near their home.

One day, while walking in a nearby cemetery with Dachshud, Frankie finds that Melody is completely hidden in the corner. Filled with grapes and herbs, he grew old and realized that Melody was the "house of insects", the remainder of the last century. Surprisingly, she found someone inside, a boy her age who lived there. Hal told Melody that he was a spy who visited the cemetery regularly and used the old house as a job. The man shared the hacked secret code with Melody. After a few visits, Melody began to believe and trust Hal and agreed to help him. Together they solve the puzzle. Meanwhile, Matthew does better than the first book, as he is currently undergoing OCD treatment. She still has a lot of problems, but now she can leave the house and go to school. But with her newfound freedom comes a new friend, a boy named Jack, who lives down the street, and Melody feels abandoned when the two boys spend so much time together. However, Melody and Matthew discover that Jack has been abused by an adult in his life. Then her mother threw a life-changing bomb on Melody. In the midst of it all, Melody Hall continues to help her solve the problem, and Matthew and Jack's suspicions begin to overshadow her.

Thompson has created another quirky secondary secret on this convivial road to England, with plenty of real-life issues thrown at each of his favorite characters. Like the first book, it's packed with a mix of neighbors and friends, but with a whole new focus on melodies and more mystery. Hints and tensions escalate, and the urgency of Jack and Melody's various crises leads to a satisfying outcome. The audiobook Rosie Jones read was really good and caught my eye (example below). The novel is fun and unique, and I enjoyed joining these kids on another adventure.

304 pages, scholastic

Scientific sound

This book addresses the next reading challenges for 2022 .

Magic soup test - G

Diversity test

Challenge the world through books -

Publication I received this book from the publisher for honest review. My review is my own opinion and will not be affected by my relationship with the publisher or author.

 

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Listen to the sample audiobook here and/or download it if you heard it. The example is good, as Melody and Hall met for the first time.

 

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Or you can order a tombstone puzzle from Bookstore , free international shipping.

Fiction Review: The Violin Conspiracy

I'm reading books for next Booktopia weekend (my CV is for 2019 at the link; information about Booktopia 2022 here: click and browse to the event), and they're as wonderful as ever. Northshire Bookstore bookstores always select exceptional books and authors. Reading my latest biography Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocombo has probably been my favorite in the pile so far! It starts as a mystery, but turns into so much more: family drama, history, racism, romance, and more. It was so addictive that I could barely get up!

Ray Macmillan is a rising star in the classical violin world, but for one simple reason he is often not recognized: he is black. But Ray fought his entire life against racism and ultimately proved his worth; He sings alone with the best orchestra and will compete in the Shaikovsky Competition, the Classical Music Olympics. When he left New York one day for his home in North Carolina, his world collapsed. His favorite violin, a $ 10 million Stradivarius, was stolen. This violin is not only a big part of what helped him to guess others, but also a great personal value to him, given to him by his beloved grandmother. That violin is like its own members and its absence is incredibly painful. Given his costs, an entire team is investigating his disappearance: the New York City police, the FBI criminal department and the chief investigator of his insurance company (who lost $ 10 million). As the investigation continues with some good consequences, the story goes back in time to show how Ray came to this extraordinary life. We learn about his very needy family, his loving grandmother, the history of his family, and the wonderful story of a violin dating back to the days of slavery. Along the way, we also saw Ray rise to fame, from a poor kid to amazing international fame with a cheap violin from school to where he is now the best violinist. Oh yes, and we finally find out what happened to the missing violin, but not before the big surprises.

This is an unusual novel that has so much depth and so many layers. This is a twisted mystery, especially at the beginning and end. Of these, however, the main story fascinates me with its fascinating family history, the views's horrific racist experience (based on the author's experience as a black musician), his rich reputation and even his love story. With all this, the author retains the unwavering excitement that kept me behind the book because I had to stay up late every night because I just had to figure out what was going to happen next. This novel itself mixes complexity and emotion in quality acting that made me guess and make me look amazing. Can't wait to meet the author next week at Booktopia!

337 pages, Anchor Book

This book meets the following 2022 reading goals :

Soup Alphabet Challenge - B

diversity issues

Book World Travel - Russia

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Visit my YouTube channel to have more fun with the book !

 

Listen to a sample audiobook here and / or download it from Audible. The narrator, JD Jackson, sounds great!

 

You can buy the book through Bookshop.org , where your purchase will support your favorite independent bookstore (or all independent bookstores) - the convenience of shopping online while shopping in the area!

 

Or you can order The Violin Conspiracy at the bookstore , including free worldwide shipping.