Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of the Missing Goop

Gr 3–6—Another mystery is unfolding in Room 11 at Crumpler Elementary School, and it looks like Smashie McPerter and her best friend Dontel are back to doing what they do best, investigating. Smashie is still as vivacious and dramatic as when readers last saw her, Dontel is still his incredibly patient and mature self, and the level of mystery has finally reached a fine balance between believable and exciting. The students are working on a talent show, and one of the keys to the show keeps going missing each time it is replaced. This leads to many suspects, some plausible and some far-fetched. The story is paced well, and the plot is strong enough to intrigue a variety of readers. Unfortunately, the dialogue and the vocabulary feel more appropriate to adults than to a pair of third graders. That quibble aside, the series offers positive lessons and activities that teachers and librarians can incorporate in the classroom.