  | Full Text Reviews: Bulletin for the Center... - 11/01/2004 Newly independent reader Jeffrey Bones is a self-styled detective: while at the mall with his grandfather, Jeffrey collects clues from store signs and from his school bus driver, Mr. Green, and helps find a mislaid bus. In the process, Jeffrey meets a friendly dog with curly hair and a curly tail in a pet-store window, and while Jeffrey is saddened when his parents say he's too young to have a pet, he's thrilled that Grandpa takes Detective Dog Curly home with him. Illustrations packed with shine and motion bring Jeffrey's mall mystery to life, the characters caught with bright eyes and mobile expressions as they work through the clues to the solution. Emergent readers will feel secure with the simplicity of the text and the mystery, both of which are gauged for an audience just beginning to learn the fine points of decoding. Main character Jeffrey is clever in a way that other kids his age will appreciate—it is entirely believable that neither Grandpa nor Mr. Green thinks of backtracking through the suits and shoes to find Mr. Green's original entrance and therefore the parked bus, but the hints given in dialogue and illustration are sufficient to lead Bones and the reader to the correct conclusion. Warm relationships between Jeffrey, Grandpa, and Detective Dog Curly meld with the punchline clout of a last-page pun to make the story satisfying on multiple levels, a quality that will win this new series many friends among easy reader enthusiasts. - Copyright 2004 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. School Library Journal - 10/01/2004 Gr 1-3-Jeffrey Bones is at the mall with his grandfather when his school bus driver asks for help. Mr. Green has lost his bus and will be in big trouble unless it can be found. By gathering clues and asking the right questions, the young sleuth is able to find the missing vehicle. Beginning readers will enjoy the mystery and the silly puns that Grandpa makes about his grandson's name. While there are not enough clues for children to solve the mystery on their own, they will be satisfied by the boy's quick answer to the puzzle (especially since it makes him look clever and the adult look a little foolish). The bright cartoons show a freckle-faced, round-cheeked youngster with a crop of brown hair. This first book in a new series for beginning readers is sure to be as popular as Cam Jansen is with the chapter-book crowd.-Lynda S. Poling, Long Beach Public Library, CA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Copyright 2004 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Booklist - 10/15/2004 In this debut title in a proposed series, Adler adds a new character to his lineup of elementary-school detectives. Young sleuth Jeffrey Bones is at the mall with his grandfather when he encounters the driver of his school bus, who has misplaced his vehicle. Detective Bones immediately begins sorting out the clues and quickly solves the mystery. In the meantime, his grandfather has a surprise of his own; he has adopted a dog that Bones had fallen for earlier in the day. Adler writes an appealing, breezy, sometimes slapstick story in short, accessible sentences and with plenty of lively dialogue to help guide beginning readers. Newman's expressive acrylics reinforce the meaning in the words while extending the sense of silliness in scenes of Bones and a crowd of friendly characters, all clad in garish, cheerfully patterned outfits. A solid offering in the Viking Easy-To-Read series. - Copyright 2004 Booklist. Loading...
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