Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 04/01/2014 Gr 4–6—Edmund Xavier Lonnrot has a photographic memory and amazing art abilities, but in lots of ways he is just an ordinary sixth grader—growing tongue-tied and sweaty-palmed around a crush, playing video games with his best friend, and trying to convince his parents to give him more independence. His remarkable skills come to the attention of the local police, after he witnesses a man fleeing an altercation. Eddie can draw the suspect from memory and he is hired to help with a complicated art-theft case. Now known as "Eddie Red"—the codename he is given—he is eager to help, hoping to earn money to keep attending the school he loves in the wake of his father's recent layoff. Although he assists the police, his realistic sixth-graderness leads to some problems: using an officer's taser just like in the movies, getting really bored during stakeouts, and getting tied up after underestimating the real dangers involved. The plot moves along at a good pace, and though at times it strains belief, most readers won't mind. Eddie's portraits are sprinkled throughout the book, giving it added visual appeal and filling in some of the gaps in character development. "Eddie Red" is bound to be a series that will appeal to fans of fast-paced mysteries who have outgrown David A. Adler's "Cam Jansen" (Viking) books, but are not quite ready for the nuance of Blue Balliett's Chasing Vermeer (Scholastic, 2004).—Gesse Stark-Smith, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR - Copyright 2014 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 05/01/2014 Sixth-grader Edmund’s photographic memory and drawing talent have propelled him into service with the NYPD to help solve a series of mysterious art thefts. Nicknamed Eddie Red by the annoyed detective assigned to work with him, Eddie is reminded that he is just a human camera, nothing else. Sitting in art museums drawing vases and watching black-and-white surveillance footage for hours on end is less than glamorous, but Eddie takes his job seriously . . . sometimes too seriously. Debut author Wells creates engaging characters, teen and adult, and the friendship between Eddie and his hyperactive OCD friend, Jonah, is well drawn. Readers will be rooting for Eddie to solve the crime and earn the tuition money he needs to stay enrolled in the private schoolfor gifted children he attends with Jonah. Full-page character sketches, presented as Eddie’s drawings, illustrate the mystery, and a quick art lesson in capturing faces closes the book. This is a strong start to a promising mystery series, and as Eddie would say, it’s über-cool. - Copyright 2014 Booklist.