Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2-4. Why is Kate's cat so fat? Why does Jack's fish hate him? Why is Melody's dog acting crazy? In the first of a simple chapter-book series about detective Sylvia, Sly solves the mysteries of the pets on her block, dyes her hair blue (short-term), and talks to her cat, Taxi. Some of the detective work is a bit convoluted. But Sly's first-person account makes her friendship and bickering with the kids, grown-ups, and pets on the street as much fun as the mysteries, and Maione's lively black-and-white pictures capture the neighborhood characters and the animals they love. --Hazel Rochman Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-3-Young Sly forms her own detective agency to solve mysteries in the neighborhood. However, she only takes on cases that will also interest her cat, Taxi. The three cases presented here involve a variety of pets. Sly observes as well as she listens, and when she mixes in some creative problem solving, voila! Maione's pen-and-ink illustrations add plenty of personality. All in all, this is a promising start to a mystery series for beginning chapter-book readers.-Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Readers of the Cam Jansen series will be delighted to meet another energetic, confident girl sleuth. Sylvia, known as Sly, solves three short mysteries involving the pets in her neighborhood. The stories are easy to read and engaging, the pen-and-ink illustrations convey the light tone of the adventures, and Sly's first-person narration is convincing. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Clear some shelf space: Young Cam Jansen has a new contemporary. Sylvia, a.k.a. "Sly," solves three local mysteries involving oddly behaved pets. She uses an uncontrived combination of sharp observation, careful reasoning, and the occasional flash of insight. Along with crafting believable "cases" for the youthful detective, the mother-and-son co-authors have some "Sly" fun here. They give their sleuth a cat named Taxi (who always comes when called), one friend named Melody, who plays the piano, and another named Jack, who is always jumping into sight. There's also a pesky four-year-old neighbor, Brian, with a distinctly slanted view of reality and a mysterious pet named "Wilson" that turns out to be a bucket full of . . . well, read and find out. Maione inks plenty of lighthearted illustrations, mostly neighborhood scenes, for this engaging series opener. (Fiction. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
