Cody and the mysteries of the universe

Gr 2–5—As summer winds down, inquisitive, impatient Cody is having trouble fitting in all her vacation plans. Fortunately, her best friend, Spencer, is coming to live with his grandmother. She won't hesitate to enlist his help, especially with spying on mysterious neighbors the Meens. Yet, when school begins, Cody's control disappears—friend-to-all Pearl joins Spencer in a duet for orchestra class, leaving Cody feeling left out, and the Meen girls live up to their name. The turn of events cause Cody to confront difficult situations such as jealousy and bullying. However, as time passes, Cody finds answers to a few of life's mysteries, such as the fact that acts of kindness can dissolve anger. Solid narration is provided by Natalie Ross as she captures the highs and lows of growing up. VERDICT A delightful story about a charming chatterbox that will inspire young listeners' curiosity—ask, seek, and find! ["Kids who enjoy series with a standout voice will embrace this well-written offering": SLJ 4/16 web review of the Candlewick book.]—Cheryl Preisendorfer, Twinsburg City Schools, OH [Page 58]. (c) Copyright 2016 Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Cody's best friend Spencer moves to her street, an excited Cody asks for Spencer's help tackling the mystery of a neighbor who has a skull-and-crossbones sign in his window, while a new school year ushers in "new school jitters" for Spencer, and for Cody, a newly forged bond with a teacher who shares her love for Mozart. Simultaneous.

Not everything turns out to be as it first appears when Cody and her best friend, Spencer, navigate a neighborhood mystery and the start of a new school year.Cody’s best friend, Spencer, and his parents are moving in with his grandmother right around the corner, and Cody can’t wait. For one thing, Cody needs Spencer to help solve the mystery of the never-seen Mr. Meen, who lives on the other side of the porch with a skull-and-crossbones sign in the window and an extermination truck out front. How’s Cody to know that a yellow jacket would sting her, making her scream "Ow! Ow!" just as they start spying? Or that the ominous window sign would change overnight to "Welcome home," only deepening the mystery? In this second adventure, Spencer’s new-school jitters, an unexpected bonding with a teacher over Mozart, and turf-claiming kids next door with a reason for acting out are all part of Cody’s experiences as summer shifts into a new year at school.