Book Review: Curtain Call Caper by Christy Barritt and Kathy Applebee

Gabby St. Claire is extremely excited about the upcoming school play. She and her best friend are determined to make the most of it, even though the high school kids will likely get all the big roles. They just want the chance to be in the show. But it seems like someone, or something, is trying to make sure the show does not go on. Could it be a student or a teacher trying to sabotage the show? Or is it a ghost? Gabby decides to get to the bottom of it and save the show.

The Curtain Call Caper by Christy Barritt and Kathy Applebee is a spin-off of Barritt’s adult Squeaky Clean Mysteries series about crime scene cleaner Gabby St. Claire. I haven't read that series, but I will definitely check it out. Gabby is an interesting character, at least when she's in middle school. It would be fun to see what she's like as an adult!

A bit of a klutz, Gabby is a kind girl and a good friend. Unfortunately, she has to deal with middle grade cliques and all the challenges that go along with that, but the story doesn't get too serious. It has a pretty good upbeat feeling throughout. There are plenty of characters to look up to, both kids and adults. And the mystery of why spotlights are dropping and scripts are missing is engaging.

Overall, this was a fun middle grade mystery that should appeal to late elementary and early middle school readers. There's nothing too heavy or objectionable in this one. And there's a free novel study pack available for teachers and homeschoolers, if you want to add it to your curriculum!

My Rating: 4/5

This review was written based on a copy of The Curtain Call Caper that I received from the author in exchange for an honest review. This review includes Amazon affiliate links.

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Getting back to blogging

It seems that blogging has dropped to the bottom of my list for the past year, and was pretty low for the year or two prior to that. I love to read, and am continuing to do so, but as my regular readers know I haven't been around much. My last blog post was almost a year ago!!

There are many things that have taken me away from blogging. Work has been much more challenging and interesting these past few years, but that means I really don't want to get back on the computer when I get home at night - or on the weekends.

Family life has been more busy with kids having multiple activities in the evenings, leaving little time to just hang out and write about the books that I read.

I will admit to a bit of a Facebook addiction, which means way too much time spent scrolling through my newsfeed instead of doing something more productive. This is one of the things I'm working on and hoping that this will free up some time for getting back to the blog.

Overall, life is good. Work is …

Book Review: The Bookman's Tale by Charlie Lovett

Peter Byerly is distraught over the loss of his wife nine months ago. He has retreated to their cottage in the English countryside, hoping to return to his love of collecting and restoring rare books. But when he opens a book about Shakespeare forgeries and finds a Victorian watercolor of a woman who looks just like his wife, Peter is soon on a search for the origin of the painting and the truth about Shakespeare's real identity.

The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of Obsession by Charlie Lovett is a wonderful journey for anyone who loves books. It follows Peter's search in 1995, which turns into a bit of a thriller at times. But Lovett also takes the reader back in time a bit so we can learn the story of his relationship with his wife and how he came to be a bookseller. He does a beautiful job of expressing Peter's feelings about the rare books he encounters, and his feelings are contagious.

And then he takes us back even further to the history of one particular volume, whos…

Book Review: The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis

When Stella and Tom move to a new home in London, they are sad to have left their friends behind. But soon they have a mystery to solve. Their neighbor's dog, Harry, keeps disappearing. Where is he going and why is he always wet when he comes home? As they investigate the area in the garden where Harry seems to come and go, they discover a hidden tunnel that takes them back to their garden ... almost 100 years ago.

The Secret Lake by Karen Inglis is a wonderful children's book that reminds me of the adventurous stories I read as a child. I saw other reviewers say something similar. I'm not sure what it is about the way the story is told, but it is reminiscent of children's books from many years ago, yet it will definitely appeal to the kids of today.

Stella and Tom have an adventure in the past that leads to new friends and discoveries. While it's a time travel story, it doesn't have a lot of fantasy elements (although there are some moles that act a bit unusua…

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