(3) 4-6 Friday Barnes Mysteries series. Illustrated by Phil Gosier. In the third installment (Friday Barnes, Girl Detective; Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion), brainy sleuth Friday and her sidekick, boarding-school roommate Melanie, uncover the identity of a campus thief, save a Norwegian princess, foil multiple cheating scams, and (of course) continue to obsess over frenemy classmate Ian. The appearance of Friday's clueless physicist parents adds humor and even more clever dialogue to the series.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Friday Barnes Mysteries series. Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Book four in this humorous mystery series picks right up following Big Trouble, with sleuth Friday deported to Switzerland and untangling various immigration snafus. She returns to save frenemy Ian from scandal and determine who is pranking the entire boarding school. Friday's quirky brain remains sharp in this hilarious romp, and the black-and-white cartoon illustrations continue to accentuate the caper's lighter side.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Brilliant, quirky Friday has a knack for solving crimes, which comes in handy when she enrolls herself (as the "unexpected" youngest of five, she "largely raised herself") into an elite boarding school that is surprisingly teeming with petty crime. Friday's creative sleuthing and amusingly odd classmates are brought to life by angular black-and-white cartoon illustrations that nicely complement her humor and heart.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Phil Gosier. Super sleuth Friday (Friday Barnes, Girl Detective), still a misfit at fancy Highcrest Academy, is framed for a crime and solves increasingly bizarre ones while balancing her love/hate relationship with frenemy Ian. Comical, angular sketches of the spoiled students and ridiculous headmaster continue to be a main strength of the eccentric series. An intriguing cliffhanger ending sets up the next installment.

Reviewer: Rebecca Kirshenbaum