(3) 4-6 Sesame Seade Mystery series. Illustrated by Sarah Horne. Grade-school sleuth Sophie Seade (whose nickname, "Sesame," is only the tip of the wordplay iceberg) suspects foul play when multiple members of the Cambridge rowing team fall ill; missing pirate treasure deepens the mystery. Sophie's aggressively dry sensibility may have mostly niche appeal, but the tart British humor lands, and the plot unfolds at just the right level for readers to join the puzzle-solving.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross

(3) 4-6 Sesame Seade Mystery series. Illustrated by Sarah Horne. Precocious youngster Sesame Seade tackles the mystery of Cambridge University's missing gargoyles. Aided by a pair of purple roller skates and classmates Gemma and Toby, Sesame tracks down leads that bring her uncomfortably close to home. With an exciting plot and a perfectly droll first-person voice, this second installment avoids the buffoonery often found in humorous middle-grade novels. Spot art highlights the action.

Reviewer: Grace Enriquez

(2) 4-6 Sesame Seade Mystery series. Illustrated by Sarah Horne. Sophie Margaret Catriona "Sesame" Seade is a type-A roller-skating detective in Cambridge, England. Here she solves a kidnapping and exposes corporate funding skullduggery. During her investigations she breaks into the Fitzwilliam Museum, steals a canoe, and escapes from bad guys by strapping on wings and launching herself out a window. The pace is rambunctious; the adults, Dahl-nasty. Spot illustrations support the high-octane humor.

Reviewer: Sarah Ellis | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2015