The Case of the Barfy Birthday (Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives) [Paperback]

Michele Torrey (Author), Barbara Johansen Newman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up | Series: Doyle and Fossey, Science Detectives

Did Zoe really poison her twin sister Chloe? What’s the best way to rescue a super-sized pig trapped in a deep, deep hole? And how can you stop a chilly ghost from wrecking a tree-house sleepover? Fifth-grade supersleuths (and science whizzes) Doyle and Fossey are about to find out—and young readers will love learning the solutions!

 

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-In this entertaining series entry, fifth-graders Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey solve four new cases using scientific methods. In the title story, the friends use deductive reasoning and their knowledge of bacteria to figure out why several people who attended a birthday party have become ill. Next, they come across some misplaced tern hatchlings and determine that habitat destruction has caused the rare birds to select a poor nesting area. When a snobbish classmate complains that she is being haunted, they discover that the ghost is really a slighted friend who is seeking revenge. Finally, Drake and Nell construct a pulley out of junk in order to rescue a pig that has fallen into a well. The Encyclopedia Brown-type characters and short and simple episodes will quickly grab readers, even reluctant ones. Humorous black-and-white illustrations depict the chaotic events. Several science experiments are included. Teachers may enjoy using this book to illustrate a science lesson, and Spy Kids-era readers will appreciate the idea that mysteries can be solved by science.
Debbie Whitbeck, West Ottawa Public Schools, Holland, MI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Michele Torrey holds a degree in microbiology and immunology. She has written the critically acclaimed Voyage of Midnight (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006), To the Edge of the World (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2003), and many others.

 

Barbara Johansen Newman was a puppeteer and doll maker before becoming a full-time illustrator. She both wrote and illustrated Sterling’s critically praised Tex & Sugar (2007). School Library Journal noted that her “Rich, vibrant illustrations, like an explosion of color, capture the sights of the city, while meticulous detail depicts the all-animal cast and a wide range of expressions.” Her work has been featured in national magazines, newspapers, calendars, cards, and more than a dozen books for children.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Sterling (October 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402749643
• ISBN-13: 978-1402749643
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #572,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michele Torrey first became a published author at age ten, when her story about a dinosaur egg popping out of the kitchen sink appeared in the Seaview Heights Elementary newspaper. Her fifth grade class, located in Edmonds, Washington, wrote, edited, and published the newspaper.

While Torrey has lived most of her life in Washington, she has traveled throughout the world. As a child, she lived overseas in England and France, and spent most of her junior high and high school years in Heidelberg, Germany. At the age of four, she lived in Cockfield, England, where she first attended grammar school. She remembers the handbell calling the children in from recess, the morning's recitation of the Lord's Prayer, hot custard for lunch, and the bratty girl Rosemary who stuck out her tongue at Michele and got a spanking for it. When Torrey temporarily moved back to the United States and her classmates asked how English people spoke, she promptly responded in all seriousness and with a thick country accent, "Cheerio, ol' chap!" All in all, Torrey spent ten years of her childhood overseas. She returned to the Seattle area in her senior year, after which she completed a degree in microbiology and immunology from the University of Washington.

For the past sixteen years, Torrey has explored the depths of her imagination while writing novels for adults, young adults, and middle-grade. Her books include the CHRONICLES OF COURAGE seafaring series for middle-grade (Knopf), and the DOYLE AND FOSSEY: SCIENCE DETECTIVES chapter book series (Sterling). She is a two-time Thurber House Residency in Children's Literature nominee, plus a two-time winner of PNWA's Zola Award. Among other honors, her books have been chosen by the Junior Library Guild, named by VOYA as "Top Shelf Fiction for Middle-Grade Readers", and nominated for the Sakura Medal. Most recently, her book VOYAGE OF PLUNDER was a WA State Book Award finalist. Torrey is a regular presenter at writers' conferences and schools. She lives in South Bend, Washington, with her husband. They have three grown sons, two granddaughters, and a calico cat.

In addition to her writing and traveling, Torrey is a director and co-founder of Orphans Africa, a 501 c 3 nonprofit charity (www.orphansafrica.org). Orphans Africa works primarily in Tanzania, building boarding schools for children orphaned by AIDS.