The Case of the Furtive Firebug (The Kerry Hill Casecrackers) [Library Binding]

Peggy Nicholson (Author), John F. Warner (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Kerry Hill Casecrackers

Hally Watkins, her younger brother Jason, and other young people they meet in Newport, Rhode Island, must prove that their friend Tuyet is not responsible for burning down the house she has been hired to paint.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kicking off the Kerry Hill Casecrackers series, this slight mystery is set in Newport, R.I., where 13-year-old Hally and her younger brother, Jason, are spending the summer with their father. Soon after their arrival, they meet a girl, Tuyet, who has agreed to paint an apartment owned by grouchy Mr. Crowhurst. Hally and Jason go with her to help, but Crowhurst tells them to get lost. They leave, but return later, at which point the tale's implausibilities begin. When Jason smells smoke, the three investigate and account for the smell by concluding that the former tenants of the apartment downstairs must have been cigarette smokers. The building goes up in flames and Crowhurst locks the three kids in his van, then tries to blame the blaze on Tuyet. The young sleuths, however, find the hole in Crowhurst's own alibi and convince the police that he is the culprit. Pieces fall into place a bit too easily and the writing can be annoyingly chirpy: "Now, get!" roars Mr. Crowhurst; "And so they 'got,' " the authors quip. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. Hally must take care of her little brother, Jason, during a summer in Newport, Rhode Island. They meet a young Vietnamese American girl, 12-year-old Tuyet, and join her on a painting job for a grumpy landlord who seems unusually willing to employ Tuyet. Young readers will probably surmise early on that the man's intentions have more to do with arson than with good will. It's then up to Hally and Jason and their friends to prove that Tuyet did not cause the fire that destroyed the landlord's building. The plot is standard young-detective fare, but the children's lives have familiar, contemporary features: during the school year, Hally lives with Dad and Jason lives with Mom, and Tuyet stays with her uncle because her mother was unable to escape from Vietnam. The youngsters are depicted as comfortable with their differences, and there's no preachiness. Mary Harris Veeder

Product Details

• Library Binding: 116 pages
• Publisher: Lerner Pub Group (L) (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822507099
• ISBN-13: 978-0822507093
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,177,082 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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