Coffin on a Case [Hardcover]

Eve Bunting (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

When Lily Larson walks through the door of the Coffin and Pate Detective Agency, twelve-year-old Henry Coffin's heart skips a beat Is this gorgeous girl who keeps crying "I've lost ... I've lost ..." going to be his father's next client? It's like a dream come true -- until Henry learns that what Lily thinks she has lost is her mother ... and for the fourth time!But Lilys mother really has disappeared, and while Mr. Coffin is away on business, Henry suddenly finds himself riding around L.A. in Lilys big red car, tracking down clues they hope will lead them to Lily's mother.Unfortunately, only Lily's mother knows that following those clues may also lead them to their deaths.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- Henry Coffin, the 12-year-old son of a private investigator, spends the summer before seventh grade realizing a long-held fantasy as he helps a high-school ``gorgeous babe'' find her kidnapped mother. Complete with dark basements, slimy pools, stolen art objects, and threatening kidnappers, the mystery unfolds skillfully and swiftly, aided by a breezy, humorous style. Henry's hero is Sam Spade, whom he imitates with a tough, macho swagger that, while often witty and tongue-in-cheek, is also frequently sexist. That his mother has been missing since Henry was an infant adds a touch of poignancy to his cool pose. The suspenseful story, simple style, and fast pace will hold the interest of even the most reluctant readers. --Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Eve Buntingis the winner of the Golden Kite Award and the three-time recipient of the Best Work of Fiction Award of the Southern CaliforniaCouncil on Literature for Children and Young People. She has written more than one hundred books for young readers, including is Anybody There ?; Our Sixth-Grade Sugar Babies, a Best Book of 1990 (School Library Journal); Sharing Susan; and Coffin on a Case, winner of the Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery, given by the Mystery Writers of America.

Ms. Bunting was born in Ireland and now lives in southern California.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 105 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (October 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060202734
• ISBN-13: 978-0060202736
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,791 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eve Bunting has written more than 200 books for children, many of which can be found in libraries around the world. Her other Clarion titles for very young readers include My Big Boy Bed, which was also illustrated by Maggie Smith, and Little Bear's Little Boat, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. She lives in Pasadena, California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good shadow of adult life of a boy doing an adult's job., October 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Coffin on a Case (Hardcover)

If a girl walked in your dad's office needing you to help find her mother would you help her? In the book Coffin on a Case by Eve Bunting that is what really happens. A boy named Henry has a girl named Mary wanting his help. Henry's father is a private detective, and his father goes away for business so he goes to the office to goofing off and a girl walkeds in. She needs his help.

Although the plot is great, the characters are dull. Henry is not that interesting but he is acceotable. Mary is an airhead. She does not know from from her left to her right. All she thinks about is clothes, makeup and shoes. Go out and buy Coffin on a Case and you will be reading a good book.