Disappearing Acts: A Herculeah Jones Mystery [Paperback]

Betsy Byars (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Herculeah Jones Mystery

When Herculeah Jones’s best friend, Meat, decides to take a comedy class, he just expects to get a few laughs. But then he discovers a dead body in the bathroom, and realizes that there’s nothing funny about murder. Things can’t get any worse—until the body disappears! Meat needs Herculeah’s help to uncover the clues, but she’s busy investigating a case of her own . . . one that might just change Meat’s life forever!

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?Herculeah Jones, the girl whose hair frizzes whenever danger lurks, is back. This time, there are actually two mysteries to solve. The first involves pictures on an unfinished roll of film that Herculeah finds inside a camera she purchases at a resale shop. The second puzzle revolves around finding out about a dead body that her friend Meat claims to have seen at the comedy club where he is taking classes. The overweight boy finds the body in a bathroom stall, but it disappears before anyone else sees it. Meat is a reluctant detective, but, with a wallet he picked up from the bathroom floor as his only clue, he embarks on a mission to prove what he saw. Herculeah, on the other hand, is so involved in her photos that she leaves her friend to solve the case with minimal help from her or her detective dad, Chico Jones. The clues are nicely wrapped up at the finish. The novel is fast paced and humorous with both characters learning about themselves while working on their respective problems. By the end, Meat also learns who his father is and discovers that his bulk can become as asset. The book can stand alone, but Herculeah's fans will not be disappointed.?Linda L. Plevak, Alamo Area Library System, San Antonio,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. In the latest installment of Byars' Herculeah Jones mystery series, it's self-effacing Meat's turn for the spotlight. He's at the center of both of the puzzles Byars braids together here: Who killed the person whose body Meat discovers at the Funny Bonz comedy club (and what happened to the body)? What's on the film Herculeah finds in the camera that she buys at the resale shop? In keeping with the April Fools'/comedy-club backdrop and the "mysteries" about the characters set up in previous series entries, Byars adds a few hokey jokes and fills out the references to Meat's father. Some familiar mystery conventions, wrapped in fun. Stephanie Zvirin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439194482
• ISBN-13: 978-0439194488
• ASIN: 0141302879
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,576,544 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Byars began her writing career rather late in life First, she married and started a family. The writing career didn't emerge until she was 28, a mother of two children, and living in a small place she called the barracks apartment, in Urbana, Illinois. She and her husband, Ed, had moved there in 1956 so he could attend graduate school at the University of Illinois. She was bored, had no friends, and so turned to writing to fill her time. Byars started writing articles for The Saturday Evening Post, Look,and other magazines. As her family grew and her children started to read, she began to write books for young people and, fortunately for her readers, discovered that there was more to being a writer than sitting in front of a typewriter. "Once a wanderer came by my house and showed me how to brush my teeth with a cherry twig; that went in The House of WingsThe Summer of the Swans." Since that time, Byars has written more than 45 books for young readers and has won numerous awards, including The American Book Award, which she received in 1981 for The Night Swimmers. The humor, compassion, and insight Byars brings to each of her books won her a large audience of admirers both in the United States and abroad. Six of her novels were presented on national television, and her books are translated into nine languages. Six of Byars' novels have been named ALA Notable Books, and in 1971, The Summer of the Swans -- a story about a 14-year-old girl and her mentally retarded brother -- won the Newbery Award as the most distinguished contribution to literature for children in the year of its publication. Byars was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on August 7, 1928. Unlike many of the characters in her books, Byars grew up in a normal, loving family. Her father was an engineer and worked as a bookkeeper in a cotton mill. He was stern and hardworking and had a strong sense of humor. Her mother was a lively woman who loved acting and music. Byars's sister, Nancy, two years older, was sometimes an inspiration and sometimes an evil nemesis. Byars has always been adventurous and never allows a few setbacks to prevent her from doing things she wants to experience, like petting a blacksnake and flying planes. The snake was named Moon and became the subject of her 1991 autobiography, The Moon and I. Betsy Byars and her husband live on an air strip in South Carolina, and have traveled widely throughout the United States in pursuit of their interest in gliding and antique airplanes. They have four grown children and seven grandchildren.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Disappearing Acts, March 28, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Disappearing Acts: A Herculeah Jones Mystery (Paperback)

I have read many of the Herculeah Jones Mysteries but this one is my favorint! It had a certain pull to the book some would say the same effect of Harry Potter. With this having two stories to it you had to keep on reading more if you wanted to know what was going to happen in the other story. An exilent book! Read it!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Herculeah Jones book yet!, August 31, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Disappearing Acts: A Herculeah Jones Mystery (Paperback)

This book will keep you turning the pages while you wonder, what job does Meats dad have? Who's blue wallet is it? And will Herculeah and Meat solve it all? You better find out in this heart pounding story of fate.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, October 25, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Disappearing Acts: A Herculeah Jones Mystery (Hardcover)

I loved this book it was one of my favorite books ever. When i saw this book at the library i thought that it was going to be funny because it was about a comedy club. I had to do a book report about a mystery so thats how i got to read this cool book.