Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar (A Cora Flash Mystery for Kids 9-12, Book 1) [Kindle Edition]

Tommy Davey (Author)

Book Description

Age Level:  9-12  |  Grade Level:  4-6

Introducing kid detective Cora Flash!

Book 1 in the 'Cora Flash' series.

Cora Flash is ecstatic when she finally convinces her mom to let her take a train ride by herself to visit a relative in the mountains. Once on board, Cora meets a cast of intriguing characters, and stumbles upon her very own mystery: A valuable diamond has gone missing, and only one of her fellow travellers could have stolen it. It's up to our novice detective to solve the crime before the train reaches its destination - or the thief reaches Cora.

"Davey admirably creates unique, believable characters almost solely through narrative and dialogue ... Readers are sure to be surprised and tickled when the culprit is finally revealed, and the terrific, satisfying ending promises a sequel. All aboard this lighthearted, old-fashioned whodunit." - Kirkus Reviews

If you love Childrens Mystery chapter books like Sammy Keyes and Nancy Drew, this action packed kids mystery adventure series is for you. Perfect for children ages 9-12.

Be sure to continue the adventures in the next two books in the series:
- Cora Flash and the Mystery of the Haunted Hotel (Book 2)
- Cora Flash and the Treasure of Beggar's Bluff (Book 3)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...if you're looking for a book to enjoy with your young ones, think Cora Flash! She's the next Nancy Drew, the new Boxcar Child, and in league with the best mystery-solving children to date!"

- Amazon review

"My ten year old daughter loved it so much she read it twice in two days! She begged me to see if others by this author were available yet, and is eagerly waiting for the next in the series." 5 Stars - T.L.Eaton

"My son just finished this book and loved it. He enjoyed the characters, the mystery and especially the setting on a train. We're looking forward to more books from this author." 5 stars - NY mom

"The story is well-written and has all the elements of a cozy whodunit a la Hercule Poirot or Agatha Christie." 4 stars - Laurie Cameron

From the Author

I'd like to introduce you to Cora Flash, the newest detective on the block.  She might look like a regular eleven year old, but she has a taste for mystery and adventure that will leave young readers begging for more. In the first book in the series, Cora Flash and The Diamond of Madagascar, Cora finds herself hot on the trail of a world-class diamond thief while on a cross-country train ride. If that wasn't enough, her adventures continue when she arrives in Mount Topaz in the second book of the series, Cora Flash and the Mystery of the Haunted Hotel.  If you grew up reading Nancy Drew, the Boxcar Children, Encyclopedia Brown or Enid Blyton's Famous Five, you will love introducing your children (or yourself!) to Cora Flash.  And coming this holiday season, book 3 in the series!

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 336 KB
• Print Length: 183 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1469933233
• Publisher: Brown PAW Press (February 3, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0075NS12Y
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #160,267 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Middle-school Mystery that's breath of fresh air! August 20, 2012

By CabinGoddess

Format:Kindle Edition

Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar a middle school mystery that's breath of fresh air in a quagmire of books being targeted to our young readers.

Do you remember the days when you would gather your friends up in main club house in the neighborhood, start handing out paper bags, notebooks, pencils magnifying glasses and give everyone the 411 on Mrs. Salendeski's missing cat? No? Seriously? You never had a great mystery you had to solve? I think I feel sorry for you! If you did, well go grab this series for you, for your kids, for your grandkids, for your local library!

Growing up I was constantly looking, perhaps even inventing just to have a mystery to investigate and solve. Constantly engrossed in one book or another there is one series that sticks out in my mind, Nancy Drew and of course the Hardy Boys. I am really lucky to have the full set of Nancy Drew my mother read as a girl and kept collecting to be able to pass on to her me. My Hardy Boys I liberated from my uncle's boyhood book collection.

(Later I moved on to be more concerned with reading the next Tiger Beat magazine than the next mystery. But you have to admit Shaun made things so much fun, and I never would smoke as a teen because of Shaun, so ... OH ya, we need to talk about Cora and solving mysteries! SORRY! I got distracted looking at Shaun...)

*clearing my throat*

Cora Flash is a bright, highly intelligent, polite and mature 11 year old. Her adventure starts the minute she boards the train on her way to see her Uncle. She has a cell phone, bag full of candy and an old fashion sense of adventure!

FIVE reasons why I give Cora Flash a five star rating:

LANGAUGE: Definitely age appropriate. The big problem with Young Adult books is they are no longer for young adults. They have sex, curse words and serious situations I, as a mom, do not want my kids reading about. They have enough serious issues to deal with just getting through a day at school to have a book give them something to confuse and worry them more. The worry for me is the middle age books are also moving forward in presenting kids with to much to soon. Cora Flash in no way does this. It says 9-12 and it means it. There are no curse words, not even veiled ones, no calumnious terms, it is a book targeted for kids on all fronts. I have to give this

FUN MYSTERY: Who doesn't love a good mystery! This is one of those great Whodunits. It has a mysterious stranger with a shiny metal brief case, a friendly grandma-like character with her friendly pet dog, a couple in love, a moody teenager, a quirky nervous fellow, and; instead of the butler, we have the conductor! Having elements that are familiar for kids, such as the phone, and adding the train which many kids are not familiar with create curiosity and a draw. By adding an air of mystery right off the bat kids will be wanting to read the book. It has all the elements of a grand mystery to solve. Any child ages of 9-12 will fall in love with Cora....and bug you to buy a cell phone and always send them to visit relatives with a huge bag of candy, fair warning!

GREAT HEROINE: I fell in love with her before the end of the first chapter. Her love of old black and white mystery movies made me feel 11 again and wondering how fast I would have found Mrs. Salendeski's missing cat if I had a cell phone and Facebook! She is confident but not overly so. She makes sure she checks in with her mother, and even when she takes a chance, it is not one that would have put her in to much danger. She doesn't even pig out on the candy! Plus with the image of her from the cover, I can just picture her dimples.

COOL COVER: The cover is really great. It is bright, simple and recognizable. Just what kids (and adults) like. Let's face it just like I did, kids are drawn to books and will be judging them by the cover. The cover shows you a fun story is to be had and the look on Cora's face is a curious draw right off the bat!

IT IS A SERIES!!!: As mentioned above, many an hour did I spend reading Nancy Drew. There are memories piled high because of Nancy Drew. I want the same thing for my kids, I want them to find the rush and excitement as they read an adeventure with such a loveable safe character. It is safe for all types of kids. Harry Potter was to dark for one kid, but safe for another. Cora would have been safe and enjoyed by both!

To say it hit it's target audience is an understatement. I hope we find more books like this out there and I really hope that the pile of Cora Flash books looks like the one above of Nancy Drew in the years to come! What a great find!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved Encyclopedia Brown and Nancy Drew? You'll love Cora Flash. August 1, 2012

By Anne B. Chaconas

Format:Kindle Edition

My favorite books around the time I was 8 or 9 years old (and probably on through my awkward teenybopper years) were the books in the Encyclopedia Brown and Choose Your Own Adventure series. I have particularly fond memories of the Encyclopedia Brown mysteries, which I was invariably unable to solve, but which still entertained me to no end.

True to my younger self, I had a blast reading about the latest young girl sleuth to burst onto the scene: Tommy Davey's very own Cora Flash.

Let's begin by stating the obvious: How can you not love someone with the last name Flash? It's both reminiscent of old-school kid sleuth stories, and makes me think of comic strip hero Flash Gordon. This is clearly a win-win. It also meshes incredibly well with Cora's spunky personality and, as any kid sleuth worth his or her salt will own up to, insatiable curiosity.

The Diamond of Madagascar lives up to Cora's quick wit. The story is fast-paced (took me perhaps a total of two hours to read through the book, if that), and is crafted to keep the young kids it's aimed towards entertained. The action takes place entirely in the same location (a train bound for the mountains) which, on the surface, might seem like a stale idea but, like Russell Crowe's seafaring epic Master and Commander has proven, is actually a fantastic way to contain a story if done correctly. And Davey certainly did it correctly.

I loved the characters: the serious inspector, the dog-toting old woman, the lovestruck honeymooners, the angsty college student (and there are more, if you can believe it). The story itself is, as I've said of other children's books I've enjoyed, simple but not simplistic. The fact that there's a mystery tied in keeps things interesting and keeps the reader trying to guess the outcome. It also has some humorous moments dealing with (very mild) potty humor, which made me giggle.

In the interest of not giving the plot away, I won't say much about it except to say that it was endearing and well done (although if my daughter ever keeps me in the dark about her being in some diamond heist while she's on a train without me, like Cora does with her mother, she's in for some serious grounding when she gets home). I loved that all the characters were given very definite traits in such a short span, and that the story never felt like it was missing anything.

As a mom to a very rambunctious and opinionated toddler, I'm always looking for books that will engage her now, and books that will entertain her in the years to come. Cora is definitely making her way onto my kid's bookshelf. I look forward to reading the next books in the Cora series (and it looks like I won't have long to wait; Cora Flash and the Mystery of the Haunted Hotel is already available). I'm excited!

Oh, and the best part about Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar? I was finally able to solve the mystery. BEFORE the end of the book. Encyclopedia Brown would be proud.

Disclaimer: I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From on writer to another: Amazing July 15, 2012

By Mel

Format:Kindle Edition

I spent about an hour, maybe an hour and a half (due to family interruptions) reading this book. I was hooked from the beginning of this story and I didn't want to finish it until I got to the end of the book. The character, Cora, reminds me of a modern day, but younger and more curious, form of Nancy Drew. Cora has an eye for mystery and she wants to know what's going on with the investigation on the train. She tries to be sneaky about her sleuthing but, being only eleven, she doesn't completely succeed. Still, Cora is a very fun character to read about and you share in her excitement as you turn the pages.

I would recommend this book to everyone who has a child who is not yet a teenager, but old enough to read more than just picture books. Even at 24 years old the story kept me on the edge of my seat.

From one writer to another, this book is amazing

**to read my complete review of this book, go to my website at melissamwolff.com

More About the Author

Tommy Davey spent his youth writing mystery stories and plays, and watching reruns of Three's Company until every line of dialogue was permanently burned into his memory. When not writing, he enjoys traveling to favorite destinations including New York City and Paris, which he plans to feature in future stories. He lives in Toronto, where he was born and raised, with a Norfolk Terrier named Calvin. "Cora Flash and the Diamond of Madagascar" is his first novel.