Customer Reviews

The Stolen Sapphire: A Samantha Mystery (American Girl Mysteries)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I read this book and so did the head of the school library. The library accepted this book as a test book for reading awards and the girls age 8 to 12 enjoyed it..

If you like mysteries you'll love this book! samantha & nellie
are 2 girls how lived in the 1900's. my favorite part was
when samantha & nellie found who stole the sapphire ...but that I
will not tell you. I have another american girl mystery and I look forward to reading
it!

The year is 1906, and eleven-year-old Samantha Parkington, along with her adopted sister Nellie, are thrilled to have the opportunity to board the R.M.S. Queen Caroline with their grandparents, the Admiral and Grandmary, on a trip to Europe, where they will dock in London and Paris. They are even more excited, however, when they learn that Professor Wharton, a world-famous archeologist, along with his pet monkey, Plato, are among the passengers whom they will be dining with, and that he has brought with him the legendary sapphire known as the Blue Star. The first-class passengers are thrilled to have such a priceless artifact on-board the Queen Caroline with them, and love to hear the Professor tell of its history - from how it was once buried in a graveyard, to how it belonged to merchants and kings in the old days. But when the illustrious sapphire disappears one night at dinner, Samantha is shocked to learn that everyone on deck is being questioned as a suspect. Soon, Mademoiselle Etienne, Samantha and Nellie's traveling French tutor, is accused of the crime, and separated from her students. Nellie knows that Mademoiselle Etienne is innocent of the crime; and, with Samantha's help, plans on discovering who the true culprit is. But as the seas turn rough, Samantha and Nellie discover that solving a mystery isn't as simple as they originally thought, and if they aren't careful, they may be blamed for the crime before the true thief is imprisoned.

Samantha Parkington's adventures have always been exciting to experience. However, with THE STOLEN SAPPHIRE, Sarah Masters Buckey has managed to incorporate a strong sense of suspense into the tale that both brings the characters to life, and leaves the reader trying to put together various clues in an attempt to find the culprit before our two heroines. Samantha, as always, is her usual kind self. However, die-hard fans will be surprised to see her acting slightly distrustful to the people she cares about throughout the story. Nellie, on the other hand, also takes on a slightly different personality, as she begins sneaking about, and hiding things from her beloved sister. However, it is the two girls interactions with the snobby Charlotta Billingsley, along with her dreadfully proper and jewel-loving mother, Mrs. Billingsley, that will leave readers rooting for the two protagonists, as they defend themselves against various rude accusations, and comments made by the gruesome twosome. An intrepid high seas adventure that proves everyone is innocent until proven guilty!

Erika Sorocco

As an adult who never tires of historical stories and is a collector of children's books, I enjoy these books more than the adult novels bouncing around the bestseller list with their trashy mixtures of sex and violence. Samantha is not my favorite American Girl character, but I find this story an improvement on the previous Curse of Ravenscroft. The mystery was fairly compelling and there were no dollhouse beds or silly things of that nature to ruin the ending. I thought it out of character, however, when Samantha distrusts someone who is very important in her life, when in previous books she has defended the person.

We bought this AG mystery and two others for our daughter. We just finished the book last night and our daughter very much enjoyed it. The book kept her interested, introduced her to some new information (because of the historical context), and was a good, pleasant read. For less than $10, it's hard to wrong.

I read this book after my 13 year old daughter read it. Very entertaining and kept you on the edge until the end. My daughter found the ending a surprise. Good book for young readers and parents too.

My daughter loves this book, she is in third grade. It has kept us all interested. It's a great mystery!

"As the Professor reached over to open the box, Samantha suddenly felt the tablecloth jerk. She heard a crash as the candelabra fell. There was a smell of melting wax as the overturned candles sputtered and smoked. Then the room went black." (Buckey, 62)

Another American Girl book written by Sarah Masters Buckey, "A Samantha Mystery: The Stolen Sapphire" takes you on an adventure across the seas in 1906 with Samantha, Nellie, and the whole family. While traveling the R.M.S. "Queen Caroline" ship to Europe, Samantha's and Nellie's once-in-a-lifetime chance comes true when they meet the world-famous archaeologist, Professor Wharton, as well as the legendary blue sapphire; a blue sapphire with a long, interesting history of once belonging to kings and merchants of the old days, and once even buried in a graveyard half way around the world! When the legendary Blue Star disappears in Professor Wharton's own hands however, everyone on board is a suspect of theft! Could it be the girls' French tutor, Mademoiselle Etienne? Or what about the brusque, spoiled Charlotta Billingsley? Or maybe, just maybe, could it Samantha's dearest sister and best friend, Nellie? It's a story full of adventure, mystery, and suspicion - the perfect book to read all night long.

"The Stolen Sapphire" should be nominated as the "best" book in the category of mysteries. I really liked how Mrs. Buckey gave each person a prominent part in the disappearance of the Blue Star, and yet simultaneously left the true theft unnoticed of any suspicion. Also, Mrs. Buckey's wording throughout parts of the story makes you feel as if you are really on board the ship. A good example of this could be: "The wind was freezing and a faint mist of rain was falling, but Nellie glowed with Joy." (Buckey, 171)

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone at any age, chiefly because "The Stolen Sapphire" is not only based upon (as I mentioned above) intriguing mysteries, but teaches a fine lesson of not assuming someone of negative morals (lying, cheating, stealing, etc.), especially when you don't have the facts or proof in which to prove your case.

My daughter checked out this book from her school library and she enjoyed it so much she has checked it out again a couple of weeks later! She especially likes this Samantha story because she was able to narrow down the clues and solve the mystery!

If you have a young daughter, or child, that enjoys reading captivating adventures I think that this wonderful story will work wonders, along with various other titles in the series by Americal Girl.

I have said it in other reviews, on this particular series, that if you are aiming to have your young one become more motivated to jump into the "novel" zone, these are great book to do it. I do think that your child should be a comfortable and confident reader - and if this is the case, I'd select a few from this inexpensive series.

Brilliant