Tarot Says Beware: A Herculeah Jones Mystery [Mass Market Paperback]

Betsy Byars (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1997 | Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Herculeah Jones Mystery

Madam Rosa, the eccentric local fortune teller, has been brutally murdered, and the case has everyone baffled. Herculeah has a pretty good idea who the killer is, but someone else has a vision too -- and wants to make sure Herculeah won't be around to see the future. "Byars grips the reader from the first sentence and doesn't let go until Herculeah solves the case." -- The Horn Book

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?Tarot is not a pack of cards but a parrot, and a special concern of Herculeah Jones. Herculeah, named for the hero of a B movie, takes care of the parrot on occasion when its owner, local fortune teller Madame Rosa, goes out of town. Suspicious when she sees the door open and the bird outside, Herculeah enters the house and finds that the woman has been murdered. Naturally, the girl with the "radar hair" wants to know who did it, and why. She and her friend Meat get into several scrapes trying to get to the bottom of the mystery but in the end everything turns out well (except for poor Madame Rosa) and there is even a nice lead into the next adventure. The story is well plotted and the characters are nicely rounded. The dialogue is a bit self-conscious but readers will be so caught up in waiting for the next footstep on the creaky stairs that they probably won't notice. Much like the "Scooby Doo" cartoon series, there are hints of the supernatural that turn out to be the bad guys dressed "for success." Add for those readers past the "Encyclopedia Brown" (Lodestar) stage but not yet ready for Betty Ren Wright.?Patricia A. Dollisch, DeKalb County Public Library, Decatur, GA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-6. The latest in Byars' new series which features amateur sleuth Herculeah Jones doesn't quite live up to the promise of The Dark Stairs. However, the characters still have lots of potential: intrepid, heroic Herculeah is a true descendant of Nancy Drew, with an insatiable curiosity that gets her into all sorts of trouble; Meat, her loyal but timid sidekick, is a swell comic foil. And there are a few suspenseful scenes, particularly as Herculeah prowls Madame Rosa's strangely quiet house and discovers the palmist's body, with a knife in its chest. It's the unraveling and the paltry list of suspects that are a mite rickety. Still, kids who are meeting this contemporary (Herculeah's parents are divorced, etc.) Holmes-Watson duo for the first time may be sufficiently charmed by the characters to overlook the plot's weaknesses, and because Byars doesn't overdo the violence, the story may be a good introduction to the genre for a child who wants to read a mystery but doesn't want to be too scared to finish it. 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
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Puffin (September 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 014036997X
• ISBN-13: 978-0140369977
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,846,337 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Betsy Byars is a Newbery Medal winner and a National Book Award winner. Her books have appeared on the best books lists of the American Library Association, School Library Journal, and American Bookseller, among others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot Says Beware, April 13, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tarot Says Beware (Herculeah Jones Mystery) (Hardcover)

Tarot Says Beware is a really great book for kids 10-14. it is about this girl herculeah who looks out her window one day and sees madame rosa's parrot outside, and she knows that madame rosa would never let tarot out because how much she loves the bird, so she goes to madame rosa's and no one is there and the bird is saying beware beware! you will have to read it to see what all happens!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Melanie's book Review, April 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tarot Says Beware (Herculeah Jones Mystery) (Hardcover)

When Herculeah checks over at Madem Rosas home she sees that Tarot [the bird] is out of its cage which is very rare. She walks into the house and... 'IT WILL KEEP YOU TURNING THE PAGE FOR MORE' 'A MIX OF NANCY DREW AND GOOSBUMPS'For ages 10 and 13

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot Says Good Book, March 29, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Tarot Says Beware (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

Tarot Says Beware was one of the best books I've read in a long time. Herculeah is the new Nancy Drew. She brings mystery to the new age with her curiosity. This book is suspenseful and exciting. The answer lies with a bird and the simple word "BEWARE". I think that this book is great and you should read it