Terrell, Brandon.
The Cursed Stage. Capstone Publishers 2017 112p $25.99
ISBN 978-1-4965-4346-2 elem/ms Mystery/Detective VG
This book provides good, clean mystery and fun, this time
backstage. The Snoops detective team
stumbles on a ghost who is turning off lights, making noise, pushing over sets
and generally wreaking havoc with the upcoming performance of Wagons West. There are human suspects as well, and even an
animal! The plot thickens as lead (and
snarky) performer, Frankie, is quite taken with herself. Could Olive, the understudy, be plotting to
scare Frankie so much that she bows out of the performance? Could it be Alyssa, the stage director trying
to help Olive gain the lead? The group
of sleuths even brings out the big equipment, an EMF meter to record a ghost’s
presence and an EVP recorder to pick up a noise. The team, consisting of Keisha, Hayden,
Jaden, and Action Man Carlos, solves the crime, but not before they are scared
out of their wits! Brandon Terrell has a
nice writing style for young readers, he manages his plot well, and he adds
just enough humor and "love interest" to entice his audience to
continue reading this series.
Strategically placed illustrations support needy readers as well as more
accomplished ones. Nice extras include a
summary report of the activities that go into solving the crime, questions for
discussion, a glossary, and biographical data about both the author and the
illustrator.
The Snoops Inc. series pits the Snoops against a
variety of small crime perpetrators.
Each volume is illustrated, the text is upbeat and interesting, and the
plots are age-appropriate. A review
report helps reader review what he/she read, and a glossary supports vocabulary
acquisition.
Summary: The Snoops are concerned for their classmates
who want to perform in this year’s theater production. Someone (or something) is wreaking havoc
backstage. They put their varied
abilities and personalities together to solve the mystery.
Mystery-Fiction, Ghosts-Fiction --Martha
Squaresky
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