Mystery in Mt. Mole - Hardcover

Jennings, Richard W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618284788 ISBN 13: 9780618284788

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2003

Synopsis

When Principal Farley goes missing and none of the residence of Mt. Mole seem concerned, Andrew Forrest becomes curious and looks into the matter--discovering much more than he ever imagined about the history and happenings of his small community.

About this title

About the Author

Richard W. Jennings has published more than fifty essays, articles, and short stories, including The Tragic Tale of the Dog Who Killed Himself, published by Bantam Books in 1980 to widespread critical acclaim, in addition to his recent titles published with Houghton Mifflin -- Orwell's Luck, The Great Whale of Kansas, My Life of Crime, and Scribble. He is cofounder of a popular Kansas City-area bookstore and former editor of KANSAS CITY MAGAZINE. He has five children, four grandchildren, a dog, a cat, and a parrot and lives in Kansas.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Quirky is the operative word for Jennings' previous novels, and this one is possibly the most outrageously imaginative yet. The curious cover photo--a grasshopper, a pile of popcorn, and a piece of plaid fabric--sets the tone for not one mystery as the title implies, but three: What happened to Mr. Farley, Mt. Mole Middle School's disagreeable assistant principal? What's that rumbling issuing from Mt. Mole, the odd, solitary mound rising from the flatlands surrounding the town that takes its name? And who is Andrew J. Forrest's father? Precocious, 13-year-old Andy, whose vocabulary and dreamy philosophizing makes him seem like a grown-up stuck in middle school by mistake (except when pretty Georgia Wayne is around) is the narrator here, a bumbling, truly dedicated fan of both Mt. Mole and the odd characters (Andy being one himself) who live there. Before the separate stories come together in one literally slam-bang conclusion, readers are treated to lots of tongue-in-cheek humor and some genuine surprises revolving around the larger-than-life Mt. Mole populace and the small town in which they live. It's a large-hearted entertaining burlesque, set in a world apart yet still very recognizable. Stephanie Zvirin
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About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0618284788
• ISBN 13: 9780618284788
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144