Synopsis
Idolizing his television detective hero, tenth grader Elliot Armbruster investigates the mysterious disappearance of Lincoln High's school mascot, and launches a rescue mission after an anonymous tip on his goat hotline.
Reviews
Grade 6-10?Elliot Armbruster, 15, dreams of becoming a private detective, and when the school mascot disappears, he gets firsthand experience in the field. Through observation, deduction, and luck, Elliot solves the mystery, becomes a hero, and makes new friends. This humorous contemporary mystery is more about finding oneself than finding a goat. Reminiscent of Blossom Culp in Richard Peck's The Ghost Belonged to Me (Viking, 1975), the young man and his cohorts are likable, problem-solving teens. They face their own ghosts?parental pressure and low self-esteem?rather than supernatural ones, however. The characters are well developed, growing as they discover their own good qualities. Elliot's mother discovers her own path to self-satisfaction, and is portrayed in a sympathetic and believable way. Although the crises are somewhat contrived and the outcome is a little too good to be true, the clever, engaging characters hold the story together and maintain readers' interest to the end.?Carrol McCarthy, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Snappy narration and a waggish sense of humor carry this caper, first in a planned series of Elliot Armbruster mysteries. Beguiled by detective shows on TV, 15-year-old Elliot plans to become a private eye-and when the goat that serves as the high school mascot disappears before a big game, Elliot seizes the opportunity to launch his career. Story lines proliferate at a wild rate and the plot piles up red herrings, but Goldman (Money to Burn) never loses control. Here, characters and events pay comic homage to hardboiled conventions, and narrator Elliot is more wiseacre than tough guy. In a characteristically dry exchange, he signs a classmate's petition to save the ocean from pollution, then asks the girl who she'll deliver the petitions to: "'God,' she answered without blinking. 'We figure that if we get enough signatures, She'll have to take notice.' That sounded more reasonable than handing them over to some oil company." Start to finish, this one's lots of fun. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Gr. 7^-10. What happens when Elliot Armbruster (near-sighted, nerdish sophomore with glamorous, TV-induced delusions) announces in his tenth-grade life skills class that he really wants to be a private investigator? And what happens when he accompanies a real investigator on a case and solves it? And then volunteers to locate a missing school mascot to impress the pretty girlfriend of a brawny, jealous senior? And then figures out what really happened to Lincoln High's goat? Goldman obviously had a lot of fun writing this one, and it shows. Readers will enjoy the mayhem, goofy mystery, and the interplay between the very likable characters (especially Elliot's relationship with his oddball sidekick Bruno). Here's hoping Goldman has more Elliot Armbruster mysteries in the works. Chris Sherman
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