The Scrapyard Detectives 1: Collected Cases

The Scrapyard Detectives are on the case! Join Robert, Jinn and Raymond as they solve the mysteries that affect their community, and learn valuable lessons about teamwork and diversity.

Collecting issues #1-3 of the ongoing all ages comic book series, this volume features three exciting stories. In 'The Case of the Missing Roses,' a new family from India moves into the neighborhood. It's up to the Scrapyard Detectives to find out who vandalized their garden- and why! In 'Patriot Dreams,' the new multi-cultural community center brings people from other backgrounds to the neighborhood, but someone sets it ablaze - with Jinn and Raymond inside! Will the detectives save themselves and solve the mystery in time?

In 'A Friend in Need,' the detectives split apart over multiple cases, one involving Raymond's friend, Ben Crenshaw, who's turning into a bully. With so many cases to solve, the Scrapyard Detectives have to work especially hard. But with so much prejudice, can they still work together as a team? Written by New York Times Bestselling author Jesse Leon McCann! Batton Lash also pens a special back up story- the origin of the Scrapyard Detectives. The introduction to the graphic novel is written by J.M. DeMatteis.

Grade 3-5–In this collection of a three-issue series, a group of preadolescents, including Robert (an African American), Raymond (a Hispanic) and Jinn (an Asian American who uses a wheelchair) solve mysteries in their small town. In Case of the Missing Roses, a night prowler destroys the rose garden of the Khatibs, an Indian-American family new to the neighborhood. In Patriot Dreams, a white supremacist founds a club called the League of Real Patriots and sets fire to the new community center to avoid an influx of immigrants. Finally, A Friend in Need focuses on Ben, a cranky football player whose behavior appears to be getting worse after a prejudiced and strict man becomes his stepfather. Each story includes a heavy-handed message about tolerance, acceptance, and diversity. Drawn in a traditional comic-book format with characters resembling a more modern Archie, The Scrapyard Detectives may make a useful teaching tool but it will not appeal to kids for general recreational reading.–Sarah Krygier, Solano County Library, Fairfield, CA
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