Andy Shane and the Barn Sale Mystery

by Jennifer Richard Jacobson, Abby Carter (Illustrator)

Overview

The spirit of giving takes a twisty turn as Andy schemes to give Granny Webb the best present ever--and ends up with a mystery on his hands. (Ages 5-8)

It’s Andy Shane and Granny Webb’s unbirthday, and Andy has thought of just the right gift for Granny Webb: a case to hold her beloved binoculars. The only problem is that Andy has no money. But with the help of his friend Dolores Starbuckle, he comes up with the perfect plan--a barn sale! And sure enough, the determined duo sells enough stuff to afford the binoculars case--but now where are the binoculars? The endearing Andy Shane and his enterprising pal Dolores call on their best detective skills in this witty mystery story. But can they solve the case in time for the unbirthday party?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763688639
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Series:	Andy Shane , #5
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Jennifer Richard Jacobson has written many books for young readers, including four previous stories about Andy Shane. She lives in Yarmouth, Maine.

Abby Carter is the illustrator of the Andy Shane series and many other books for children, including My Hippie Grandmother by Reeve Lindbergh and Full House: An Invitation to Fractions by Dayle Ann Dodds. She lives in Hadlyme, Connecticut.

Jennifer Richard Jacobson grew up in a family of storytellers. “My brothers,” she says, “had the ability to make us laugh until our bellies hurt. I wasn’t as hilarious, but I learned how to take the mishaps in life (especially the embarrassments) and turn them into a dramatic story.”

Author of the Andy Shane series, Jennifer says that she can sympathize with both Andy and his counterpart, Dolores. Like Andy she can be a dreamer, a planner—someone who likes to take time to think things over. But like the boisterous Dolores, she’s also persistent. Once she’s decided on a goal, she doesn’t give up.

When writing stories, Jennifer often begins with a specific memory, a kernel of a story that she wants to expand and explore. But the idea for her middle-grade novel Small as an Elephant came to her in an unexpected way: “Ten years ago I was at a writer’s conference and the instructor (Virginia Euwer Wolff of Make Lemonade fame) suggested, as an exercise, that we try writing an irresistible beginning. I had a rush of an idea: What if a boy on a camping trip crawled out of his pup tent and discovered that his family (I didn’t yet know who he was camping with) and the camping equipment were gone? I shared this beginning with the other writers, received an enthusiastic response, and then let the idea go. Or tried to let it go. But it wouldn’t let go of me. Who was the boy? Why was he abandoned? I had to write the book.”

Jennifer is also the author of another middle-grade novel for Candlewick Press titled Paper Things. She lives in Maine with her husband and Jack Russell terrier.

Three Things You Might Not Know About Jennifer:

1. She sings her favorite childhood songs when she runs.

2. She was called “Jeffie” until she was eight years old.

3. She cries at the end of every good story.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 1–3—Andy Shane has thought up the perfect gift for Granny Webb's unbirthday—a case for her binoculars. Trouble is, his piggy bank is empty. With the help of his friend Dolores, he devises a plan to earn money by collecting the neighbors' castoffs and selling them from his grandmother's barn. Unfortunately Granny's binoculars are inadvertently sold as well. The children eventually track them down, and Andy realizes that he cannot afford both the binoculars and the case. He trades his bike so he can have both. In homage to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," Granny Webb trades her binoculars to buy a new bike seat and horn for Andy. The pen-and-ink drawing at the end shows readers that everything has worked out for both of them. The illustrations move the story along and provide important contextual clues. This satisfying title will appeal to early chapter-book readers.—Beth Cuddy, Seward Elementary School, Auburn, NY

School Library Journal

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review of ANDY SHANE IS NOT IN LOVE and ANDY SHANE AND THE BARN SALE MYSTERY]--Rachel Lillis narrates two Andy Shane adventures with zest. Andy is a boy who makes lists when he has a problem to solve. Here he finds missing binoculars and works himself out of a pickle when his constant companion, Dolores, is bent out of shape by the arrival of a new girl in their class. Lillis gives individualization to Andy’s character and to Andy’s friends and grandmother. Andy is thoughtful, Dolores and Lark are enthusiastic, and Granny Webb is full of wisdom and humor. Lillis’s dialogue, complete with varied voices, comes across as realistic and childlike. A.R. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

OCTOBER 2011 - AudioFile