Gr 2-4-An offhand comment from her father sets nine-year-old Harriet Bean on the path of finding the five aunts whom she has never known. This seems like the perfect start of a juicy family mystery but it never quite turns into one. When given the full story of her father's loss of his five older sisters and a clue to the whereabouts of one of them, Harriet embarks on a hasty journey of collection. Useful coincidences make the women ridiculously easy to locate; it also helps that the final two are mind readers and come seeking her. The real mystery is how the father can possibly be absentminded enough to misplace five sisters. All of them are likable characters with interesting personality quirks and gadgets: strong-woman Veronica uses pedal power to drive her circus trailer from city to city, and twin detectives Thessalonika and Japonica are masters of disguise with convincing costumes. It is these two who give Harriet the chance to solve a mystery in the sequel, which takes place at a racetrack's stables. Masquerading as a jockey, Harriet is confronted with a villain who uses glue to stick a horse's feet to the floor so that he won't run well the next day. It's contrived stuff such as this that takes most of the charm out of this easy chapter-book series.-Kathleen Meulen, Blakely Elementary School, Bainbridge Island, WA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
New York Times best-selling author of more than 50 books, Alexander McCall Smith delights children with his Akimbo adventures and Harriet Bean mysteries. Something strange is happening to Mr. Fetlock's well-trained racehorses! Suddenly his swiftest steeds are running slowly. Sometimes they just sit down. Nine-year-old Harriet Bean is just the right size to pose as a jockey and unravel this bizarre mystery. But as Harriet sits next to Black Lightning, she has second thoughts about riding such a terrifying beast and exposing the diabolical League of Cheats. ". for young readers and the inner child in all of us."-book jacket
1008554591
Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
New York Times best-selling author of more than 50 books, Alexander McCall Smith delights children with his Akimbo adventures and Harriet Bean mysteries. Something strange is happening to Mr. Fetlock's well-trained racehorses! Suddenly his swiftest steeds are running slowly. Sometimes they just sit down. Nine-year-old Harriet Bean is just the right size to pose as a jockey and unravel this bizarre mystery. But as Harriet sits next to Black Lightning, she has second thoughts about riding such a terrifying beast and exposing the diabolical League of Cheats. ". for young readers and the inner child in all of us."-book jacket
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Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169273885 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Recorded Books, LLC |
| Publication date: | 02/24/2008 |
| Series: | Harriet Bean Series , #2 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
| Age Range: | 8 - 11 Years |
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