Howard Wallace, P.I. (Howard Wallace, P.I., Book 1)

by Casey Lyall

Overview

“…Lyall’s debut is a winner.” —Publishers Weekly

“What’s with the get-up? Is that the company uniform or something?”
“This? All P.I.s wear a trench coat.”
“Dude, that’s a brown bathrobe.”
I shrugged and straightened out my sleeves. “First rule of private investigation, Ivy: work with what you’ve got.”
 
Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace lives by his list of rules of private investigation. He knows more than anyone how to work with what he’s got: a bathrobe for a trench coat, a makeshift office behind the school equipment shed, and not much else—least of all, friends. So when a hot case of blackmail lands on his desk, he’s ready to solve it himself . . . until the new kid, Ivy Mason, convinces him to take her on as a junior partner. As they banter through stakeouts and narrow down their suspects, Howard begins to wonder if having Ivy as a sidekick—and a friend—is such a bad thing after all.

Named a Book Riot middle-grade book for the summer with special recommendation for reluctant readers!
Nominated for the 2018 Red Cedar Book Award!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454926047
Publisher:	Union Square Kids
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Series:	Howard Wallace, P.I. Series
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	391,390
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Casey Lyall (5’4”, brown hair, blue eyes, no known aliases) is a middle-grade writer from Southwestern Ontario. She works at her local library where she runs a number of teen groups and waits for management to discover they’re actually paying her to have fun. When she’s not writing, Casey loves to bake, watch an “unhealthy” amount of movies and television, and of course, read. She’d consider adding detective work to the list if she could find a proper coat. You can find her on Twitter as @CKLyall and at caseylyall.com.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for HOWARD WALLACE, P.I.
 
 *“. . . an absolute delight . . . Banter between Howard and Ivy is snappy . . . a solidly entertaining introduction to hard-boiled detectives.” —Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (STARRED REVIEW)

 “Strong writing, relatable themes, and a solid mystery combine for a read that both boys and girls will have trouble putting down.” —School Library Journal

“Lyall neatly juggles several plotlines . . . Give this to fans of Encyclopedia Brown who are looking for longer (and funnier!) well-plotted mysteries.” —Booklist

“Lyall’s debut is a winner.”  —Publishers Weekly

 “. . . Enough realistic kid detecting to keep young PIs turning pages. . . . the mystery is engaging . . .  Likely to see sequels; Howard and Ivy deserve them.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Full of surprises and humor, Howard Wallace, P.I. will delight any lover of detective stories.”  —Sheila Grau, author of the Dr. Critchlore’s School for Minions series

From the Publisher

07/25/2016
A middle-school gumshoe takes on a new case—and a new partner—in this promising first installment of a series that cleverly introduces the world of classic private eyes to young readers. Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace runs his P.I. business, Wallace Investigations, out of an old shed in the back of Grantleyville Middle School, where he solves cases along the lines of missing trumpets and cats, while portraits of his heroes Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe look on. It’s not surprising that Howard is a loner: he dresses in a ratty brown bathrobe (his version of a trench coat), and he sounds like he walked off the set of The Maltese Falcon. “What can I do for you, doll face?” he asks one prospective client, who grimaces in response. His latest case is a doozy, replete with blackmail and increasingly menacing threats, and then there’s new student Ivy Mason, who’s determined to join Wallace Investigations. Engagingly blending the fictional world of dames and private eyes with keen insights about adolescent friendship, Lyall’s debut is a winner. Ages 8–12. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

05/01/2016
Gr 3–6—Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace is a private investigator. He is skilled at surveillance and has real clients and his own office courtesy of an arrangement with the school custodian. Howard also does not currently have any friends. His best friend moved away the year before, and something happened with his other friend, Miles, that is rather painful. The story opens with Howard's most recent case. Someone stole money from the student council treasurer, trying to set her up. To make matters more complicated, the new girl, Ivy, wants to be Howard's junior partner. Through the lens of an engaging mystery plot, the theme focuses on how friendship changes as one gets older and how some friendships fall away while others strengthen. Another subplot involves issues of bullying. There is plenty of humor, too, as Howard gets around on a busted old bicycle and wears a bathrobe in place of a traditional detective's trench coat. VERDICT Strong writing, relatable themes, and a solid mystery combine for a read that both boys and girls will have trouble putting down.—Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
Grantleyville Middle School lowlifes beware: shamus Howard Wallace is on the case!Twelve-year-old Howard Wallace is obsessed with Sam Spade and other hard-boiled detectives, and he runs his own detective agency (brown bathrobe standing in for the trench coat) from his home and school offices. He solves cases and hands out bills, using his proceeds to buy stashes of his favorite gum and care for his beloved, ancient bike, Big Blue. When a new case involving a stolen student-council checkbook lands in his lap, Howard reluctantly takes on a junior partner, new girl Ivy Mason. (The two characters are likely white.) Almost immediately, the duo starts getting anonymous threats telling them to drop the case. Who's behind the theft and threats? The rich, connected student-council president? Her BFF, who lost the election for treasurer to Howard's client? The disgruntled faculty adviser? Or someone even more unexpected? Canadian author Lyall's debut is a middle school mystery that offers a few laughs, believable characters, and enough realistic kid detecting to keep young PIs turning pages. Through Howard's references to noir detective greats, readers in the target audience who have no reference points for such will begin to learn the tropes of the genre. Once it gets going, the mystery is engaging enough to carry them past bumps. Likely to see sequels; Howard and Ivy deserve them. (Mystery. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews