The Spaghetti Detectives

by Andreas Steinhofel, Chantal Wright (Translator)

Overview

1 String of Spaghetti + 2 Friends = A Noodle-Cooking, Crime-Solving Adventure!Sometimes Rico acts a bit odd -- his mom calls him a "proddity" -- but he's GENIUS at noticing little things nobody else does. Like a string of spaghetti stuck to the sidewalk. Or the big buckteeth of that boy in the blue motorcycle helmet. Or the strange behavior of the neighbors in his apartment building. Oscar is a true prodigy, with a high IQ and high anxieties to match. He's the one who wears the blue helmet -- to protect his precious brain! Oscar may have a lot of book smarts, but he needs Rico's help to face his biggest fears. And when other kids mysteriously start going missing, it's up to the two friends to use their noodles, keep track of the clues, and crack the case! Funny, sweet, and just the right amount of scary, THE SPAGHETTI DETECTIVES shows how two opposite, seemingly mismatched kids can put their heads together and be better as a pair.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545389228
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	07/01/2011
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Lexile:	740L (what's this?)
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

ANDREAS STEINHOFEL is an award-winning German writer whose first book, the YA novel DIRK UND ICH, was published when he was still in college. THE SPAGHETTI DETECTIVES was awarded the prestigious German Youth Literature Prize in 2009. In addition to writing books for young readers, Andreas works as a translator, writes for TV and radio, reviews books, and edits graphic novels. He lives in Berlin, Germany.

Editorial Reviews

Gr 3–6—Rico Doretti calls himself a "child proddity," a scrambled word to describe his thought processes, a condition that lands him in special classes at school and keeps thoughts jumping through his brain like the ping-pong balls in the lotto-drawing drum. Similar to the character of Joey Pigza, Rico tends to view the world a little differently. When he makes friends with a true child prodigy, seven-year-old Oscar, the unlikely friendship allows Rico to put together clues and solve a serial kidnapping case that has had the police working overtime. While the story of a unique friendship is humorous and the insights into Rico's perceptions of his world and his struggle to keep order and overcome fears are well written and colorful, many of the situations might not translate well for an American audience. Why Rico's single mother chooses to leave an ADHD child alone for several days while she visits a relative or even why he is allowed to travel and maneuver the city by himself while a kidnapper is at large in his neighborhood might draw concern from some readers. The plot tends to drag along before coming to a tidy conclusion, but the characters are well developed and the story does offer an inside look at a youngster who marches to his own quirky beat.—Cheryl Ashton, Amherst Public Library, OH

School Library Journal

Originally published in Germany, this novel, which has the feel of a middle-grade variation on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is narrated by Rico, a self-described "child proddity. That's a bit like being a child prodigy, but also like the opposite." Though Rico never specifies his medical condition, he notes that his "head is sometimes as topsy-turvy as a barrel full of lottery balls," an analogy borne out by monologues that ricochet from topic to topic. After finding a strand of spaghetti on the sidewalk outside his Berlin apartment building, Rico goes in search of additional pieces of pasta. At a playground, he meets Oscar, an actual prodigy who, expecting the worst, insists on wearing a helmet. Though readers may find the pace languid, it picks up when Oscar becomes a victim of a serial kidnapper and Rico attempts to find his friend. In his English-language debut, Steinhöfel introduces a diverse and well-developed cast; Rico's scattershot narration won't be for everyone, but his singular, inquisitive perspective makes for a drily funny and gratifying mystery. Ages 8–12. (July)

Publishers Weekly