Today we have a review for Minerva Keen’s Detective Club by James Patterson & Keir Graff. This review is brought to you in conjunction with TBR & Beyond Tours. Thank you for allowing me to participate in this tour.
I received this book for free from Little Brown to facilitate my review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Minerva Keen's Detective Club by James Patterson, Keir Graff Published by Little Brown on 05/01/2023
Genres: Middle Grade / Fantasy
Format: Hardcover
Source: Little Brown
IndieBound
Goodreads
James Patterson has just created the most spine-tingling, creepy-crawling, giggle-producing kid’s detective club ever.
That’s ever.
Living in the luxurious Arcanum building—with its interior balconies perfect for playing tag, an elevator like an iron birdcage, and quirky neighbors behind every apartment door—has always been fun and games for twelve-year-old Minerva Keen…until her neighbors start getting poisoned. Anyone could be next, and everyone is a suspect, including Minerva herself.To clear her name and help the police crack the case, Minerva starts her own detective club. So what if it has only two other members, one being Minerva’s accident-prone daredevil brother and the other being the biggest and quietest kid in school, who happens to be afraid of his own shadow? Minerva knows that with her brainpower, the club’s sleuthing skills, and case files full of suspects, they can unmask the poisoner…hopefully before it’s too late.
This page-turning new mystery series is packed with thrills, chills, laughs, and unforgettable characters and will leave kids eager to join the best club around.
Ok, we’ve established that I’m not the biggest fan of middle grade books, although I have read quite a few and the ones I’ve read have been very good. But I’m a huge fan of James Patterson, so my reading Minerva Keen’s Detective Club seemed like a no-brainer… with the exception of the fact that I’m not a big fan of James Patterson having co-authors. For some reason, the only books I’ve been able to read that he’s had a co-author for were The President is Missing and The President’s Daughter, which he co-wrote with Bill Clinton. Other co-written books have just fell flat for me. But this one? Oh, this one definitely was to my liking.
For one, it was funny. From the hilarious reaction Minerva has to being nervous to a scheme Heck1Minerva’s younger brother comes up with, I kept finding myself laughing out loud at this book. My roommates thought I’d lost my mind because I don’t often laugh while reading books2In my defense, I read a lot of fantasy, horror, and thrillers that don’t usually have much humor in them.
For another, the book was seamless. One of my biggest pet peeves with James Patterson’s co-written books is that I can usually tell the difference between the authors and it drives me bananas. But with Keir Graff and James Patterson writing together, I couldn’t tell who had written any particular chapter or part of the book. While it seemed at one point there might have been a continuity error, it’s also possible that I just wasn’t paying attention.
Minerva Keen’s Detective Club is a very well written, fast-paced book. I read the entire book in a total of about 3 hours. I didn’t want to put it down because I wanted to know what would happen next. After all, there are several things going on in this book – and an ending you won’t expect. I know I certainly didn’t. I think this a great book to get your middle-grade aged kiddo into James Patterson and into reading.
I gave the book 5 stars because it truly is an amazing middle grade novel that deserves every one of the stars I gave it. I highly recommend this book – even if you aren’t a middle grade reader, if you like James Patterson, I think you’ll like this.
About James Patterson
James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. Among his creations are Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and Maximum Ride. His #1 bestselling nonfiction includes Walk in My Combat Boots, Filthy Rich, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. He has collaborated on novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton and has won an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, and the National Humanities Medal.
About Keir Graff
Keir Graff is the author of funny and fantastical middle-grade adventure novels including The Tiny Mansion, The Phantom Tower (a Chicago Tribune Best Children’s Book), and The Matchstick Castle (an official Illinois Reads selection). He also writes books for grown-ups—some of them under fake names! A longtime resident of Chicago, he lives near the shore of Lake Michigan with his wife Marya, sons Felix and Cosmo, and cats Toothless and Totoro.