Bald Bandit (A to Z Mysteries)

by Ron Roy

Paperback, 1997

Status

Check shelf

Call number

J Ro A-Z

Publication

Scholastic (1997), 70 pages

Description

Third-grader Dink and his detective friends hope to receive a big reward by finding the person whose video recorder picked up a picture of the local bank robber.

Local notes

1509-012

User reviews

LibraryThing member kayceel
S says: this book was a great story because the three kids found the bandit and called the police. The police called the bank to give Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose a bunch of money as a reward.

This story made me want to form a club where you could capture lots of bandits. I think my friends in first
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grade should read this book. It was exciting!
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LibraryThing member nmhale
I am still enjoying this beginning chapter book series about amateur sleuths. In the current story, three friends become involved in a bank robbery case when a detective asks them to help him find a red-headed boy. Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose don't have to find the case this time, it comes to them:
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Detective Reddy is looking for the teenager who accidentally caught the thief on tape just as the man was leaving the bank. The detective tells the kids that he can use help canvassing the town, and offers them a reward for finding the boy - one hundred dollars each! The trio are thrilled with their future prospects, and quickly set out a plan.

They start by hanging around the high school, each one taking a large area to scan. After that plan fails, Dink has a brainstorm. Ask the barber! They live in a small town, and the idea is sound, because Dink finds the information he needs. He manages to secure the videotape, but just when the three friends thought they had the case all wrapped up, a new twist unfolds. They discover that their investigating is more dangerous than they realized.

Children will like this book. The mystery is interesting, and they will love the fact that the kids solve everything on their own, and even come out as heroes in the end. I did know the solution right away; just from the first chapter and the cover picture I had things sorted in my mind. Yet when I consider that the intended audience is first or second graders, I know that this is not only acceptable, but appropriate. They need clues that they can understand, and a mystery that is just complicated enough to be puzzling but not too confusing. Also, the main characters are appealing, and act like real children and therefore will allow young readers to identify with them. The illustrations are detailed and cartoony black-and-white drawings. This is another enjoyable read, and keeps my interest in the series sustained.
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LibraryThing member Yona
Two ratings for early chapter books, I think. Around a three for me; and these, I think, are a definite four for what they are and who their audience is. I really did some smiling through these and I was pretty impressed with several things (read the first three and will copy this to the others).
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They seemed to me like they would be really challenging and I liked the addition of the map of the neighborhood in the front.
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LibraryThing member Briars_Reviews
I was seeking something easy and nostalgic to read with all the nonsense in the world right now, so why not jump back into some sweet middle grade reads I used to binge as a kid? A to Z Mysteries felt like just the book - it'll be easy, have a nice mystery and remind me of my school years.

I
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thoroughly loved these books as a kid and I still enjoy them. There are little twists and turns that you don't necessarily expect but are so good. They make you question what's going on the entire time and then give you a very reasonable ending. I really enjoyed The Bald Bandit since there was many ways the story could have gone. It set it up so you could have a good guess about what might happen but not be entirely sure until you got enough information (much like the little detectives we have in the story).

I highly recommend picking this book up if you're looking for a light chapter book for young readers. It's fun! It also has some pictures if you pick up the right edition!

Four out of five stars.
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Language

Original publication date

1997

Physical description

70 p.; 7.62 inches

ISBN

0590819194 / 9780590819190

Barcode

34747000073839
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