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heylook's review
3.0
Probably not going to be too great for older readers - all the plot twists and whodunits were painfully obvious. Well-written, though.
lil1smith's review against another edition
3.0
The plot had potential, but the writing was pretty poor. Very predictable.
potato_dog's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Death of parent
gbliss's review against another edition
2.0
Actually, considering the hour and switch out of Daylight Savings Time, I'm not sure what day I finished this.
I have to continually remind myself the target age range for this book, but then I think that I am excusing flaws just because the readers are so young.
This book has many of the familiar stock elements of an MG mystery -- annoyingly precocious and unrealistically independent children and each one has some special talent that is the single dominating aspect of their personality and which, so nicely, ties to the solution of the mystery.
The actual solution was staggeringly obvious (again, I remind myself of the target age range and weigh the number of mysteries I have read vs the number read by your average, oh, 9-12 year old.) The book reads like stage directions for a slap dash TV episode in too many sections, providing "action" scenes that are meant to be suspenseful but really just end up being tedious, repetitive, and confusing.
The book took forever to get actually get rolling and move beyond Square Two -- we got hints of Square Three every once in a while at the beginning, only to bounce back to Square Two time and time again.
The airport in question has no resemblance to any 21st century airport I have been in, let alone Washington National. I am not looking for ultra-realistic verisimilitude in an MG mystery, but the plot-convenient-suspension of reality gets old.
On to the next in the series. Out of curiosity, not desire.
I have to continually remind myself the target age range for this book, but then I think that I am excusing flaws just because the readers are so young.
This book has many of the familiar stock elements of an MG mystery -- annoyingly precocious and unrealistically independent children and each one has some special talent that is the single dominating aspect of their personality and which, so nicely, ties to the solution of the mystery.
The actual solution was staggeringly obvious (again, I remind myself of the target age range and weigh the number of mysteries I have read vs the number read by your average, oh, 9-12 year old.) The book reads like stage directions for a slap dash TV episode in too many sections, providing "action" scenes that are meant to be suspenseful but really just end up being tedious, repetitive, and confusing.
The book took forever to get actually get rolling and move beyond Square Two -- we got hints of Square Three every once in a while at the beginning, only to bounce back to Square Two time and time again.
The airport in question has no resemblance to any 21st century airport I have been in, let alone Washington National. I am not looking for ultra-realistic verisimilitude in an MG mystery, but the plot-convenient-suspension of reality gets old.
On to the next in the series. Out of curiosity, not desire.
libraryrobin's review against another edition
3.0
Kids snowed in at an airport solve the mystery of the stolen Stars and Stripes and discover they all have relatives who belong to a secret society, the Siver Jaguars.
kelleemoye's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
Capture the Flag is up there with National Treasure and Heist Society in heist stories- it adds a nice element to middle grade fiction.
I loved the different personalities of the kids in this book and I love that they are all realistic. Henry loves his video games, Jose loves to read especially Harry Potter and Anna wants to be a journalist just like her mother. Analogies are made throughout the book between video games & books and the adventure that they are on (I specifically like the one comparing Malfoy's outlook on pure bloods in Harry Potter and the immigration debate here in the US). I also love that Jose collects quotes and they are spattered throughout the novel. Finally you meet Sinan, a young man learning English and gives us illustrations of idioms, and his dog Hammurabi who is the comic relief.
Another great story from the great Kate Messner!
Capture the Flag is up there with National Treasure and Heist Society in heist stories- it adds a nice element to middle grade fiction.
I loved the different personalities of the kids in this book and I love that they are all realistic. Henry loves his video games, Jose loves to read especially Harry Potter and Anna wants to be a journalist just like her mother. Analogies are made throughout the book between video games & books and the adventure that they are on (I specifically like the one comparing Malfoy's outlook on pure bloods in Harry Potter and the immigration debate here in the US). I also love that Jose collects quotes and they are spattered throughout the novel. Finally you meet Sinan, a young man learning English and gives us illustrations of idioms, and his dog Hammurabi who is the comic relief.
Another great story from the great Kate Messner!
brandypainter's review against another edition
4.0
Originally posted at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
Fans of National Treasure type mysteries will love Capture the Flag by Kate Messner. It is a fun read that will probably make most MG readers happy indeed.
Anna, Jose', and Henry are as different as can be. Anna is a nosy budding journalist who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut or mind her own business. But she has good instincts and a great deal of courage. Jose' can bury himself in his books and pretend like the problems in the real world aren't happening. But he is loyal, has a great deal of common sense, and a lot of wisdom. Henry is attached to his video games to the point of obsession. But he is great with younger kids, dogs, and ideas for capturing bad guys. Together the three of them make a fantastic team. I felt that Messner did an excellent job bringing all three kids to life with their individual personalities, quirks, and interests. They are a diverse group, literally and figuratively, and they work, play, and squabble well together.
The mystery is a fun one, contained to a 24 hour period inside an airport. I think kids who read this will be as surprised as the kids in the book to discover the bad guys. (Adults will figure it out rather quickly.) In addition to the mystery there is the introduction of a secret society, plenty of action involving luggage carousels and shampoo, and a large heroic poodle. Kids will eat this story up and it is always great when I find a book I can recommend to nearly any kid and no that they will like. Best of all, there will be MORE. A sequel is coming soon.
Fans of National Treasure type mysteries will love Capture the Flag by Kate Messner. It is a fun read that will probably make most MG readers happy indeed.
Anna, Jose', and Henry are as different as can be. Anna is a nosy budding journalist who doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut or mind her own business. But she has good instincts and a great deal of courage. Jose' can bury himself in his books and pretend like the problems in the real world aren't happening. But he is loyal, has a great deal of common sense, and a lot of wisdom. Henry is attached to his video games to the point of obsession. But he is great with younger kids, dogs, and ideas for capturing bad guys. Together the three of them make a fantastic team. I felt that Messner did an excellent job bringing all three kids to life with their individual personalities, quirks, and interests. They are a diverse group, literally and figuratively, and they work, play, and squabble well together.
The mystery is a fun one, contained to a 24 hour period inside an airport. I think kids who read this will be as surprised as the kids in the book to discover the bad guys. (Adults will figure it out rather quickly.) In addition to the mystery there is the introduction of a secret society, plenty of action involving luggage carousels and shampoo, and a large heroic poodle. Kids will eat this story up and it is always great when I find a book I can recommend to nearly any kid and no that they will like. Best of all, there will be MORE. A sequel is coming soon.
diadandy's review
4.0
This was a cute book for a younger children. A nice mix of mystery and history. The problem I have with it is that the kids disobey multiple times, and it turns out okay in the end. I also don't like that all of the adults were made to be rather stupid and/or never had time for the children.