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bingpup_5's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
tiajayne's review against another edition
5.0
I think the Friday Barnes series is funny and interesting, a exciting novel that constantly makes you want to pick it up. I loved the mystery and this was the perfect book for me.
jennutley's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the first one so much I had to keep going. An Encyclopedia Brown for today’s reading girl.
monae_1's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
deafchipmunk's review against another edition
5.0
"People always marvel that holding a seashell to your ear replicates the sound of the sea, but in the seconds before you faint, the movement of blood rushing out of your brain replicates the sound of the sea too."
Woah. A lot was going on with this book, but confusingly didn't make me feel overwhelmed? Maybe because it's a mystery and usually a lot is happening in a book when it's mystery, but anyway. I enjoyed this story so much I stayed up till 3am to finish it. Was it worth it? Heck yeah! So I'm going to give you a long ass review, because why not :,)
I didn't find any major issues with this book. You have to take into account that this is a middle grade book and there are going to be things that are impractical so younger readers can actually enjoy reading it. The main example of this are the adults; they are dumb. Just plain dumb. Friday is 10x smarter than any of them, and sure the series is about her being smart but an 11 year old knowing what to do with a vagrant who's being wrongly accused more than the official police? Yeah no. And this happens on a lot on other occasions with the Vice Principal and Headmaster of Highcrest Academy. If this was a young adults book, this would've been an actual issue. But instead it's middle grade, and if the adults actually did something in this book it would be boring for younger readers to read. So yeah, the only major issue with this story can be excused majorly. There is another issue I found with the book but that's only evident at the end of the book and if you didn't know, in mystery books pretty much any 'mysteries' get revealed at the end of the plot so I can't really explain the issue without spoiling basically everything. If you really want to know then ---->
I personally think the characters were the strongest point of the book. I adored them all and would definitely read about them again (when I start reading the 3rd book of the series!). I'll start with our main character, Friday. She's smart. And I mean smart, she outsmarts everyone. EVERYONE. You do actually benefit from her smartness because you find out interesting facts because of her. One fact that stood out to me (this isn't a spoiler, it's at the start of the book) is that Bowerbirds collect blue things to decorate their nests, to attract a mate. I think that's pretty cool. She's also the biggest savage ever? And not just her but also her father. Friday literally roasts so many people unintentionally because she doesn't realise how smart she is. So she flexes on people without realising it. AND IT'S SO SAVAGE! I highlighted too many parts where she was roasting others. Melanie is Friday's best and only friend. While I do think she could've done more than just follow Friday wherever she goes, she did have some characteristics and wasn't just a minion, like her laziness and the need for her to ship Friday with any cute guy. Speaking of 'cute guys' (They're probably not even cute at all, but how would I know), Ian and Christopher were cool characters. I can definitely see Ian and Friday getting together in the future, Ian's is basically just Friday but less smart and a lot more uncivil. At one point he calls Melanie 'Melly Pelly', which I think is adorable and so funny at the same time. Chris is Friday's second love interest, he's a lot nicer and seems more interested in her and her abilities, while also being incredibly charming. There is so much more to his character (aswell as every other character I mentioned) but that would obviously spoil things in the plot so you're going to have to read the book if you want to know more about him and everyone else. And then there's the adults; so Vice Principal Dean, the Headmaster, Sergeant Crowley and more. At some point Vice Principal Dean gets accused for the strange holes in the school field because apparently he had something against the Headmaster and dug up the holes so the Headmaster could fall into one of them? It was funny to read about, that's all I'm going to say. Other than that, I already explained the adults so that's basically it. There were minor character too like Uncle Bernie and Friday's classmates, but there's very little to them that I can't say much about them except they're just minor characters who don't show up much.
The plot overall was great. Talking about it for long with lead to spoilers so I'll keep this short (well I'll try to anyway). The ending was great. It tied all the loose ends to the main problem aswell as the subplots, and everything made sense and wasn't overwhelming. The main plot twist (yes there's a couple) is so surprising as first but then you realise that it makes sense and realise you're dumb AF for not knowing earlier on. The author definitely put effort into making everything come together nicely and to make sure the plot twists made sense which I love since I hate authors who don't plan the books they write thoroughly, especially if it's mystery. I need to add that this book is unexpectedly super funny. I annotate my books and use a pink highlighter to highlight any parts that made me laugh inside and out, and I swear to god half the pages are pink. I don't know if R.A. Spratt intentionally made the book humorous, either way I cracked up heaps and made me enjoy the book more. I wasn't even expecting there to be any humour because most to nearly all of the mystery books I've read have no comedy.
I hope this review helped in making a decision in which you read this book or not. I highly recommend picking this up and giving it a try, although if you do want to start reading the whole series I suggest starting with the first volume to make things easier for yourself. I'm super excited to read the third volume and can't wait to see what's in store as I was very impressed with this book!
Woah. A lot was going on with this book, but confusingly didn't make me feel overwhelmed? Maybe because it's a mystery and usually a lot is happening in a book when it's mystery, but anyway. I enjoyed this story so much I stayed up till 3am to finish it. Was it worth it? Heck yeah! So I'm going to give you a long ass review, because why not :,)
I didn't find any major issues with this book. You have to take into account that this is a middle grade book and there are going to be things that are impractical so younger readers can actually enjoy reading it. The main example of this are the adults; they are dumb. Just plain dumb. Friday is 10x smarter than any of them, and sure the series is about her being smart but an 11 year old knowing what to do with a vagrant who's being wrongly accused more than the official police? Yeah no. And this happens on a lot on other occasions with the Vice Principal and Headmaster of Highcrest Academy. If this was a young adults book, this would've been an actual issue. But instead it's middle grade, and if the adults actually did something in this book it would be boring for younger readers to read. So yeah, the only major issue with this story can be excused majorly. There is another issue I found with the book but that's only evident at the end of the book and if you didn't know, in mystery books pretty much any 'mysteries' get revealed at the end of the plot so I can't really explain the issue without spoiling basically everything. If you really want to know then ---->
Spoiler
I'm not sure why the author decided to make Christopher a lot older than what he looks like (an 11 year old)? Kind of creepy that he was so touchy with Friday and ended up being a whole lot older than her. Isn't that grooming? I feel like it would've been better if he had been kept as an 11 year old boy, so grooming wouldn't be a potential problem.I personally think the characters were the strongest point of the book. I adored them all and would definitely read about them again (when I start reading the 3rd book of the series!). I'll start with our main character, Friday. She's smart. And I mean smart, she outsmarts everyone. EVERYONE. You do actually benefit from her smartness because you find out interesting facts because of her. One fact that stood out to me (this isn't a spoiler, it's at the start of the book) is that Bowerbirds collect blue things to decorate their nests, to attract a mate. I think that's pretty cool. She's also the biggest savage ever? And not just her but also her father. Friday literally roasts so many people unintentionally because she doesn't realise how smart she is. So she flexes on people without realising it. AND IT'S SO SAVAGE! I highlighted too many parts where she was roasting others. Melanie is Friday's best and only friend. While I do think she could've done more than just follow Friday wherever she goes, she did have some characteristics and wasn't just a minion, like her laziness and the need for her to ship Friday with any cute guy. Speaking of 'cute guys' (They're probably not even cute at all, but how would I know), Ian and Christopher were cool characters. I can definitely see Ian and Friday getting together in the future, Ian's is basically just Friday but less smart and a lot more uncivil. At one point he calls Melanie 'Melly Pelly', which I think is adorable and so funny at the same time. Chris is Friday's second love interest, he's a lot nicer and seems more interested in her and her abilities, while also being incredibly charming. There is so much more to his character (aswell as every other character I mentioned) but that would obviously spoil things in the plot so you're going to have to read the book if you want to know more about him and everyone else. And then there's the adults; so Vice Principal Dean, the Headmaster, Sergeant Crowley and more. At some point Vice Principal Dean gets accused for the strange holes in the school field because apparently he had something against the Headmaster and dug up the holes so the Headmaster could fall into one of them? It was funny to read about, that's all I'm going to say. Other than that, I already explained the adults so that's basically it. There were minor character too like Uncle Bernie and Friday's classmates, but there's very little to them that I can't say much about them except they're just minor characters who don't show up much.
The plot overall was great. Talking about it for long with lead to spoilers so I'll keep this short (well I'll try to anyway). The ending was great. It tied all the loose ends to the main problem aswell as the subplots, and everything made sense and wasn't overwhelming. The main plot twist (yes there's a couple) is so surprising as first but then you realise that it makes sense and realise you're dumb AF for not knowing earlier on. The author definitely put effort into making everything come together nicely and to make sure the plot twists made sense which I love since I hate authors who don't plan the books they write thoroughly, especially if it's mystery. I need to add that this book is unexpectedly super funny. I annotate my books and use a pink highlighter to highlight any parts that made me laugh inside and out, and I swear to god half the pages are pink. I don't know if R.A. Spratt intentionally made the book humorous, either way I cracked up heaps and made me enjoy the book more. I wasn't even expecting there to be any humour because most to nearly all of the mystery books I've read have no comedy.
I hope this review helped in making a decision in which you read this book or not. I highly recommend picking this up and giving it a try, although if you do want to start reading the whole series I suggest starting with the first volume to make things easier for yourself. I'm super excited to read the third volume and can't wait to see what's in store as I was very impressed with this book!
acilient's review against another edition
4.75
found this book at a thrift shop and bought it for the unmatched nostaligia. i loved this series and when i was little my school librarian would always get the latest one just for me and give it to me to read and review before wrapping it and entering it into the system
miss payne i love and miss you xx
miss payne i love and miss you xx
jaxlynleigh's review against another edition
5.0
If you like Encyclopedia Brown, or are looking for a female version of him, Friday Barnes is your girl! Her ability to solve mysteries has the reader looking for clues throughout the entire story. The vocabulary introduced in the book is sure to enhance young readers' comprehension of the book and new words. Can't wait to share with my students!
ceridwyn's review against another edition
3.0
these are adorable books. my son read six in the space of two long car journeys.