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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Thanks to the publisher and edelweiss for an early copy!
This middle grade story was really good. Drew, named after Nancy Drew, is a true crime junkie. She has even solved some mysteries around her town - to a lot of folks’ chagrin. She only has one friend, a friend she’s had for a really long time, and he made things weird recently so she’s feeling a little alone. Especially because her mom literally ran off to an island with her guidance counselor…. Yeah, Drew and her dad are going through it.
So when an exposing drama Instagram account arises at her middle school, and her mom’s drama is part of what’s exposed, Drew decides this is her next case. The Instagram account has mostly focused on cyberbullying the already-bullied kids at school and Drew wants to protect them and herself.
She makes new friends, figures out her relationship with her best friend, messes up with her friends again… deals with grieving her relationship with her mom and realizing that maybe it was never all that great, has some heart to hearts with her dad… it basically just hit a lot of sweet spots for the middle grade age range and was a fun read.
Drew also has asthma and I think IBS, so it’s always good to see some representation of medical conditions!! She’s also fat, unapologetically. Also her friend group is diverse with an Indian kid and a Black kid.
Basically, you probably won’t go wrong giving this to any kid in your life, or even just picking it up yourself for a quick and fun read.
This middle grade story was really good. Drew, named after Nancy Drew, is a true crime junkie. She has even solved some mysteries around her town - to a lot of folks’ chagrin. She only has one friend, a friend she’s had for a really long time, and he made things weird recently so she’s feeling a little alone. Especially because her mom literally ran off to an island with her guidance counselor…. Yeah, Drew and her dad are going through it.
So when an exposing drama Instagram account arises at her middle school, and her mom’s drama is part of what’s exposed, Drew decides this is her next case. The Instagram account has mostly focused on cyberbullying the already-bullied kids at school and Drew wants to protect them and herself.
She makes new friends, figures out her relationship with her best friend, messes up with her friends again… deals with grieving her relationship with her mom and realizing that maybe it was never all that great, has some heart to hearts with her dad… it basically just hit a lot of sweet spots for the middle grade age range and was a fun read.
Drew also has asthma and I think IBS, so it’s always good to see some representation of medical conditions!! She’s also fat, unapologetically. Also her friend group is diverse with an Indian kid and a Black kid.
Basically, you probably won’t go wrong giving this to any kid in your life, or even just picking it up yourself for a quick and fun read.
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Abandonment
this was so fun! as someone who grew up LOVING murder mysteries and just mysteries in general, but none of my friends feeling the same or understanding why i loved them so much, the child in me felt very seen by drew! i loved how she was not only named after nancy drew, but actually loved the books and the character as well. she also watches the nancy drew tv series so every reference to the show made me so happy.
this book handled many important topics in such a great and accessible way. there was a lot of discussion on fatphobia and what it's like to grow up and be "the fat kid" and be bullied as well as growing comfortable in your body. every time she saw a kid get bullied for being fat or thought back to when she was bullied about her weight, drew was very quick to mention something about being fat is not a dirty word, it is not bad, and she talks about how she's still "what is considered chubby" and that she's okay with it. i know that i would've loved reading a book about a fat/chubby main character who felt positively about her body as a kid, hell i love reading about it now because i still need that validation. i thought that was so important.
there's also a lot of discussion on bullying and the harms of bullying both in-person and online. there's discussions on how white the education system is and how many schools don't have students reading books about people of color or books written by people of color. drew also talks about how even though she has friends who are people of color and can hear and sympathize with the struggles that they face, she knows that she will never fully understand because she won't have the same experiences as them.
there's discussion of divorce and how that affects a child, as well as absentee parenting and how our parent's past trauma can be reflected back onto us. there's also the fact that drew realizes that she is probably bisexual but she doesn't feel the need to decide yet because she's in 7th grade and she still thinks that actually kissing another human is gross.
i think that this is a great book not just for middle grade readers, but readers in general. i would've loved a book like this as a kid and i'm really glad that kids growing up now have it
this book handled many important topics in such a great and accessible way. there was a lot of discussion on fatphobia and what it's like to grow up and be "the fat kid" and be bullied as well as growing comfortable in your body. every time she saw a kid get bullied for being fat or thought back to when she was bullied about her weight, drew was very quick to mention something about being fat is not a dirty word, it is not bad, and she talks about how she's still "what is considered chubby" and that she's okay with it. i know that i would've loved reading a book about a fat/chubby main character who felt positively about her body as a kid, hell i love reading about it now because i still need that validation. i thought that was so important.
there's also a lot of discussion on bullying and the harms of bullying both in-person and online. there's discussions on how white the education system is and how many schools don't have students reading books about people of color or books written by people of color. drew also talks about how even though she has friends who are people of color and can hear and sympathize with the struggles that they face, she knows that she will never fully understand because she won't have the same experiences as them.
there's discussion of divorce and how that affects a child, as well as absentee parenting and how our parent's past trauma can be reflected back onto us. there's also the fact that drew realizes that she is probably bisexual but she doesn't feel the need to decide yet because she's in 7th grade and she still thinks that actually kissing another human is gross.
i think that this is a great book not just for middle grade readers, but readers in general. i would've loved a book like this as a kid and i'm really glad that kids growing up now have it
Excellent middle grade story. I really loved the way that Bury depicted Drew navigating her social world.
I loved DREW LECLAIR GETS A CLUE! Katryn Bury has created a more than likable character who is smart, relatable, flawed, loyal, and funny. If I were a kid, I'd want to be friends with Drew. I thought the mystery was solid with clues for the reader to follow, plus it touched on issues many kid readers can relate to: bullying, body shaming, chronic illness, and divorce. While some of the issues/themes are most definitely heavy, the story never sags and it's infused with humor and hope in just the right places.
I'm hoping there will be more Drew Leclair mysteries because she's awesome and so is her dad and her friends. I highly recommend this middle grade mystery!
I'm hoping there will be more Drew Leclair mysteries because she's awesome and so is her dad and her friends. I highly recommend this middle grade mystery!
This is a smart, funny book about being different and finding your peer group, being confused about your sexuality and learning to say that's okay, dealing with your parents' divorce (and the fact that parents are flawed human beings who may still love you), and standing up to bullies. It glances at issues of racism and prejudice against fat people. It includes a thread about how social media and chat can be a hostile environment, especially when you're twelve years old.
Oh, and there's a decent mystery. No murders, thank goodness, but the culprit is caught and the wrongs are set right.
I often say that the reason I can tutor kids for bar and bat mitzvah is that unlike many adults, a part of me remembers what it's like to be twelve years old. What confirms that is how much I enjoyed this book.
Oh, and there's a decent mystery. No murders, thank goodness, but the culprit is caught and the wrongs are set right.
I often say that the reason I can tutor kids for bar and bat mitzvah is that unlike many adults, a part of me remembers what it's like to be twelve years old. What confirms that is how much I enjoyed this book.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Growing up, I was the kid who spent every Friday night watching America's Most Wanted with my mom because it fascinated me, even though I always ended up being freaked me out. This book felt like it was written for the kids like me.
As much as I loved this book as an adult, I know I would have loved it even more when I was a kid.
Drew is the kid who is different than her peers. She'd rather talk about murder podcasts than sports, she doesn't have crushes like the other kids her age, and her relationship with her mom leaves much to be desired. Drew Leclair Gets a Clue is a mystery but at it's core, it's about a young girl just trying to figure out how she fits into the world while staying true to herself.
The true crime references in this were awesome and anyone who's interested in true crime will appreciate the name drops (even the fictional podcast host names were definitely nods to the hosts of a real life popular podcast). There were also multiple references to Nancy Drew, Drew's namesake, and my favourite sleuth as a kid. Nancy is still a popular girl sleuth today but Drew Leclair is a more relatable girl detective for the crime and mystery loving kids and I loved that.
Overall, this is the perfect book for the kid with a "weird" interest in true crime and dreams of doing the crime solving themself. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley, Clarion Books, and Katryn Bury for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an hoenst review.
As much as I loved this book as an adult, I know I would have loved it even more when I was a kid.
Drew is the kid who is different than her peers. She'd rather talk about murder podcasts than sports, she doesn't have crushes like the other kids her age, and her relationship with her mom leaves much to be desired. Drew Leclair Gets a Clue is a mystery but at it's core, it's about a young girl just trying to figure out how she fits into the world while staying true to herself.
The true crime references in this were awesome and anyone who's interested in true crime will appreciate the name drops (even the fictional podcast host names were definitely nods to the hosts of a real life popular podcast). There were also multiple references to Nancy Drew, Drew's namesake, and my favourite sleuth as a kid. Nancy is still a popular girl sleuth today but Drew Leclair is a more relatable girl detective for the crime and mystery loving kids and I loved that.
Overall, this is the perfect book for the kid with a "weird" interest in true crime and dreams of doing the crime solving themself. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series.
Thank you to Netgalley, Clarion Books, and Katryn Bury for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an hoenst review.
emotional
funny
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:
Yes