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abanas's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
chaosandbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fun book that was filled with delightful tidbits about Chicago, lovable characters, and a suspenseful plot!
christiana's review against another edition
3.0
I liked that this was kind of a love letter to Chicago while being a great read alike for Mr. Lemoncello's Library readers looking for something to read next. I don't know what to call this genre (the follow-clues-to-reach-a-big-reward a la The Westing Game or even Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) but I am totally here for it.
book_queen101's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Ambrose Deception was a really good book over all with lots of mystery.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This book is perfect for a middle grade reader (and for us moms who like to read middle grade too!). It has super fun characters, an educational element (that isn’t prominent enough to make it obvious it’s teaching you anything) and a cute and wacky mystery.
The book takes three unlikely scholarship hopefuls on an adventure across Chicago to try to solve riddles. The educational element comes in because you end up learning about some of the lesser-known sights in Chicago (and some of the more fun elements of the city as well, since Wilf doesn’t take his scholarship opportunity all that seriously). I really enjoyed the escapades that the kids go through to figure out their clues, and the ending to the book has some elements that kids will LOVE that I don’t want to spoil. What can I say? This book is adorable and adventurous and is pretty much middle-grade gold, in my opinion. I plan to give it to my daughter to read next because I’m convinced she’ll love it. I give it 5/5 stars!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This book is perfect for a middle grade reader (and for us moms who like to read middle grade too!). It has super fun characters, an educational element (that isn’t prominent enough to make it obvious it’s teaching you anything) and a cute and wacky mystery.
The book takes three unlikely scholarship hopefuls on an adventure across Chicago to try to solve riddles. The educational element comes in because you end up learning about some of the lesser-known sights in Chicago (and some of the more fun elements of the city as well, since Wilf doesn’t take his scholarship opportunity all that seriously). I really enjoyed the escapades that the kids go through to figure out their clues, and the ending to the book has some elements that kids will LOVE that I don’t want to spoil. What can I say? This book is adorable and adventurous and is pretty much middle-grade gold, in my opinion. I plan to give it to my daughter to read next because I’m convinced she’ll love it. I give it 5/5 stars!
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
irishgypsie's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
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
4.5
I read this to my son's at bedtime and we all loved it, although it's not really designed for reading aloud because a lot of the elements are presented as handwritten notes, emails, or text messages, which interrupted the flow of reading a little. Still, I definitely recommend it!
lattelibrarian's review against another edition
5.0
This is certainly a book for fans of Raskin's The Westing Game. Filled with distinct personalities and backgrounds, clues, and deceits, The Ambrose Deception makes for a thrilling and intelligent read.
Of the three students chosen to participate in this scholarship, neither one is a student that their schools would recommend for such a riveting and important challenge. As the three youngsters learn about each other and try to solve clues in the middle of Chicago, however, they realize that there might be something bigger happening behind the scenes.
This book was fast-paced and just so fun. I had a great time trying to solve the clues and trying to understand just what was happening behind the scenes. Overall, super enjoyable, and great for the reader who loves mysteries and reading about odd situations that forces people to become friends.
Review cross-listed here!
Of the three students chosen to participate in this scholarship, neither one is a student that their schools would recommend for such a riveting and important challenge. As the three youngsters learn about each other and try to solve clues in the middle of Chicago, however, they realize that there might be something bigger happening behind the scenes.
This book was fast-paced and just so fun. I had a great time trying to solve the clues and trying to understand just what was happening behind the scenes. Overall, super enjoyable, and great for the reader who loves mysteries and reading about odd situations that forces people to become friends.
Review cross-listed here!
geo_curler's review against another edition
5.0
This book is perfect for fans of Mr. Lemoncello's Library and Mysterious Benedict Society. Wilf, Melissa, and Bondi are the last three one would choose to be offered a scholarship opportunity and yet they are. Join these three sleuths as they travel around finding clues throughout the city of Chicago. Full of action packed moments and tense situations, a great book for anyone looking for a mystery.
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve seen The Ambrose Deception likened to The Westing Game. I love the Westing Game so I decided to give it a go. I get where that comparison comes from, but it was definitely not as tightly executed.
I despised Wilf. His whole schtick was supposed to be that he was the slacker which I understand, but he never overcame his affliction. Bondi and Melissa simply carried him forward.
He doesn’t even try to solve his clues, he abandons the task in favor of enjoying the goods offered while he can. He literally loses one of his clues and doesn’t know it until Bondi and Melissa start talking to him. His driver has to cheat for him to get even one answer. I don’t understand what purpose he served other than a hanger-on who didn’t deserve to get any money in the end. I found it annoying that he wasn’t pulling his weight. It was like living through a middle school group project all over again. It might as well have been only Melissa and Bondi for all the use Wilf had narratively.
I also just didn’t like the mystery. It played out extremely mechanically. The only twist was the one mentioned in the synopsis. There weren’t any major setbacks, fun asides, or deeper puzzles.
The clues aren’t actually that difficult because they’re related to facts about Chicago. Given enough time (which they have because there isn’t even a deadline) anyone could figure them out. You don’t actually need a lot of thought in terms of intelligence, just effort to put it together.
The Westing Game used a word puzzle that didn’t have any obvious hint to it and relied on the participants' natural inclinations to figure out an answer. For instance, based on the words she gets the character of Turtle thinks the answer is related to the stock market. But, based on their clues two other characters think the answer lies in one of the participants having a twin. It’s about the puzzle being naturally perplexing coupled with how the participants experiences shape their viewpoint.
Plus most of the characters in the Westing Game were hiding a secret to add to the complexity. None of the main three has anything interesting to keep to themselves that would have an impact on the development of the story or the relationships to one another. In fact none of the characters is particularly interesting period.
To be clear, The Westing Game has its flaws. Still, it’s a fun romp that keeps you guessing the entire time. I did not care to guess when it came to The Ambrose Deception. Worse, I did not want to.
Mysteries are super hard to write and this isn’t a bad one. It’s only an average one. I wouldn’t say not to read it, but if I could do it over I’d give it a pass.
I despised Wilf. His whole schtick was supposed to be that he was the slacker which I understand, but he never overcame his affliction. Bondi and Melissa simply carried him forward.
He doesn’t even try to solve his clues, he abandons the task in favor of enjoying the goods offered while he can. He literally loses one of his clues and doesn’t know it until Bondi and Melissa start talking to him. His driver has to cheat for him to get even one answer. I don’t understand what purpose he served other than a hanger-on who didn’t deserve to get any money in the end. I found it annoying that he wasn’t pulling his weight. It was like living through a middle school group project all over again. It might as well have been only Melissa and Bondi for all the use Wilf had narratively.
I also just didn’t like the mystery. It played out extremely mechanically. The only twist was the one mentioned in the synopsis. There weren’t any major setbacks, fun asides, or deeper puzzles.
The clues aren’t actually that difficult because they’re related to facts about Chicago. Given enough time (which they have because there isn’t even a deadline) anyone could figure them out. You don’t actually need a lot of thought in terms of intelligence, just effort to put it together.
The Westing Game used a word puzzle that didn’t have any obvious hint to it and relied on the participants' natural inclinations to figure out an answer. For instance, based on the words she gets the character of Turtle thinks the answer is related to the stock market. But, based on their clues two other characters think the answer lies in one of the participants having a twin. It’s about the puzzle being naturally perplexing coupled with how the participants experiences shape their viewpoint.
Plus most of the characters in the Westing Game were hiding a secret to add to the complexity. None of the main three has anything interesting to keep to themselves that would have an impact on the development of the story or the relationships to one another. In fact none of the characters is particularly interesting period.
To be clear, The Westing Game has its flaws. Still, it’s a fun romp that keeps you guessing the entire time. I did not care to guess when it came to The Ambrose Deception. Worse, I did not want to.
Mysteries are super hard to write and this isn’t a bad one. It’s only an average one. I wouldn’t say not to read it, but if I could do it over I’d give it a pass.