Scan barcode
bak8382's review
4.0
All Madeline wants to do is attend her 5th grade graduation, but to do that she will need white shoes, and her hippie parents Flo and Mildred just don't see what's so important about any of it. Then her parents disappear and Madeline's problems get much bigger. Her only clue is a coded card, and the possibility that she saw a fox leaving the scene of the crime. Luckily (or perhaps unluckily) she soon meets Mr. and Mrs. Bunny who have recently decided to become detectives. Can they solve the case in time for graduation?
It's a quirky story, but most of the humor seems to be aimed at adults. I'm not sure children would understand all the references (especially about the hippies), but once they get past the first few chapters the story is cute and interesting enough to hold their attention.
The audio is read by the author, and the voice she uses definitely takes some getting used to. At the beginning of each disc there's cute little asides from Mrs. Bunny who both wrote and "reads" the story. Overall a fun listen.
It's a quirky story, but most of the humor seems to be aimed at adults. I'm not sure children would understand all the references (especially about the hippies), but once they get past the first few chapters the story is cute and interesting enough to hold their attention.
The audio is read by the author, and the voice she uses definitely takes some getting used to. At the beginning of each disc there's cute little asides from Mrs. Bunny who both wrote and "reads" the story. Overall a fun listen.
sandraagee's review
3.0
Listened to on audio while hooked up to a breast pump. This book is pretty weird, especially when it comes to characters. Cute, almost cloyingly so.
rachelb36's review
2.0
I had high hopes for this book, but was disappointed.
The premise is cute: a young girl's parents are kidnapped by foxes, and she enlists the help of bunny detectives to find them.
There are some laugh-out-loud moments in this book, which is the only reason it gets two stars from me instead of just one. I read this to my nieces (ages 7 and 9) and they said it was "hilarious."
The biggest problem for me was that Horvath didn't seem to know which age group she was writing for. The illustrations are whimsical and appeal to younger children. The plot appeals to younger children. Yet, there are a ton of references that may be over the heads of even some middle schoolers, let alone younger kids. For example, Mr. Bunny goes off on a long tangent about why he doesn't like tipping waiters because their employers should be paying their wages; there's also talk about organically-sourced food and veganism (the girl's parents are hippies), why Prince Charles serves, even though he didn't ask for the honor, and many more instances that I simply can't remember right now. All of these things were clearly an attempt at cleverness and humor, but they fell flat and had absolutely zero to do with the plot. I got very frustrated with them.
On top of that, there was language used that I don't like seeing in children's books: crap, stupid, idiot, heck, shut up, God's name used in vain, and there was even talk of murder and "bodies buried in the basement." None of this is necessary in a children's book! I had to edit it on the fly while reading to my girls.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
The premise is cute: a young girl's parents are kidnapped by foxes, and she enlists the help of bunny detectives to find them.
There are some laugh-out-loud moments in this book, which is the only reason it gets two stars from me instead of just one. I read this to my nieces (ages 7 and 9) and they said it was "hilarious."
The biggest problem for me was that Horvath didn't seem to know which age group she was writing for. The illustrations are whimsical and appeal to younger children. The plot appeals to younger children. Yet, there are a ton of references that may be over the heads of even some middle schoolers, let alone younger kids. For example, Mr. Bunny goes off on a long tangent about why he doesn't like tipping waiters because their employers should be paying their wages; there's also talk about organically-sourced food and veganism (the girl's parents are hippies), why Prince Charles serves, even though he didn't ask for the honor, and many more instances that I simply can't remember right now. All of these things were clearly an attempt at cleverness and humor, but they fell flat and had absolutely zero to do with the plot. I got very frustrated with them.
On top of that, there was language used that I don't like seeing in children's books: crap, stupid, idiot, heck, shut up, God's name used in vain, and there was even talk of murder and "bodies buried in the basement." None of this is necessary in a children's book! I had to edit it on the fly while reading to my girls.
I would not recommend this book to anyone.
zoemaja's review
5.0
library book.
Loves it so much! Clearly the best book ever written about bunny detectives.
Loves it so much! Clearly the best book ever written about bunny detectives.
we_are_all_mad_here26's review
2.0
I am sure it's just me, but I found this book to be far too over-the-top silly to enjoy. I read and like many silly kids books (see Timmy Failure), but sadly, this just wasn't one of them for me. Ah, well. As I tell my children, who declined to have me read this to aloud them, you win some and you lose some.
jengiuffre's review
5.0
What a silly fun book this is! Luckily, the family read it aloud together. Most of the humor is for adults, but fun enough that the kids thought the book was silly too. (Nothing inappropriate, just references and vocabulary that even high school age students would not quite get.)
I highly recommend this and think that if it was an audio book, we would be laughing even harder.
It ended with a great message, "The richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe."
I highly recommend this and think that if it was an audio book, we would be laughing even harder.
It ended with a great message, "The richness of our lives depends on what we are willing to notice and what we are willing to believe."
mamaorgana80's review
4.0
Quirky and fun. Going to keep making my way through Polly Horvath's books. She's a gem.
mslibrarynerd's review
2.0
The first chapter showed such humorous potential. I loved the hippie parents and the kooky island community. This book lost me at the big butt joke in which Mr. Bunny cannot get over referring to Madeline's humongous bottom. I get that it is supposed to be funny for the 11 year olds reading it, but it feels uncomfortable every time because I am so aware of how easily girls can be negatively affected by this kind of joking. My librarian recommended it and says she has kid's for whom this is their favorite book, but I am giving it only two stars and will skim through to the end guilt free.
jshettel's review
3.0
I thought this book was hilarious, especially on audio but maybe really only funny to adults? I'm not sure if kids would get the humor.