jonirhea 's review for:

Absolutely Truly by Heather Vogel Frederick

4.0

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First in the Pumpkin Falls Mystery series, this is a sweet book about the pains of growing up, being in middle school, and having to move to a new place. Truly Lovejoy is being moved away from her best friend and cousin, to a very small town where her dad grew up. While helping her dad and aunt at the new bookstore, she stumbles upon a mysterious love note. This is the beginning of the the Pumkpkin Falls Private Eyes.

I really like that the characters are real in this story: you have Truly, who feels awkward, Lucas who has an overbearing mother, Scooter who is a bully but not over the top mean, and the adults are characterized very well. The situation with the dad who was injured in the war is very well written.

While the mystery isn't a suspenseful mystery, this is a book written for 3rd grade and up. I think a few of the reviewers forgot that. It is a mystery in that the kids are looking for clues, and also a thief is abound in Pumpkin Falls.

I highly recommend this series for school libraries.