Available:*
Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... R.H. Stafford Library (Woodbury) | J FICTION ABB | Searching... Unknown |
Bound With These Titles
On Order
Summary
Summary
Fans of Dav Pilkey's The Adventures of Ook and Glook and Patricia Reilly Giff's ZigZag Kids will flock to this chapter-book mystery series full of slapstick humor and silly situations by the wildly popular Tony Abbott, author of the Secrets of Droon series.
Jeff, Brian, Mara, and Kelly are self-proclaimed goofballs. Since first grade these friends have been solving mystery among their schoolmates etc and now their reputation is expanding.
Rich kid Randall Crandall's horse, Thunder, goes missing and he calls upon the Goofballs to find him. Deciphering the clues that range from a flower delivery truck, a thunderstorm and a horse who's afraid of thunder, leads the Goofballs to recover missing Thunder, the flower-loving horse. In the meantime, they follow a trail of chomped-up flowers, disguise themselves as bushes in a florist shop and spend some time in a house that's bigger than the White House.
Author Notes
Tony Abbott was born in Cleveland, Ohio on January 7, 1952. He attended the University of Connecticut, majoring first in music, then psychology, and finally English. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in English literature. After that, he traveled to Europe before returning home and finding work in a variety of bookstores, a library and at an Internet book and magazine publisher.
His first published book, Danger Guys, was written while taking a writing class with children's author, Patricia Reilly Giff. Since then, he's written over 75 books for children ages 6 to 12, including The Secrets of Droon series, The Haunting of Derek Stone series, and The Time Surfers series. Firegirl won the Golden Kite Award for Fiction in 2007 and The Postcard won the Edgar Award for the Best Juvenile Mystery novel in 2009.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-4-The Goofballs are four fourth-grade friends who love a bad pun almost as much as they love a good mystery. Jeff, the group's founder, observes everything and keeps notes in his clue book. Brian builds gadgets. Mara and Kelly specialize in disguises and spotting suspicious behavior. This series opener finds the kids already famous for solving their last case: why pizzas mysteriously appeared all over their small town of Badger Point. Their newest challenge is to find the missing pony belonging to wealthy young Randall Crandall. The chief suspect is Joey Myers, the gang's nemesis since first grade, whom Jeff observes taking out books on horses from the public library the day Thunder disappeared. Mrs. Bookman, the children's librarian, supplies the Goofballs with books and jokes to encourage their sleuthing. The plot moves quickly from clue to clue, enabling readers to test their own powers of deduction. Thunder's disappearance is solved in comic fashion with a nod to the team's previous pizza mystery. The story takes place in an appealing small town and includes four quirky, distinct protagonists; a rival; and a network of caring adults. Bold black, white, and gray illustrations appear on almost every spread. Illustrations also suggest the multiracial makeup of the Goofballs. The humor consists of mostly pratfalls (tumbling into doorways, getting stuck in a chair) and puns ("don't leaf me here"), but early chapter book readers will enjoy this combination of mystery and silliness.-M. Kozikowski, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Abbott (Lunch-Box Dream) treads on silly turf in this launch to the Goofballs early reader series, named for a quartet of aspiring private eyes. The kids are hoping for a new case to crack when narrator Jeff receives a phone call asking the Goofballs for help. Reporting to a palatial home, the four learn that Thunder, a flower-loving pet pony belonging to a boy named Randall Crandall, has disappeared. A visit to a flower shop, disguising themselves as plants, and Thunder's penchant for pizza all factor into their investigation. Targeting readers who like a lot of humor with their mysteries, Abbott includes a great deal of wordplay and slapstick, and stretches the goofball joke to its limit (Jeff's dog even barks, "Goof! Goof!"). Madden's cartoons add to the fun, and Abbott's clipped, dialogue-driven text is accessible for beginning readers and creates just the hint of a noir atmosphere ("A private eye has to notice everything. You never know what will turn out to be a clue"). The Startling Story of the Stolen Statue pubs simultaneously. Ages 7-9. Agent: Sterling Lord Literistic. Illustrator's agent: MB Artists. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
Jeff, Mara, Kelly, and Brian--the Goofballs--are a crew of child detectives. In this first installment, they're tasked with finding rich kid Randall Crandall's missing pony, Thunder. Silliness and puns abound as they use deductive logic to crack the case. The characters' varied personalities each contribute to the appeal of the wacky gang. Madden's spot art enlivens the easy-to-read chapter book. (c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Mystery. 7-9)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A multicultural cast of two boys and two girls kick off the chapter-book Goofball series for readers of Cam Jansen, Nate the Great, Chet Gecko, and the like. Best friends and self-proclaimed goofball private eyes (with a pizza named after them to prove it) Jeff, Brian, Mara, and Kelly use plenty of observation, teamwork, and outlandish disguises to solve their small town's dilemmas. Their first case involves locating wealthy Randall Crandall's missing pony, Thunder. And everyone, including Randall's butler, is a prime suspect. Cheery black-and-white illustrations complement the mystery's light mood and quick pace. Although the likable foursome tidily connects the clues around town that lead to Thunder's discovery, what is really at play is their humorous interactions and pun-filled dialogue. Sure, the young sleuths' adventure is over the top at times, but they wouldn't be such entertaining goofballs otherwise.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2010 Booklist
