Something strange is happening in Farrago Bay and Sheldon McGlone is going to get to the bottom of it. The local wildlife is behaving strangely and so are some of the grown-ups, particularly his teacher, the weird and elusive Miss Fleming. It doesn't help that Sheldon is being relentlessly pursued by bullies—including his older brother! Just when things couldn't get much worse, a new kid turns up in Sheldon's classroom. Theophilus Brain, aka "The Brain," has an excessive imagination and a lot of odd ideas about what is ailing Farrago Bay. With a missing human leg and a crocodile who likes to play fetch as clues, Sheldon and the Brain turn detective and uncover a web of evil that stretches across two continents. Author Martin Chatterton has crafted a wonderfully imaginative mystery that features memorable, well-drawn characters and an over-the-top storyline. The surprising and occasionally hilarious plot twists will engage and delight young readers.
A quirky read The Brain Finds a Leg will certainly entertain middle grade children. Filled with wit and humor Chatterton puts his main characters in outlandish circumstances via a most fun and fantastical way. From thieving kangaroos to stalking birds then back to an alligator that thinks she's a dog the I was is taken on a wild ride through the animal kingdom, never once feeling like the strangely realistic behaviors different species took on were so far beyond outrageous that it drifted into the territory completely unimaginable.
It was, quite simply, just downright fun.
It is that same creativity and spirit that brought to life the main character of The Brain. Always a child at heart this young boy maintains the intellect of those twice his age and more; yet in doing so it doesn't diminish his likability or his believability as the person who had the most potential to solve the crime he and Sheldon were investigating.
I enjoyed the best buddy relationship between the two boys - Sheldon was introverted and picked on, the class outcast, so it was realistic that Brain (being the new kid in town) would gravitate towards befriending him. Not only that but Sheldon allowed for Brain to hold the reigns in the relationship, steering them through the investigative process with the utmost trust that all would be alright in the end. Brain too had endearing qualities as it related to his new partner. He took great care to value Sheldon's opinion and let him take change when it was most critical.
The mysterious circumstances surrounding the bizarre animal behavior and the events of the surfer's death made for a good mystery. There was just enough of an ick factor to make it appealing to boys yet not so distasteful for girls. It was not so complex that an attentive reader wouldn't be able to have an idea of the direction the story would take, yet the events weren't so transparent that I was bored with the twists and turns. On occasion I was surprised by a revelation or two myself.
Chatterton has written both the plot and the characters with a winning combination of humor and intelligence making it perfectly crafted to enthrall your middle grader.
Overview
Something strange is happening in Farrago Bay and Sheldon McGlone is going to get to the bottom of it. The local wildlife is behaving strangely and so are some of the grown-ups, particularly his teacher, the weird and elusive Miss Fleming. It doesn't help that Sheldon is being relentlessly pursued by bullies—including his older brother! Just when things couldn't get much worse, a new kid turns up in Sheldon's classroom. Theophilus Brain, aka "The Brain," has an excessive imagination and a lot of odd ideas about ...