Curtains!: A High School Musical Mystery

by Michael Dahl, Tiffany Prothero (Illustrator)

Overview

STARCUPS!, the Harrison Ford High School musical, is in danger. First, a huge light crashes down onstage, nearly hitting the director. Then part of the set falls over on the show's star. When another actor's costume is destroyed, Kyle Sutton knows it isn't just bad luck. Everyone's a suspect. Kyle and his only friend, Mindy, have to work together to catch the crook, because the show must go on!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781434208019
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	09/01/2008
Series:	Vortex Books
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.56(d)
Lexile:	480L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 8 Years

About the Author

Michael Dahl is the prolific author of the bestselling Goodnight, Baseball picture book and more than 200 other books for children and young adults. He has won the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award three times for his nonfiction, a Teachers’ Choice Award from Learning Magazine, and a Seal of Excellence from the Creative Child Awards. Dahl currently lives in Minnesota.

Table of Contents

The dark shadow — Smash hit — Leading role — Falling wall — Martian's idea — Amber's exit — Making the cut — Behind the scenes — The knife — Weight of evidence — Setting the trap — Scissors — X the unknown.

Editorial Reviews

Author Michael Dahl loves mysteries and has written the fantastic Finnegan Zwake series of middle school mysteries. Curtains! is easier to read, but still includes many clever clues and tricky red herrings, and keeps you guessing up to the end. The mystery takes place at a high school during practices for the musical. First a heavy stage light falls to the ground, almost hitting and killing the director. Next a wall falls on one of the student actors, and then another actor's costumes are destroyed. Clearly someone wants to ruin the show. The culprit could be one of many people, and Kyle and Mindy systematically go through the suspect list and look for motives and opportunities. Published by Stone Arch Books, the target market for this title is reluctant readers. However, it would be a shame for this book not to be in the hands of a wider audience of mystery readers. It would be a good choice for elementary or middle school students who like traditional mysteries and it would be a great vehicle for a teacher wanting to teach kids the elements of a mystery. It's also a fun introduction to "The Queen of Crime," Agatha Christie. Keep writing mysteries for middle schoolers, Michael! http://omsbookblog.blogspot.com/2008/10/curtains-high-school-musical-mystery-by.html

OMS Book Blog

No relation to the Disney franchise, this short novel seems tailored for classroom use and includes a hearty supply of back matter. New kid Kyle must prove his innocence when several near-miss "accidents" endanger the performers in the school play. His friend Mindy finds inspiration for her detective skills in the works of Agatha Christie, the "Queen of Crime." The book is genuinely suspenseful, and readers will be surprised when the culprit's identity is revealed. Short chapters with short declarative sentences and full-page black-and-white illustrations done in blocky pen and ink make this book a quick read. An acceptable choice, particularly for reluctant readers.

School Library Journal