Lou Lou and Pea and the Mural Mystery

by Jill Diamond, Lesley Vamos (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for readers outgrowing Ivy & Bean and the Nancy Clancy books!

Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl have been best friends since first grade. Every Friday afternoon, they get together in Lou Lou's backyard garden for their PSPP (Post-School Pre-Parents) tea party. They chat about school, discuss Pea's latest fashions, and plot the weekend's activities.

But all plans go out the window when a series of small crimes crop up around El Corazón, their quaint and quirky neighborhood, right before the Día de Los Muertos procession. First, Pea's cousin's quinceañera dress is tragically ruined. Then Lou Lou's beloved camellia bush, Pinky, suffers a serious blow. And that's just the beginning! When clues start to appear in El Corazón's outdoor murals, the best friends join forces, using Lou Lou's floral expertise and Pea's artistic genius to solve the mysteries.

Accented by Lesley Vamos's spirited black-and-white illustrations, Jill Diamond's debut is a delightful introduction to two very creative best friends and their unforgettable adventures!

Backmatter includes a recipe, crafting activity, and glossary of Spanish terms.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780374302955
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Series:	Lou Lou and Pea Series
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.20(d)
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

About the Author

Jill Diamond has loved children's literature for as long as she can remember, thanks to her school librarian mother and long, cold winters in Maine. She presently lives in San Francisco, where, when she's not writing, she practices law and hangs out with her husband and their son.

Lesley Vamos studied at the College of Fine Arts, University of New South Wales, where she earned a BA with distinction in digital media. She loves telling stories, cooking, travelling, and eating eggplant. She resides in Sydney, Australia.

Editorial Reviews

08/01/2016
Gr 4–6—Lou Lou Bombay and Peacock Pearl (Pea for short) are best friends living in a town called El Corazón. Lou Lou likes getting her hands dirty in her beloved garden, and Pea is clean and proper but loves to create art. The friends meet every Friday afternoon after school for tea parties where they discuss their week and upcoming weekend plans. But things start to go a bit sideways for some of the townsfolk right before the upcoming Day of the Dead procession. First, Pea's cousin's Quinceañera dress is deliberately ruined with purple dye, and then Lou Lou's potentially prize-winning camellia bush, Pinky, falls victim to a "planticide." What's more, someone is painting clues into the murals around town, and only Lou Lou and Pea seem to notice. The story is sprinkled with whimsical illustrations and Spanish phrases. A glossary of words to know in Spanish as well as instructions for making pan de muerto and a garden flower crown craft are also included. Although many of the adult characters come across as two-dimensional, Lou Lou and Pea are likable heroines and the cast of multicultural characters and Latino-themed festivities broaden the accessibility. VERDICT This is a pleasant, breezy friendship tale for middle grade readers who also enjoy a light mystery.—Jessica Marie, Salem Public Library, OR

School Library Journal

2016-06-28
Brown-haired, white Lou Lou Bombay and her blue-eyed, dark-skinned Mexican-American best friend, Peacock Pearl, work to solve a series of petty crimes in their city while also participating in Latino cultural events.The first crime of which the girls are aware is the suspicious staining of Pea’s cousin Magdalena’s quinceañera dress. Lou Lou’s prize camellia, Pinky, then falls victim to “planticide,” killed by bleach and vinegar. Lou Lou and Pea’s neighborhood, El Corazón, is full of colorful murals, and as each crime occurs, one of the murals shows something related to the crime. While getting ready to celebrate Día de los Muertos, the girls also plot ways to solve the mystery. The tone is light and the characterizations equally breezy. The third-person narrative has a strong voice, offering such quaint, explanatory sentences as, “Gardening was too dirty for her taste but she supported her best friend.” Despite the purported equality of the friendship, the text more often reveals Lou Lou’s thoughts and feelings than Pea’s. Coupled with a plethora of placed-for-optimal-understanding Spanish phrases, this gives the book a feeling—perhaps ironically—of targeting a non-Latino audience. Still, some great humor, from a nautically obsessed father to “Danielle Desserts and her snooty-girl posse,” mitigates the didacticism. The respectful relationship between the two girls offers welcome respite from tales of best-friend angst. A bit long for fluff but fun nevertheless. (Mystery. 8-11)

Kirkus Reviews

"The tone is light and the characterizations equally breezy. The third-person narrative has a strong voice...The respectful relationship between the two girls offers welcome respite from tales of best-friend angst." —Kirkus Reviews

"...young readers will want to follow Lou Lou and Pea as they piece together clues and try to get to the bottom of the mystery." —Booklist

From the Publisher

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