The Hateful Plateful Trick

 

by Scott Corbett

Published 1971

Per usual, Kirby & Co. are finding ways to get into trouble, starting with a very rainy day.  Kirby and Fenton can’t play baseball, can’t hang out in their club house (it leaks), and can’t think of anything they want to do.  And to make matters worse, they have to babysit Kirby’s little cousin, Gay!  When an experiment with their magic (?) chemistry set goes wrong, all three end up smelling like their least-favorite meal, and only Mrs. Graymalkin can save the day.

I’ve really been enjoying these little books–only two left!  They have the happy innocence that so much of today’s children’s literature lacks.  4/5.

The Devil’s Novice

 

by Ellis Peters

Published 1983

So, here we are with another Cadfael book.  And while, as always, I enjoyed the story, this particular book is not one of my favorite mysteries.  For me, the conclusion is not far-fetched exactly, but a bit out of the circle of the thoughts Peters has given us.  It’s kind of along the lines of just choosing some random person off the street to be the murderer, instead of one of the people the detective has been interviewing.  Possible?  Yes.  Almost like cheating when you’re writing a mystery novel?  Perhaps.

Still, the story is interesting and well-written, and the relationship between Meriet and his father is well-drawn, I think.  What does one do with a younger son in 1140 England?

These books are all excellent reads, and I can’t recommend them highly enough.  But because I felt like the mystery itself was a bit weak in this one, it’s a 4/5.