Book Review of The Case of the Crying Signpost
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The Children’s Book Review
The Case of the Crying Signpost
Written by Tom Xavier
Ages 9+ | 225 Pages
Publisher: Saguaro Books | ISBN-13: 9798361863372
What to Expect: Friendship, disability, ghosts, African American culture, and overcoming fear.
Set against the historical backdrop of segregated 1930s New Orleans and suffused with the sounds, sights, and voices of a past era, The Case of the Crying Signpost offers noir-style detective fiction packaged just right for the middle-grade classroom.
Nelly’s mom is a famous pilot, and her dad is a steamship captain, so Nelly’s fear of heights and preference for reading over adventure disappoints them. Still, Nelly is pretty sure that when they suggest she be a bit more adventurous, what they don’t have in mind is an unplanned trip to New Orleans in the company of a six-inch tall, saxophone-playing Scotland Yard detective.
Detective Tim Morcombe needs Nelly’s help to search for a woman kidnapped by ghosts. Together, Nelly and Tim will face witches, villains, and other things much scarier than flying—and along the way, she’ll learn a few things about taking risks.
Nelly is an engaging narrator with a lively personality, and the story packs a lot of adventure into a short space. Short chapters and age-appropriate language help keep the story accessible while stretching readers to consider new words and challenging concepts—including how history continues to impact our lives today.
The Case of the Crying Signpost is exciting, instructive, and enjoyable—great for young mystery, history, and ghost-story fans.
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About the Author
As a writer, Tom Xavier loves imagining wondrous worlds with rich characters. His goal is to tell exciting stories with life lessons for young readers. His first book, Dark Curses, Faerie Dreams, introduces middle-grade readers to a race of Woodsy Trolls who know trees, animals, and birds, and who live in harmony with nature. The book was a Mom’s Choice Awards Gold Seal recipient, a Book Excellence Awards Finalist, and a Royal Dragonfly Book Awards second-place winner in Middle Grade Fiction.
His second book, Neffatira’s First Challenge, chronicles the adventures of a 14-year-old girl from small-town Iowa who discovers she is not bi-racial as she always believed, but is, in fact, bi-universe. Kirkus Reviews describes the story as a “rousing series opener with equal portions of action and social commentary.”
Tom’s newest creation, The Case of the Crying Signpost, is the kind of story Tom loves to write—a novel of cultural and personal discovery inside a fast-paced adventure. Kirkus Reviews calls it “a worthy whodunit.”
For more information, visit http://www.tom-xavier.com/.
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