Cody loves many things, but she may love summer vacation most of all -- except, of course, the part of summer vacation that she spends at camp. But when camp is canceled unexpectedly, it opens up all kinds of opportunities for Cody to explore her neighborhood, make new friends, hypnotize a cat . . .you know, all of those fun summer things. Not everything turns out quite like she was expecting, but fortunately, Cody also loves surprises.
While this was an enjoyable read, I didn't quite connect to the characters like I did with this author's earlier works, What Happened on Fox Street and Mo Wren, Lost and Found. It may just be that this story is aimed at a slightly younger demographic, so I can see second and third graders, for instance, really connecting with these characters and enjoying the fairly simple, episodic plot. The writing is strong and the cast of characters is diverse, so there's a lot to like about this story.
(Reviewed from an advance copy, courtesy of the publisher, via the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.)
Thanks so much, Misti! You're right--CODY is meant for second and third grade readers, and is the first book in a new series. Hope you'll look for CODY AND THE MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE next year. Meanwhile, happy summer reading!
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