MMGM- Fowl Play and Beginning of the Year Blather

It's

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
 at 

Always in the Middle 

and #IMWAYR day 

at

Unleashing Readers

Tubb, Kristin O'Donnell. Fowl Play
July 30, 2024 by Katherine Tegen Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Chloe Alvarez is struggling in Charleston, South Carolina after the death of her favorite, uncle, Will. She feels especially bad about turning down his last request to go get ice cream; the death was sudden, although he had been having health issues, and the whole family is struggling. It's even harder for Chloe; her mother has her own mother, Grammy, and her brother Jacob has uncle Frank, a wealthy app inventor and occasional musician. Chloe's parents are separated, so she doesn't see her father as much as she would like. At a dramatic reading of Will's last bequests (staged because the lawyer owed him a poker debt), Chloe is left Charlie, an African Grey Parrot that Will had won in a poker game. Her mother is NOT happy, especially since Charlie isn't circumspect about bodily evacuations, but Chloe finds Charlie oddly comforting. When Charlie starts saying things like "cyanide", "Homicide", and "detective", however, Chloe gets it in her head that her uncle's rapid decline was caused by willful poison rather than a genetic disease. She starts to investigate, and quickly rules out Uncle Frank, although he wasn't amused by the Robin Hood memorabilia that Will left him. Grammy and Jacob go along with stalking Kiley, Will's ex-girlfriend, at a local coffee shop, talk to his landlord and neighbor, who hated Charlie, and even hunt down "Jaws", a local restauranteur to whom Will owed money. During the investigation, they are stalked by a yellow Prius with Virginia plates. Even after Chloe finds Will's laptop charger, she can't figure out his password, so continues to try to interview "suspects" even though she is busy with soccer practice and a huge art project for school. Despite Charlie's repeated accusations of murder (as well as a highly developed talent to ask Alexa to play music), Chloe starts to realize what her whole family knows; Will's death wasn't murder, and sooner or later she will have to deal with her grief. 

Strengths: This was a well-paced mystery that made sense. All of the "suspects" that Chloe identified gave her some insights into Will's life, and all had their quirky, amusing personalities to add to the mix. Charlie is dealt with in a realistic way; good to know that wet wipes help clean up bird poop, although I think I will pass on having a bird. While Grammy, Frank, and Jacob help Chloe with her quest, they clearly don't really believe that there is a murder, and it was realistic that the mother was kept in the dark. "Jaws" was rather amusing, and I don't want to ruin the details of that identity. The little bits of Chloe's life with soccer, school, and her best friend Audrey help point out how Will's death reverberates in her life on a daily basis. There's a satisfying conclusion, which makes this a book that will appeal to mystery readers and lovers of humorous book alike. 
Weaknesses: I wish that middle grade books would not start with funerals or readings of wills. It's harder to connect to the deceased. There would be more emotional impact if we met the person when alive. Also, it struck me as odd that Grammy and Uncle Frank didn't immediately go to clean out Uncle Will's apartment. Surely the lawyer would have know to do this, if nothing else. I also would have liked to know more about the genetic disorder. 
What I really think: There are not too many books about parrots, and I appreciated Tubb's note that Charlie's vocabulary is a little more advanced that more birds'. Fans of Tubb's Luna Howls at the Moon will appreciate this animal oriented mystery, which is a great addition to elementary and middle school libraries. 

Beginning of the Year Blather:

I love the beginning of the school year. It's the BEST time of the year. Seeing students, checking out books, getting dressed in real clothes, even getting to work early. Love it all. 

But I will miss the first five weeks of school. There will be THE most fantastic sub, and I'm sure few people will even notice I am gone. We are all replaceable. 

Long story short: I've had Achilles tendon issues for ten years, and all the doctors said "The bone spurs are not that bad. Just don't run." In April, a new doctor put me through physical therapy before deciding that there was enough damage for a tendon revision on August 2nd. Sounds almost literary, doesn't it? 

I will have to raise my foot above my heart for two weeks, have four weeks of no weight bearing, and spend another four weeks in a boot. Without, I may add, riding my bike to work in the boot. The doctor also said that I couldn't work in a wheelchair. I am down and out until September 16th. 

Modern medicine in awesome and I'm relieved to be believed! Staff is in place, and since I am rarely absent have MORE than enough sick days. Will have LOTS of time to read. But... I will be grumpy. 

Grumpy people shouldn't be on social media, but I do have a book review scheduled every day until November 15th! I'll do my professional development session on August 9th (and will post here) albeit while sitting down. Maybe even on pain meds, which would be a TREAT for those attending. 

After the first few days, I'm sure there will be work I can do, because there's always work to do. Any words of encouragment or joy will be appreciated as I try to enjoy my enforced time off.