The Impossible Clue

November 7, 2016
Everyone in school knows that 12-year-old Alice Jones is the go-to girl for figuring things out, so it isn’t a surprise when classmate Sammy asks her to help with a missing-person case. His father runs a science laboratory, Delgado Industries, and the top scientist, who was working on a project involving invisibility, has disappeared. Alice is goaded into taking the case when Sammy’s father decides that she will be a good decoy for the press while the “real” detectives search, but as he and others soon learn, underestimating Alice isn’t a good idea. Alice evades the goons following her and uses logic to weigh the clues she uncovers as Rubin’s (Someday Dancer) mystery winds toward a gratifying conclusion. Though Alice can be prickly, her family, including her journalist father and twin sister, Della, is her soft spot, and Alice’s emotional growth as is as satisfying as the mystery she unravels. Observant and persistent, Alice is an easy character to cheer on, and the ethical quandaries that arise lend added depth to her story. Ages 8–12. Agent: Lindsey Fraser, Fraser Ross.

October 15, 2016
A 12-year-old math whiz keen on solving problems tackles the case of a missing scientist."Mysteries are a lot like math" for Alice Jones, a no-nonsense white girl living in Philadelphia with her divorced father, a journalist. Alice likes "figuring things out," so when classmate Sammy Delgado invites her to attend the announcement of an important invention developed at his wealthy father's scientific laboratory, she's intrigued, especially when Dr. Learner, lead researcher on the new invention (rumored to be an invisibility suit), vanishes. Sammy convinces his father to enlist Alice's help finding Learner. But Mr. Delgado confides he wants Alice to pretend to be searching for Learner to keep the story in the papers, even though he doesn't really expect her to find him. Determined to surprise Mr. Delgado and crack the case, Alice accepts his offer. When surveillance cameras show Learner entered his lab but never left it, Alice refuses to believe he used an invisibility suit. As the deliberately paced plot unwinds, the case becomes increasingly puzzling--and dangerous after Alice discovers thugs from a rival lab are following her. Throughout, Alice perseveres, narrating her story with the logic, poise, and determination of a seasoned detective. (Aside from dark hair and his Spanish last name, Sammy's ethnicity is not indicated.) A perplexing mystery with a savvy sleuth and unexpected outcome. (Mystery. 8-12)

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April 1, 2017

Gr 4-6-Alice, a 12-year-old math whiz who likes a challenge, investigates the disappearance of Dr. Learner at the request of her schoolmate Sammy Delgado. Dr. Learner, the lead scientist at Delgado Industries, was working on an invisibility suit. Did his research cause him to disappear, or were there nefarious goings-on? This plot-driven mystery abounds with danger and red herrings. The author indicates socioeconomic class through the characters' possessions: Alice rides a bike, while Sammy has a personal driver; Dr. Learner inhabits a run-down apartment, whereas Mr. Delgado lives in a mansion. Alice's middle-class family aren't perfect, but they achieve their goals through hard work and honesty, and their home is a place of love and, ultimately, respect and acceptance. The wealthy occupy their position through unethical practices, and Sammy finds Dr. Learner more of a loving, caring father figure than his own dad. Rubin shows readers that people are more than their appearance, gender, class, or age and that a middle school girl can like herself, make friends, resolve family conflict, and solve a mystery. This novel ends with the loose ends tied up and offers a realistic conclusion. VERDICT A solid, satisfying mystery and a great addition to school and public libraries. -Stefanie Hughes, Mt. Pleasant, TX

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2016
Grades 4-7 Alice loves math and is good at solving mysteries. At least, she can tell whether your house is haunted or actually just hosting a family of squirrels. When a scientist goes missing and rumors of an invisibility suit start flying, a school friend gets her wrapped up in the case. Alice doesn't believe that invisibility is possible, but to humor her pal she starts digging, and things get plenty sinister. Now she's hooked, and she won't stop until everything adds up. Occasionally, the novel's style and diction make Alice's first-person narrative sound more advanced than her 12 years, which can detract from the otherwise compelling, suspenseful mystery. But Rubin unspools clues expertly, skillfully keeping the twist ending close to her chest so readers will figure it out, along with Alice, near the end of the book, and the emphasis on puzzles and math will especially appeal to kids who love tricky codes and ciphers. Perfect for middle-graders who love Lemony Snicket's All the Wrong Questions series or R. A. Spratt's Friday Barnes mysteries.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2017
Famous scientist Dr. Learner has disappeared, and everyone wants to know if he's been kidnapped by rival scientists or if he's really invented an invisibility suit. Twelve-year-old math whiz and amateur detective Alice Jones is determined to find out. Alice's singular personality and intelligence are juxtaposed against those of her peers as the mystery wends its way to a surprise ending.

(Copyright 2017 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)