The Italian Spaghetti Mystery (An Avon Camelot Book) - Softcover

Grade 4-7 Miss Westminster and the students from her Fine School for Girls travel to a Catskill resort to do a song-and-dance act for the summer. The remaining plot centers around their search (along with the GAFIAGangsters and Finks International Association, the SSSSaintly Survivalist Sect, and the Pasta Nostra) for Mr. Spaghetti Man and his spaghetti-making secret. Stanley's tongue-in-cheek humor, so abundant throughout this story, may not impress readers of this age level. Characters, such as Augusta, a Georgian girl with a southern accent who keeps repeating ``Ah've jus' never. . .'' and Loretta, a chewing gum addict who cannot perform without it, are never fully developed and get a bit tedious by the end of the story. Although the plot is evenly paced and the conclusion is clever, many readers may not get past the first 50 pages of primitive sound effects (``Whack,'' ``Splat,'' ``Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha,'' ``Swish,'' and ``Aaaggghhh!'') and alliterative names (``Warden Wilhelmina'' and ``Poughkeepsie Popular Prison for People'') before labeling it corny. Librarians can expect a limited audience for this story. Blair Christolon, Prince William Library, Manassas, Va.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

If Daniel Pinkwater rewrote The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, the result might very well resemble this work. The story, a sequel to The Ukrainian Egg Mystery, finds the headmistress and students of Miss Westminster's Fine School for Girls headed for Broadway, via the Catskills and possibly Nome, Alaska (since all the big shows open out of town first). But on the way, Miss Westminster and her girls get involved with evildoers who want to monopolize the spaghetti business. ("They'll never take me alive!" one girl keeps screaming.) None of this is supposed to be taken seriously; "wacky" is the operative word here. The humor is strained and the focus is almost always on Miss Westminster. The students themselves are cardboard cut-outssilly, brainless girls in a silly, brainless book.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.