A Middle-Grade Trilogy That Should Not Vanish Down the Rabbit Hole
Peter Abrahams’ Echo Falls mysteries brilliantly chronicle an 8th grade Sherlock Holmes
Book series review:
Peter Abrahams, Down the Rabbit Hole: An Echo Falls Mystery (HarperCollins, 2006)
— — — -, Behind the Curtain: An Echo Falls Mystery (HarperCollins, 2007)
— — — -, Into the Dark: An Echo Falls Mystery (HarperCollins, 2009)
Though it has been over a decade since Ingrid Levin-Hill solved her last case, these books are still fresh, exciting, funny, and poignant. Moreover, they deal with real problems that real kids face, and there is no sugar coating. Jealousy, betrayal, infidelity, family conflict, guns, steroids, secrets, treacherous adults, and murder all parade across the deceptively sweet backdrop of this New England village.
If book banners actually read books, these would probably be banned. Thank heaven for small favors.
I stumbled across these Peter Abrahams novels when my own kids were in elementary school. I probably told myself that I was scouting kiddie lit for their sakes, but honestly, I loved these books.
