Saxby Smart continues his career as child detective in this second book of case files. Using logic and his keen powers of observation, Saxby solves mysteries that even the adults around him cannot. He tells his stories with humor and pauses frequently to explain to the reader how he reaches his conclusions.

Unfortunately, his cases are often complex and beyond the reasoning abilities of his intended audience. Saxby's patronizing sarcasm and occasionally crass comments prevent this book of short stories from becoming an ideal read for grammar school children. Parents may want to steer youngsters towards the tried and true Encyclopedia Brown series if they are looking for detectives with a more respectful attitude.

Jennifer Minicus is a mother and teacher living in Ridgewood, NJ.

This article is published by Jennifer Minicus and MercatorNet under a Creative Commons licence. You may republish it or translate it free of charge with attribution for non-commercial purposes following these guidelines. If you teach at a university we ask that your department make a donation. Commercial media must contact us for permission and fees. Some articles on this site are published under different terms.