This is my stop during the blog tour for Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret by Paula Berinstein. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 18 April till 1 May, you can view the complete tour schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.
So far this series contains 4 books: Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1), Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2), Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester, Detective #3) and Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret (Amanda Lester, Detective #4). You can get the first book in the series for only 0.99$ at amazon.
For my stop, I had the pleasure of reviewing Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy, the first book in the Amanda Lester series. Read on to find out what I thought of it.
Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret (Amanda Lester, Detective #4)by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: March 31, 2016
Blurb:You can find Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret on Goodreads
What does a dusty old secret have to do with peacocks?
Everything, as it turns out. When Amanda is knocked off her skateboard by a rare all-blue peacock, she learns that the species harbors a vital secret she must race to uncover. But before she can unravel the mystery, a startling archaeological discovery turns all of Britain against the detectives and threatens their very existence.
As old enemies gather strength and new adversaries emerge, Amanda finds herself dealing with hysterical teachers, a disappearing mentor, a mysterious poisoner, and a would-be magician. With so much at stake and so little time, the last thing she needs is to fall in love.
You can buy Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret here:
- Amazon
Earlier Books in this series
Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1)by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: May, 2015
Blurb:My Review:
A reluctant detective, a criminal mastermind, and . . . sugar?
Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.
When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these seeming clues mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.
Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.
Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy features the hijinks of Amanda Lester, an avid filmmaker who’s been enrolled in a secret school for the descendants of famous detectives. Still, Amanda’s having none of it until some very strange things start to happen and she and her new friends get caught up in figuring it all out.
I thought this was a lovely story. Set in the UK at a private school, a secret one, it was reminiscent of Harry Potter, but instead of focusing on magic, it focuses on detective work, forensics, and sleuthing in general. Unlike Harry, though, Amanda doesn’t want to be a part of her school, holding close a desire to be a famous filmmaker against the wishes of her parents, and it doesn’t help that she considers the man she’s descended from to be a joke.
I thought the cast of kids that make up Amanda’s circle of friends were well done and entertaining. There’s just enough drama, puppy love, and special skills between the lot of them to draw in a young reader. There’s also a good bit of danger even though the story revolves around a sugar-based conspiracy. Nothing sweet about it. And, I must say I love the gluppy things. Read the story to find out what those are.
As for quality, this book is very well put together and edited. The pacing is engaging and draws the reader along quite well, even for a longer book. After the story, there’s a listing of famous sleuths, both fictional and real, and their claims to fame as well as a list of book club questions for young readers. I think the listing of class descriptions and other information about the school might have been better at the end with the other things because, while interesting, they went on for quite a while, and to me, the important stuff seemed to be pretty well described in the book.
Overall, I loved this story and would recommend it to those who love middle-grade stories, particularly tweens and tweens at heart. The detective theming throughout is sometimes corny, but in a good way.
You can find Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy on Goodreads
You can buy Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy here for only 0.99$:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble
Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis (Amanda Lester, Detective #2)By Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Blurb:
If only Sherlock Holmes's great-great-grandson weren't such a dork . . .
There’s a new student at the Legatum Continuatum School for the Descendants of Famous Detectives and Amanda is supposed to work with him. Scapulus Holmes is a descendant of the great Sherlock and he’s crazy about her. Unfortunately she thinks he’s a dork and would rather die than have anything to do with him.
But when the kids discover a dead body encrusted with strange living crystals, Amanda realizes she needs Holmes’s help. If the crystals fall into the wrong hands they could be used for nefarious purposes, and only he knows how to protect them.
Can the detectives keep the bad guys from learning the crystals' secrets? It would help if they could figure out who the dead body is too. Only if Amanda and Holmes can find a way to work together can they prevent a disaster, and it isn’t looking good
You can find Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis on Goodreads
You can buy Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble
Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle (Amanda Lester, Detective #3)By Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade
Release Date: November 15, 2015
Blurb:
Purple rainbows, a mysterious crypt, and pots of gold . . .
Things are not going well for Amanda and the secret detective school. A priceless artifact has disappeared, a dangerous hacker is manipulating matter, and zombies are being seen all over the Lake District.
Then the real trouble starts. When her cousins go missing and her friend Clive is kidnapped, Amanda is forced to turn to someone she’d rather not deal with: her old boyfriend Scapulus Holmes. But then he vanishes too. Now’s she’s sure that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty is involved . . . or is he?
You can find Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle on Goodreads
You can buy Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
About the Author:Paula Berinstein is nothing like Amanda. For one thing, she’s crazy about Sherlock Holmes. For another, she’s never wanted to be a filmmaker. In addition, compared to Amanda she’s a big chicken! And she wouldn’t mind going to a secret school at all. In fact, she’s hoping that some day she’ll get to build one.
You can find and contact Paula here:
- Website
- Goodreads
- Paula's blog on Goodreads
- The Writing Show podcasts
- Newsletter
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret. Open International. These are the prizes you can win:
- a Kindle Paperwhite
- A physical copy of all four Amanda Lester books by Paula Berinstein
- 2 physical copies from Paula Berinstein her books, winner's choice
For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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