I like mystery books, and if you do too, than this is a great book for you! It is about a kid, named Eddie Red, who has a rare talent of photographic memory, and can easily draw criminals or anything he sees, a perfect kid for being a detective. But there has been a crime at a museum, and Eddie was used to find the crooks. It is a really good book, and it is exciting.
Eddie Red Undercover: Mystery on Museum Mile
By Marcia Wells
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 4 - 8 | Grades 3 - 5 | n/a | 4.9 | 40625 |
Art, mystery, fun and friendship, combine in this illustrated middle grade series debut. Sixth grader Edmund Xavier Lonnrot, codename "Eddie Red," has a photographic memory and talent for drawing anything he sees. When the NYPD is stumped by a mastermind art thief, Eddie becomes their secret weapon to solve the case, drawing Eddie deeper into New York's famous Museum Mile and closer to a dangerous criminal group known as The Picasso Gang.
With page-turning adventure and fun characters, this first installment in the Eddie Red series is a must-read for any fan of puzzles and mystery.A Spring 2014 Indies Introduce New Voices selection
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
ISBN-13: 9780544439405
ISBN-10: 0544439406
Published on 3/3/2015
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 256
Book Reviews (40)
Warning! This review may contain spoilers. There's this 11 year-old boy named Edmund. He has a photographic memory and he's very good at drawing. One day, Edmund is out with his dad, when they hear something in an ally. Edmund's dad goes to check it out while Edmund hides under a bench. A man runs out of the ally, and soon Edmund's dad comes out too. They go to the police station and Edmund's dad tells them that two men were fighting in the ally and he tried to break it up. Eventually the police department hires Edmund to help them with a case. (Sorry for such a poor description, I'm working off my memory). What I thought of it: My favorite character was Eddie's friend Jonah. Their friendship was probably the most interesting thing in the book for me. Eddie was an ok main character. Though one thing about him kind of bothered me. Eddie was black, and the author made way too big a deal of that. I mean it was fine when they were mentioning it casually and in the dialog but was it really necessary to say that his last name came from when his ancestors were owned by white people back in the slave days I mean I'm black, and I have no idea were my last name came from. It kind of made sense because Eddie's parents seemed like they liked to research their family history and stuff, but it still seemed a but unnatural. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong about making remarks about him being black. But at some points, the way it was presented it seemed unnatural and forced. Also, I don't get why it was necessary for him to always be ogling over Jenny. She said like 4 lines in the entire book (which made sense I guess since she's supposed to be quiet), and was literally just someone for Eddie to swoon over. She was a completely pointless character. But maybe they'll give her a real purpose in the sequel. The writing was fine, really just your typical middle-grade-novel-with-a-male-protagonist writing. The ending was ok. The plot was ok, but very cliché. But the entire book was pretty cliché Overall, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't that great. I don't plan on reading the sequel.
EDDIE RED UNDERCOVER: MYSTERY ON MUSEUM MILE is told through the eyes of 11-year-old Edmund Lonnrot, a short African-American sixth grader with two special skills -- he has a photographic memory and he's an exceptional artist. When the New York City police discover his talent, they enlist him as an afterschool and weekend undercover observer and sketch artist to help solve a baffling series of thefts in Manhattan museums. In return, "Eddie Red, as the lead detective dubs him, hopes to earn enough money to attend a prestigious private school his family could not otherwise afford. He works and clashes with a hard-boiled detective who doesn't really want Eddie on the case. Meanwhile, Eddie gets help from his brainy and obsessive friend Jonah as they try to crack the mystery together.
This was a fun and mysterious book...Edmund Lonrot's parents finally broke down that they could not pay for Edmund's school tuition(Senate) while they were eating ice cream... while they were talking about this situation Edmund and his father witnessed a crime... now the police's secret weapon is now Edmund or should I say Eddie Red(code name) who has the knack of drawing everything he see once... and with amazing photographic memory...now if Eddie does help the NYPD catch the crime organization, Eddie can go to the Senate... if not then he'll have to say goodbye to his fellow classmates at Senate... it's up to Eddie to help find the crime organization before it's too late... Will Eddie solve the mystery before it's too late.... or will another painting get stolen again... it's up to you to read and find out... Wittnessing friendship, betrayals, and surviving... this was a vey fun, easy, and mysterious read... if you love to read mysteries and thrillers... then read this book!!!
Edmund has a photographic memory and is a great portrait drawer. When this gets the attention of the NYPD, he is accepted into a case. He has a partner who treats him like dirt and very little information that makes this supposedly great case awful and boring. He gets a code name: Eddie Red, and he has his friend that is obsessed in battle stuff, Jonah, helping him on this weird case. To get more info, he sneaks a peak at the classified files on the case. It actually helps him solve the case that puzzled the police for 4 years(along with Jonah's help). But in the end, his partner is in the hospital, he is grounded until he's 80(his words, not mine), and he gets a school punishment from the principal on the last day of school. On a personal note: It was great to hear a quit realistic detective story from one that is my own age:11!
Edward is officially worried. His dad takes him out for ice-cream (which can only mean bad news) in the middle of January and then ends up breaking up a fight between two men in an alley - an alley! Turns out his dad has lost his job and now his parents can't send him to Senate, the very-expensive private school he currently attends. He's willing to do anything to be able to continue going so it's a blessing in disguise (well, at first it looks real great and then he figures out it's in disguise) when the police ask him to work for them because of his art skills. If the police solve the case with his help, he gets full tuition for next year, if not, he gets minimum wage for his time. He can draw faces better than the (well he was current, but, you know, he's been replaced) previous police sketch artist. So he gets a cool code name and an IPODICU and it's off to work with him, draw this, draw that, don't think, no that's none of your business. Edward soon has enough of the police's secrecy and unwillingness to listen to him so he works with his hyperactive ADHD OCD best friend, Jonah, who has a knack for puzzles. Together they work on their own to solve the case. But then the police are given an ultimatum - seven weeks to catch the elusive Picasso Gang. Will Eddie Red be able to solve the case and attend Senate - and will he even survive until then? I think this was a fun read, although it wasn't one of my favorites. The beginning of the book made it seem cooler than it actually was. However, I wouldn't consider that detrimental as it made it seem real - like everything could really happen in real life. I would recommend this book to a slightly younger crowd - maybe fifth, sixth graders or reluctant readers.
Eddie Red is a fun little book with a special little boy. Edmund has a photographic memory and attends a gifted school with his best friend, who can be a liitle off the walls at times. When money get's tight, Edmund looks out for a job to stay at his school. When Edmund becomes an eye witness for a crime, things start to look sunny and he gets a job to draw the criminals. But Eddie Red wants to solve the case. Is he just a camera and nothing else? Is someone unsuspected in on it? Will Eddie get to go his school after all? Find out in this not so everyday adventure.
Eddie undercover was a pretty cool book. It started out very fast paced but started to drag towards the end. But this book is good for younger readers.
I have a friend who recommended this book to me. After reading a brief summary about the book from this website and the sample pages, I was intrigued and couldn't wait till I could get my hands on it, one way or another.
Edmund is just a normal kid with an abnormal talent for drawing, especially people. He is secretly recruited by the NYPD to help them solve a baffling case about an upcoming art theft. But helping the NYPD is far from safe. Will Eddie be able to solve the mystery and tell the NYPD before it's too late?