The Real McCoys books 1-3
by: Matthew Swanson
narrated by: Cassandra Parker
rating: really liked
Thank you @Netgalley and @OrangeSkyAudio for the gifted audio book!
The initial book is a very funny tongue-in-cheek story about two siblings who bond over a mystery at their elementary school. Moxie is a fourth grader with her own detective agency, with a spot recently opened for a new partner. Her brother Milton is nice, polite, and uber smart, but certainly not a detective! But when things go awry on the day of the school awards assembly, everything they thought they knew about each other may need to be reevaluated. Moxie's habit of jumping to conclusions gets the best of her at times and as a reader you get to laugh at the silliness of it all.
I really liked the character development in this one. Moxie gets a bit more guidance from the adults in her life and has to face more consequences of her actions. I would still love to see Moxie get put in her place a bit more firmly. Milton is for sure my favorite character and I love how he handles his issues in a very smart way. I loved the compressed timeline of the first book, but I also loved all the room the story had to breath in this one. And the motives at play took more consideration which I think is a fun layer to add.
This book is my favorite of the series so far! Moxie had so much growth as a character and her growth comes from realistic plot points that were great lessons for the reader as well. Moxie goes undercover in this one and learns that judgement should be reserved until you have all the facts, not just feelings. And of course Milton is the real detective mastermind as always:).
Bonus: Cassandra Parker is a GEM of a narrator. She nailed this elementary school voice and the precociousness of Moxie so well!
Comments