The Red Blazer Girls: The Ring of Rocamadour Book

Fun, fun, fun! I SO enjoyed reading this story of four friends attending Catholic middle school in NYC and the unexpected mystery they find themselves unraveling in hopes of finding a lost and very valuable birthday present that's been hidden for over twenty years--one that will have even more worth if it can help bring a divided family back together again. I love that the girls are fun and spunky and unabashedly into their school subjects, totally geeking out over Charles Dickens and geometry without being the stereotypical "nerds." I love that some of their teachers totally rock (um, their English teacher is named George Eliot, and hosts a Dickens of a Banquet every year in which he portrays Dickens himself, awesome!) I love that one of the Catholic priests is totally nice and helpful and looks a little like a cute hobbit. (Admittedly, the Catholic church and Catholic school haven't been getting the best press in recent years, so it's refreshing to see it this way--not that the book is at all proselytizing, but Catholic school and Mass and whatnot are just presented as normal parts of the girls' lives.) The girls have to solve clues having to do with English, mathematics and theology in order to find the location of the "treasure" (given the title, it's not too much to say that it's a special ring!) I think the story will best be enjoyed by those who already enjoy literature because of all the literary references, and I admit that I was not super excited over all the math sections (I don't really dig math) but I really appreciated them being there. And any middle grade novel that mentions Thomas Aquinas has gotta get some props! ;-)

I did not love that the girls occasionally use some mild profanity and I could have done with a bit less attention to the Sophie/Leigh Ann/Rafael love triangle--but it's all done pretty innocently. I was also not too big a fan of the girls sneaking out at night to go to clandestine meetings about the mystery. I was cool with them not telling their parents about the mystery--I mean, every kid is allowed their own private world--but it wasn't addressed too much that it was potentially dangerous to go wandering the streets of NYC at 10 o'clock at night without one's parents knowing where one is--and, oh, forgetting to charge your cell phone. But, they are really very good girls, otherwise. So, by and large, I think it's pretty harmless.

Overall, this was a really fun and enjoyable mystery. "Nancy Drew" blasts to the 21st century complete with a snazzy new red blazer from Saint Veronica's School and I, for one, am digging it :-)