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sheena's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
libreroaming's review against another edition
3.0
An okay children's mystery with higher than usual stakes than the usual missing item or ancient riddle. Suffers from the very common pitfall of the children refusing to tell an adult about the crime and endangering themselves instead for the sake of the plot. It's extra frustrating because one of them goes to a therapist to uncover information about a clue but won't disclose that it's related to a murder. The main protagonist sleeps in an abandoned car after her dad has been kidnapped rather than tell anybody he's missing with obvious evidence of foul play. Some readers won't mind that, but to me it made the continued tension feel forced and the characters seem callous in their handling of the situation.
fallingletters's review against another edition
4.0
Review originally published 9 January 2022 at Falling Letters.
Pepper considers herself an amateur detective – she strives to follow the rulebook her deceased detective mother left. So when her great aunt passes away unexpectedly and Pepper sets out with her dad to pack up said aunt’s grand estate in a small town, Pepper sees this an opportunity to put her skills to the test even though the adults around her insist there’s nothing to be investigated.
But there is! Pepper’s suspicious of her estranged aunt and cousin, who are also packing up the estate, and the story develops into a true murder mystery. The plot doesn’t hinge on the protagonist’s naivety of adult matters. Three cheers for a middle grade mystery that has a real mystery and not just some child’s misunderstanding of a grown up situation! The story builds to high stakes danger and explores the question of what it means to do anything for your family.
The pace picks up around 100 pages in. Until then, I was uncertain whether the story would feature a geniune mystery. But I found the latter half of the book a gripping read and I blazed through it. The mystery’s legit. The story builds into a page turner.
Pepper’s Rules also has LGBTQ+ content: Pepper’s recently realized she may have a crush on a girl from school. She wonders how that might affect her relationship with her dad. Jacob, a local boy Pepper befriends who helps with her sleuthing, is transgender. Both of these facts are incidental to the primary plot. I’d say Jacob worrying about the impending birth of his little sister (because maybe she’ll be the daughter his parents always wanted) receives more significant page time than Pepper’s crush. (I will say I was a wee bit disappointed when great aunt was not revealed to be a lesbian.)
The Bottom Line
Pepper considers herself an amateur detective – she strives to follow the rulebook her deceased detective mother left. So when her great aunt passes away unexpectedly and Pepper sets out with her dad to pack up said aunt’s grand estate in a small town, Pepper sees this an opportunity to put her skills to the test even though the adults around her insist there’s nothing to be investigated.
But there is! Pepper’s suspicious of her estranged aunt and cousin, who are also packing up the estate, and the story develops into a true murder mystery. The plot doesn’t hinge on the protagonist’s naivety of adult matters. Three cheers for a middle grade mystery that has a real mystery and not just some child’s misunderstanding of a grown up situation! The story builds to high stakes danger and explores the question of what it means to do anything for your family.
The pace picks up around 100 pages in. Until then, I was uncertain whether the story would feature a geniune mystery. But I found the latter half of the book a gripping read and I blazed through it. The mystery’s legit. The story builds into a page turner.
Pepper’s Rules also has LGBTQ+ content: Pepper’s recently realized she may have a crush on a girl from school. She wonders how that might affect her relationship with her dad. Jacob, a local boy Pepper befriends who helps with her sleuthing, is transgender. Both of these facts are incidental to the primary plot. I’d say Jacob worrying about the impending birth of his little sister (because maybe she’ll be the daughter his parents always wanted) receives more significant page time than Pepper’s crush. (I will say I was a wee bit disappointed when great aunt was not revealed to be a lesbian.)
The Bottom Line
rwxtd's review against another edition
4.0
This one was cute. I didn't love it, but it's middle grade which means that I'm not the target audience *at all*, so I didn't want to take off points just because I was mildly annoyed when the children... acted like children. That seems dumb.
Characters are all very cute, it's a very cute story about Pepper learning to move on from her mom who died and trying to navigate how she feels about having a crush on a girl. The murder mystery part was fine- again, that part is probably going to be a lot more enjoyable for children than it was for me, because that is who it is written for.
I liked Jacob a lot, he was really great. I wish we had gotten to see more of Andrew, and see him becoming actual friends with Pepper and Jacob- it felt like they got to a point where they could tolerate each other, but Andrew's whole thing is that he's lonely because his parents suck and don't care about him, so I would've liked it a lot more if he had gained some actual close friends over the course of the story. I just felt like they didn't quite get there. So that's the main reason I took off a star.
All in all it's a cute middle grade and I really liked how they explored Jacob's and Pepper's personal stories and journeys and anxieties- I thought it was really well done, but it wasn't the main focus of the story, and I thought it was balanced well with all the other things going on. I wouldn't recommend this to an adult- there are definitely middle grade books I would recommend to an adult, but this isn't one of them. Not really for me, but I don't think that's a fault of the book necessarily.
Characters are all very cute, it's a very cute story about Pepper learning to move on from her mom who died and trying to navigate how she feels about having a crush on a girl. The murder mystery part was fine- again, that part is probably going to be a lot more enjoyable for children than it was for me, because that is who it is written for.
I liked Jacob a lot, he was really great. I wish we had gotten to see more of Andrew, and see him becoming actual friends with Pepper and Jacob- it felt like they got to a point where they could tolerate each other, but Andrew's whole thing is that he's lonely because his parents suck and don't care about him, so I would've liked it a lot more if he had gained some actual close friends over the course of the story. I just felt like they didn't quite get there. So that's the main reason I took off a star.
All in all it's a cute middle grade and I really liked how they explored Jacob's and Pepper's personal stories and journeys and anxieties- I thought it was really well done, but it wasn't the main focus of the story, and I thought it was balanced well with all the other things going on. I wouldn't recommend this to an adult- there are definitely middle grade books I would recommend to an adult, but this isn't one of them. Not really for me, but I don't think that's a fault of the book necessarily.
that_bookworm_guy's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really enjoyed this book
A great mystery middle-grade book, with great LGBTQ+ rep
A great mystery middle-grade book, with great LGBTQ+ rep
blarn6102336's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tynathereader's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
lauriehnatiuk's review against another edition
4.0
I am using a new review format. You can find few more details about 5-4-3-2-1 here.
5 - Sentence Summary
Pepper and her father are visiting his Aunt Florence's mansion after recently passing away to help his sister put her affairs in order. Pepper's aunt (her dad's sister) and cousin Andrew are staying at the mansion after the recent divorce of her aunt and settling into a very different life. Pepper, too, is still adjusting after her mom died on duty as a police detective, and wants to follow in her footsteps and carries her mom's rules for detective work on her at all times, and looks for cases to investigate in her everyday life. Pepper thinks her great aunt died under suspicious circumstances and believes her aunt and Andrew are hiding something. With a new neighbourhood friend Jacob, the two embark on a dangerous path to find out exactly what happened to her great aunt and what is going on in the mansion.
For further details, please refer to this GoodReads Link.
4 - Opinions
It is great to see more and more books where we have transgender characters, and that's all we need to know - just like we know if the character is a sibling or only child. It is simply information about the character, and the fact that they are transgender is not an integral part of the story. We need more books like this, please. Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing is one of those rare books where a murder has taken place, instead of the all too mundane cases such as looking for a missing pet. This age group wants something with an edge, and Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing will provide readers with that tension they desire.
Not only does this mystery have an edge, but it is a sophisticated one with plot twists that readers may be surprised at or not see coming, keeping them turning the pages. Finally, the characters are well developed and relevant, especially with Pepper questioning the "crushes" that she is experiencing and wondering about herself and how to share that with her dad. I really enjoyed this book, and readers will too if they get past the book cover. The cover is deceiving, coming off like it would be more light-hearted rather than suspenseful.
5 - Sentence Summary
Pepper and her father are visiting his Aunt Florence's mansion after recently passing away to help his sister put her affairs in order. Pepper's aunt (her dad's sister) and cousin Andrew are staying at the mansion after the recent divorce of her aunt and settling into a very different life. Pepper, too, is still adjusting after her mom died on duty as a police detective, and wants to follow in her footsteps and carries her mom's rules for detective work on her at all times, and looks for cases to investigate in her everyday life. Pepper thinks her great aunt died under suspicious circumstances and believes her aunt and Andrew are hiding something. With a new neighbourhood friend Jacob, the two embark on a dangerous path to find out exactly what happened to her great aunt and what is going on in the mansion.
For further details, please refer to this GoodReads Link.
4 - Opinions
It is great to see more and more books where we have transgender characters, and that's all we need to know - just like we know if the character is a sibling or only child. It is simply information about the character, and the fact that they are transgender is not an integral part of the story. We need more books like this, please. Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing is one of those rare books where a murder has taken place, instead of the all too mundane cases such as looking for a missing pet. This age group wants something with an edge, and Pepper's Rules for Secret Sleuthing will provide readers with that tension they desire.
Not only does this mystery have an edge, but it is a sophisticated one with plot twists that readers may be surprised at or not see coming, keeping them turning the pages. Finally, the characters are well developed and relevant, especially with Pepper questioning the "crushes" that she is experiencing and wondering about herself and how to share that with her dad. I really enjoyed this book, and readers will too if they get past the book cover. The cover is deceiving, coming off like it would be more light-hearted rather than suspenseful.
mementomorimoto's review against another edition
Pepper’s Rules for Secret Sleuthing is an absolutely adorable middle-grade mystery that will delight readers of all ages. A Nancy Drew for the modern age, Pepper is immediately relatable, as her detective skills are put to the test in order to investigate the strange circumstances of her great-aunt’s passing. Pepper’s story also includes issues of family, friendship, and the struggle to fit in that make for an engaging romp that will keep readers guessing the whole way.