(Review) The Mistaken Masterpiece

Title: The Red Blazer Girls: The Mistaken Masterpiece (book 3)
Author: Michael D. Beil
Pub Date: June 2011
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Pages: 320
Format: Hard cover
Age Group: Middle Grade

Source: I received a ARC copy for my honest and sincere review.

About the book:
Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann are back in an all-new Red Blazer Girls caper. In the third installment, Sophie is nose to fist with her arch-rival, Livvy, all while taking care of movie-star Nate Etan’s dog, when Father Julian hires the Blazers to help him authenticate a painting. Mayhem and mystery follows as the girls attempt to uncover the truth. Oh, and, uh, Sophie’s friend-who-is-not-a-boyfriend, Raf, is back. . . . Here’s another charming and engaging adventure starring these four every-girl sleuths that’s perfect for readers 10-up.

Growing up I have to say I never read Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys because it just never appealed to me so I never fully understood why they were such a hit with kids until I heard about The Red Blazer Girls series.

After reading The Mistaken Masterpiece, which just happens to be book three in the series and I just found out that there will be a book four coming out soon, I have to say I enjoyed it and I am thinking of going to Chapters very soon to pick up the previous two books to read them to get caught up. I was also planning on borrowing the first one on audiobook to bring on our trip to Chicago this summer. I think Michael would really enjoy listening to it.

Although I have to say I don’t think you need to read the previous books to follow along with the story because the girls solve a new mystery in each book but I have to say that once I read a book in a series I am always curious about the other books and do tend to read them.

Even though the book is about girls sleuths I am pretty sure that the boys will like it. There is enough sleuthing and adventure that it would peak any ones interest.

The book is written in the first person perspective by 12 year old Sophie. Sophie makes up one fourth of the Red Blazer Girls, the others are Margaret, Rebecca and Leigh.

As the story begins we see Sophie at her swim practice. She has a accident with her worst enemy Livvy. She accidental ends up with a broken nose. Although I think Sophie wonders if it was truly an accident.

Of course a broken nose is a curse to a young girl especially when she finds out that her father has spoken to none other then her celebrity crush Nate and that he has arranged it so they can meet him. Of course Sophie is very self conscious now because of the broken nose and I am sure we can all relate to that. Would you want to meet your celebrity crush with a broken nose?

Thankfully when she does get to meet Nate the meeting is brief and she is given a chance to do something that I am sure most girls with a crush would be dying to do just to get to know their crush a little more. I am sure I have even said a some point growing up with a celebrity that I would do anything.

Things are going good until Father John, a teacher at the school the girls go to, comes up to them with some more mysteries to solve. The first mystery is about a baseball, well two in fact. One is a real signed ball and the other is a fake. The girls must find out which one is the real one and which one is the fake one. I am sure that the boy readers would love this part of the book.

The next mystery is about a family heirloom, a painting by Pommeroy. The girls have to find out if this is a real painting or if its just a fake. The girls have to use a bunch of photographs to discover if its real and if the family who claim that its real and that they owned if from Pommeroy’s death in 1961. Will the girls be able to figure it out?

I want to thank Diane for contacting me about reviewing this book. I am so happy that I got the chance to read this and discover a new middle grade author. Looking forward to reading the previous books and all the upcoming books.

Other Books in this series: