The Spray-Paint Mystery
Grade 2-4?An intriguing inner-city mystery, involving several suspects. Third-grader Cameron Thompson finds the school janitor throwing out a number of cans that were used to spray paint graffiti on the wall behind the gym. When the boy takes a can for evidence, he finds himself in one troublesome situation after another. Along with his friend Tarann, they check out the suspects. The plot is believable and moves quickly. The children hunt for clues as youngsters of this age would. They go to the hardware store to see who has been buying a lot of paint. They take pictures of the wall signed by the graffiti artist. Discussions about not hanging out with destructive gangs are interspersed throughout the story without coming across as preachy. The culprit is steered toward painting scenery for the school play. A good read with realistic solutions for a real-life problem in many neighborhoods.?Janet M. Bair, Trumbull Library, CTCopyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.