Mickey Rangel, a sweet, intuitive and smart fifth-grade student, faces the challenges of his first case as an amateur detective: the theft of an elegant pen, engraved with the White House logo and the President's signature, a gift to classmate Eddy from his senator father. The pen has gone missing from Miss Garza's classroom. The prime suspect: the gorgeous and distant Toots Rodriguez, Mickey's secret love and his enemy's girlfriend, who appeals to Mickey to clear her name. As it often happens in the best mystery stories, Mickey comes to the unexpected solution of the enigma with the help of a mysterious "angel," who leaves him an anonymous message. This bilingual chapter-book edition, the first in a series of Mickey Rangel Mysteries, will engage intermediate readers in both languages, English and Spanish, and offers multiple possibilities for school projects, group discussions and read-aloud sessions. Villarroel's well-crafted translation into Spanish maintains the suspense and humor of the original English version, narrated by Mickey in fine, hard-boiled style. Mora's illustrations add a refreshing touch, effectively breaking up the text in this appealing introduction. (Mystery. 8-12)

Gr 3-5 Mickey is a real, honest-to-goodness private detective; he has his diploma, badge, and several solved crimes to prove it. His skills and judgment are tested when Toots Rodríguez, the prettiest girl in his class, asks him to help her clear her name, which has been tainted by the disappearance of a collectible pen that was presented at show-and-tell that morning. Mickey has to fight his inclination to immediately assume her innocence and has to make constant mental notes to remain objective. Mickey and his mysterious letter-writing angel are pretty sure that Toots and her boyfriend, Bucho, the school bully, have conspired to leave with the pen in their pockets; proving it is another matter. Lively and entertaining narrative coupled with attractive illustrations will make this book a favorite among young mystery readers. Although the Spanish translation keeps the charm of the English original, anglicized phrase construction and close word repetition interfere with the fluidity of the text. Narda McCarthy, Para los Niños Consultant, Weston, FL