Friday's mother has been kidnapped . . . maybe. It's always hard to get details out of her scientist father, but when he ends up teaching at her school, things get really crazy, especially with a Norwegian princess enrolled and a master thief stealing things all over campus. As with the two previous Friday Barnes novels, this one starts by resolving a cliff-hanger and ends with a new one. In between is a hilarious mix of silliness and mystery that will keep readers chuckling and turning pages. Spratt tosses a lot of elements into Friday's adventures, but Friday's matter-of-fact worldview, her spacey friend Melanie's helpful tips about interpersonal relations, and the snarky opinions of possible love interest Ian will keep readers firmly engaged. Fans will love guessing the thief's identity, wondering why a princess might be rusticating at Friday's small school, and enjoying the many small mysteries that crop up daily among the students. This is another worthy addition to a must-have series for middle-grade readers.

In the third installment (Friday Barnes, Girl Detective; Friday Barnes, Under Suspicion), brainy sleuth Friday and her sidekick, boarding-school roommate Melanie, uncover the identity of a campus thief, save a Norwegian princess, foil multiple cheating scams, and (of course) continue to obsess over frenemy classmate Ian. The appearance of Friday's clueless physicist parents adds humor and even more clever dialogue to the series.