Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit

Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison (Due out in April 2013)*

Teens Shauna, Mildred, Charlotte, Jack, Linton and Sonny attend Griswald's Grammar School in Yorkshire. In addition to navigating the perils of adolescence and school, they have a nose for mysteries. In The Case of the Team Spirit, the teens investigate strange happenings related to a new football stadium that is supposed to be built in their town. Someone - or something - is out to stop construction, and they want to know why.

The kids in Bad Machinery are a fun mix of the earnestness of  Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys-style sleuthing and the snark of Kate Beaton's Mystery Solving Teens with artwork that reminds me a bit of old school Scooby Doo. In a word -- awesome. The characters are funny, sarcastic, prickly and endearing, like most of the real teens I know. I don't want to say more about this story because, you know, spoilers. But I really enjoyed this book, and I am sure teens will enjoy this as well. I know I will be spending some quality time reading through the other posted installments. If you can't wait til April, you can read through this and other mysteries online. Start here for the beginning of the cases and an introduction to the team if you're reading online.



*Digital copy of the book courtesy of NetGalley.

3 comments :

tanita✿davis said...

I COMPLETELY ADORE Bad Machinery. The whole Scooby-esque crew is completely hilarious, and they're a happy part of my daily comic reading.

Debra said...

It has definitely worked its way into my heart and my webcomic feed.

Sarah Stevenson said...

I'll have to check this one out. I'm intrigued!