The case of the missing cheetah

Veronica Mang

Book - 2021

"It's a dark and stormy night when three sleuthing little girls get pulled into a web of mystery. They have mistakenly uncovered a secret society of some of the most famous female spies in history. A glamorous spy named Josephine Baker enlists the girls to find out who has kidnapped Chiquita, her precious pet cheetah. Do the girls have what it takes to become spies themselves?"--

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jFICTION/Mang Veronica
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Location Call Number   Status
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Subjects
Genres
Spy stories
Children's stories
Spy stories. Juvenile fiction
Spy fiction
Detective and mystery fiction
Published
New York : Viking 2021.
Language
English
Main Author
Veronica Mang (author)
Item Description
Series numeration from goodreads.com.
Physical Description
95 pages : color illustrations ; 20 cm
Also available in electronic format
ISBN
9780593204351
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Peggy, Rita, and Dot comprise the spy club that headquarters in Rita's attic, but the young gumshoes haven't had a case in weeks. Then one night, their interest is piqued by a mysterious figure whom the girls pursue, and to their astonishment, they discover a fabulous den of female spies from throughout history--everything from Civil War secret agents to WWII resistance fighters. Among the members is the incomparable Josephine Baker, who offers a case to the girls: her cherished pet cheetah has gone missing, and she needs their help returning Chaquita home. It's a marvelous premise, and the accompanying illustrations help bring to life a whimsical world of intrigue. The plot rushes by quickly, but young supersleuth readers will long for more adventures among this league of extraordinary spies.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review

Three girls stumble upon a group of lady spies and convince them to let them join their group. In this series opener, Peggy, Rita, and Dot are frustrated spies without a case. One dark and stormy night, they are bored and decide to venture out of their clubhouse when they see a mysterious figure walking the streets in the middle of the night. (Why these seemingly parentless children find that peculiar when they themselves are also up way past bedtime is anyone's guess.) It turns out to be Miss Khan, their teacher, who invites them inside for hot chocolate but is twitchy when Dot opens a door and sees a group of women gathering secretly. The next morning Rita sees a woman in the newspaper she recognizes from Miss Khan's, and they rush back to the teacher's home. That woman? Josephine Baker, the famed dancer suspected of being a spy. The girls confront the women and express their desire to be sleuths and spies as well, and Josephine conveniently has a mystery for them to solve: Her pet cheetah has been kidnapped. The girls eagerly take on the job. Delightful pencil illustrations with spots of bright yellow appear on every spread, but they can't save this poorly paced story. All the lady spies are based on real people (even the cheetah!), though they were not contemporaries, as the brief bios in the backmatter attest. The attempted noir tone feels ungrounded because of its slippery connection to time and world history. Rita presents Black and Peggy White; Dot appears to be a girl of color. All the ingredients are there, but something went wrong in the cooking process. (author's note, guide to Morse code) (Mystery. 6-10) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.