Friday Barnes 1: Girl Detective by R. A. Spratt
Random House Australia Children's, 2014. ISBN: 9781742759623.
(Age: 10+) No doubt you would all be familiar with the wonderful
world of Nanny Piggins. Now R. A. Spratt introduces us to a new
character, Friday Barnes, who I am certain will prove every bit as
popular as the porcine prima donna.
Friday Barnes is a Matilda-esque child, thoroughly neglected by her
remote scientific parents - the surprise and unplanned child after a
neatly organised delivery of four older siblings. Left basically to
her own devices for eleven years, Friday is an exceptionally
intelligent girl who has read everything she can lay her hands on
(starting with all the scientific texts which are the only reading
matter in her house). Her only respite from the remoteness of her
parents and her carefully camouflaged presence at school is the
weekly contact with her Uncle Bernie, an insurance investigator.
When Uncle Bernie is faced with a terrible investigation (the theft
of a diamond necklace worth squillions) that seems unsolvable,
Friday decides he needs her help and with the resourcefulness of her
own clever brain plus the help of her fictional hero, the great
Poirot, Friday reveals the culprit and earns herself a huge reward.
Friday is not a mercenary child but the reward money solves her own
problem - where to go to high school (since the university turned
her down though she blitzed the entrance exam - apparently they
weren't prepared to take on a 11 year old student!). She promptly
pays her fees for the most exclusive school in the country,
Highcrest Academy, figuring that attending a school which operates
on a profit margin, it will at least be easier to bribe her way out
of sporting events.
What Friday does not count on is that far from being anonymous at
Highcrest, she suddenly finds herself investigating problems from
missing homework to wildlife smuggling as well as dealing with some
of the nastier pupils.
While Friday still hasn't figured out the point of high school, she
has gained her first friends ever and solved some very tricky
mysteries - just by being herself.
Readers, particularly girls, of about 10 plus will greatly enjoy
this fun read.
Sue Warren