Title: Facing the Fugitive
Author: Katrina Hoover Lee
Series: Brady Street Boys, book 2
Major Themes: Chicago, Joy
Synopsis: On a trip to Chicago to try to find answers about Gary’s amputated leg, the Brady Street boys find themselves in the middle of another mystery.
We are really enjoying the Brady Street Boys series! Book 2, Facing the Fugitive, begins right after the end of book 1, Trapped in the Tunnel. We were delighted to get to read an advanced reader copy of it.
Because they didn’t tell their parents what they were up to as they explored tunnels around their neighborhood, Terry, Gary and Larry got to scrape and paint the entire porch! Finally, that job is done. Now the boys can go to the library! Larry wants to learn about Chicago, where the family plans to go tomorrow. They take their rowboat and learn some interesting things, including that an international fugitive may be in their town.
The trip to Chicago is interesting, too. The family catches the train in South Bend. Their trip starts out disappointing when they aren’t able to learn anything about the surgeon who amputated Gary’s leg several years ago, and the most important papers are missing from his file. Their tour of the Oriental Institute proves very interesting, though—until everyone is evacuated because of an attempted robbery! Off they go, though, on more adventures. Gary is determined to keep his eyes open and not be taken by surprise again, like he was last week when they ended up trapped in a tunnel. All the boys wonder if the robbery was really only attempted—or was something stolen?
Facing the Fugitive is a very gentle mystery. I really like it! These are stories of a simpler time, before smart phones and the internet. The boys’ parents guide them into right living. Each book in the series will focus on a particular Fruit of the Spirit; the theme of this one is Joy. What brings joy to a person? One of the boys suggests having lots of things—will that give a person joy? Read the book to find out what the boys learned!
We were discussing these books tonight, and my sons commented that they are very realistic. The boys in the story don’t know everything, and aren’t solving all the mysteries by themselves. They are, instead, living life just like our children do. We like that realism, and we are looking forward to reading book 3!
I received a review copy of this book from the author, and these are my honest thoughts about it.
No warnings!
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12, Family Friendly
Reading Independently—Ages 7 – 9, 8 – 12
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