The Crown Affair

Starred review from November 24, 2014
When Jack and Jill fell down the hill, did Jack really lose his crown, or did someone make off with it? Detective Joe Dumpty, previously seen in 2009’s What REALLY Happened to Humpty?, is on the case in this witty companion book. Tipped off that a certain other nursery-rhyme Jack might be responsible for the crown’s disappearance, Joe sets out to interrogate suspects, and his noir-flavored narration is just as much fun this time around (“Between his bum foot and his scorched bottom, Jack wouldn’t have been nimble—or quick—enough to grab the crown this morning”). Axelsen’s illustrations are packed with humorous details and cleverly reimagined Mother Goose characters, and Ransom’s references to “test positive for magic beans,” among other gags, will amuse older readers. Ages 6–9. Author’s agent: Lori Kilkelly, Rodeen Literary Management.

February 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-In this sequel to What Really Happened to Humpty? (Charlesbridge, 2009), Detective Joe Dumpty is back on another case. Jack and Jill, as everyone knows, went up a hill, but as Jack fell down and broke his crown, someone went and snatched it! All that Joe Dumpty knows for sure is that one of Mother Gooseland's many Jacks is the culprit, and he rounds up the usual suspects to determine which of them is guilty. Ransom does a decent job introducing new characters and locations in Mother Gooseland, but the story does not have the same drive as the first one. The play on nursery rhymes is still clever, but the many puns involving eggs are overdone. The case itself is also not as interesting as its predecessor, with fewer clues to follow along as Joe Humpty mostly just goes from Jack to Jack until he finds the guilty person. Missteps aside, the illustrations are a step up from those in the previous book, as colors pop a bit more and outlines are sharper, creating a much better experience. VERDICT There will always be room for more fractured fairy tales, so consider this one if the first case is popular.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2014
Noir whodunit in the land of Mother Goose. When Jack loses his crown after falling down that hill, who better to crack the case than hard-boiled Joe Dumpty, private eye? (Joe made his rep by solving the mystery surrounding his brother in What REALLY Happened to Humpty?, 2009.) Jill leaps over the yellow crime-scene tape to meet him at the hill. Jack's eyes look like pinwheels as he tells Joe what he remembers; dizzy Jill can't add much more. Spider goes over the crime scene with a fine-tooth comb...literally! Joe visits the Sprats, who are fighting; could it be about the crown? Jack B. Nimble is on crutches; he fell while practicing his candle-jumping. He's an unlikely suspect. And in the house that Jack built, "Goldy" describes a suspicious encounter with the Muffin Man. Joe grills this sailor-suited gourmand, who implicates yet another Jack, the one who went up the beanstalk. While Joe visits this sulky Jack, Spider takes a trip up the beanstalk to talk to the giant. Between them, they solve the crime, and just in time. Joe and Spider can tackle their next case: The cow has jumped over the moon and hasn't been seen since. The pun-packed yarn may go over the heads of younger readers, but their grown-ups will chuckle, and everyone will enjoy the impish twists on familiar images in Axelsen's Photoshop illustrations. Genuinely clever. (Picture book. 3-7)

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