Jack D. Ferraiolo

I’m a big fan of hard-boiled detective stories, so when I saw The Big Splash---the first one of that sort that I’ve ever seen written for a juvenile audience---I really, really wanted to read it. After all, where else but in middle school will you find the situation so ideal for the noir-style mystery? And Jack D. Ferraiolo includes just about all the elements of the genre: there’s an organized crime boss, bully boys, assassins, dangerous dames, a story-hungry reporter, and the law, show more represented by the orange sash of a hall monitor, of course.

I really enjoyed the combination---and the mystery---but I’m not so sure The Big Splash will hold the interest of its intended juvenile audience. After all, how much fun is it to read a book written in Humphrey Bogart’s voice when you don’t even know who Humphrey Bogart is? There are also a few more adult themes hovering behind the story---the relationship between the hero’s mom and his best friend’s married dad, for example. Perhaps a juvenile reader won’t think anything about that detail, but I’m more inclined to err on the side of caution and recommend The Big Splash to a slightly older audience, just in case. show less

This was pretty dopey, but surprisingly fun and fairly enjoyable overall. The dialogue could have been tighter, and the romantic leads fall for each other *so quickly* that it could only happen in a comic book universe, which I guess is sort of the point. On the other hand, the comic book fanboy in me LOVED seeing a thinly veiled version of Batman being taken down several notches. The ending pretty much guarantees a sequel, so we'll see if the second book is better.

Reviewed by Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen for TeensReadToo.com

"The Frank" may seem like a typical middle school, but it's actually run by Vinny Biggs and his gang. Need a stolen exam? Or want a sugar high? You'll have to go through Vinny. Cross Vinny, and you'll be facing one of his "hired assassins."

Vinny's "hired assassins" hold your social life fate in their hands. These assassins hide water guns, and with one quick shot you'll look like you peed your pants, face social show more humiliation, and immediately are put in "the outs."

Nikki Fingers used to be the fastest and most feared shooter at "The Frank," but at the beginning of seventh grade decides for a fresh start. But when Nikki is taken out, seventh grade detective Matt Stevens is hired. Could it have been her former boss, Vinny? The boy who had a crush on her? Or one of the many students at "The Frank" with a reason to hate Nikki? Matt only has a week to find out or he might find himself in "the outs" as well.

I can't say enough good things about this book! It's wonderfully written in a clever noir style that kept me laughing and guessing all night. It reads just like an old pulp detective novel and includes many of the characters you would expect to be there - the mob boss, the hired guns, the detective, the girl crush - only this time they're in sixth and seventh grade. At times it reminded me of one of my favorite old movies, Bugsy Malone, in which kids play the gangsters.

There were so many things sprinkled in this story that made me smile. The kids who would do anything for a pixy stick rush, the frazzled newspaperman, and the kid-owned sandwich shop all added to the style, and I felt like I really was transported back into one of those old pulp detective novels.

The mystery had plenty of twists and turns and kept me guessing and second-guessing who did Nikki in. The dialogue is witty and snappy and is full of humor.

Although the setting is middle school, readers who have gotten through their middle school years are sure to enjoy THE BIG SPLASH, as well. Fans of great detective novels or gangster stories should add this one to their reading pile!

I'm looking forward to reading more from Jack D. Ferraiolo - and hope that Matt Stevens is on another case soon! show less

Matt Stevens, Middle School Private Eye, is hired by Vinny Biggs, Franklin’s Underworld Boss, for a seemingly simple job. But in a school where one well placed squirt gun shot can “kill” your reputation forever, Matt has only a few days solve a case with “more twists than a candy addict on a swivel chair.”

The Big Splash is a clever mafia/crime underworld spoof with a fast paced, twisty plot and a big heart. You have the boss and his goons who deal in forged hall passes and the show more like, his femme fatale squirt gun assassin Nikki Fingers (think a 12 year old Angelina Jolie), kids who dared to cross the boss and are now on the “outs” (social death), and even Pixy Stixers, kids who will do anything to get another (sugar) fix.

I absolutely adored the writing, the humor, the characters and the realizations Matt came to during the case such as, “Waking up at 5:00 means you’re industrious, an early riser; waking up at 4:45 means you have trouble sleeping.” And “Once you’re convicted by a jury of your peers, it’s hard to get a new trial.” And my favorite (because it is sooo true): “I had recently come to realize that it was extremely rare to find friendships in which doing nothing special was the most fun thing you could ever hope to do.” show less