Barrie Summy

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

Sherry's got typical seventh grade issues. She's not so great at school and she's got a serious crush on Josh, an uber cute eighth grader, and makes an unforgettable impression on him by bloodying his nose. Plus, her dad's engaged to Paula, the math teacher at school, aka The Ruler. But if you're thinking that I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES is just another book about an everyday teen who just wants to be loved, you'd be so wrong. There's nothing show more normal about Sherry's spring break.

You see, Sherry had big plans for her break, plans that involved sleeping in, shopping, and then more shopping with her best friend, Junie. Until her dad told her that he and The Ruler have moved up their wedding date to this weekend. And she'll have to spend her break in San Diego with her aging great-aunt. Course, that's better than staying with her little brother at her dotty old grandma's house. The same one who believes in ghosts and thinks she communicates with the spirits. Shoot, she even thinks her dead husband is a bird. How weird is that?

When Sherry goes outside to curl up in her favorite pear tree, her mother (who, by the way, was killed in the line of duty a year and a half ago), shows up in a rush of wind and a cloud of coffee, and Sherry's no longer sure what's weird and what's not. Even stranger, it turns out her mother needs her help solving a case of unauthorized banana treats at a rhino enclosure in (you'll never guess) San Diego! Her? Sherry? Go undercover? Think on her feet? Solve a mystery? No way. Sherry's always been the one most likely to mess up, if she doesn't freeze up first. But no matter how bizarre it all sounds, her mother needs her. Actually needs her!

It doesn't take long to convince her dad to send Junie with her to San Diego, even if it does mean she's also going to have to put up with Junie's older cousin, Amber. Soon, Sherry's up to her elbows in meringue and buckets of coffee, pounding the pavement like a regular ol' sleuth till she's got blisters on her feet. Who's trying to kill the rhinos and why? Will she be able to find out in time to save them? Will her directionally-challenged mother be able to find her so they can work together as she promised? Can she trust Junie with her secret? And what about Josh? Will he forget she even exists while she's gone?

I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES is a funny, engaging debut novel and Sherry's antics will keep you turning pages since nothing happens as expected. Ms. Summy's title suggest she so doesn't do mysteries, but I believe she does them very, very well, and I surely hope she will be brewing up more mysteries for Sherry and her mother in the future. show less

Reviewed by Cana Rensberger for TeensReadToo.com

You know how sticky it can sometimes get when you're juggling both a mother and a stepmother? Imagine if your mother was a ghost and your stepmother was a teacher at your school!

Sherry Baldwin's mother floats in on a wave of coffee to let Sherry know that she needs to meet her at Dairy Queen, ghost headquarters. There, Sherry learns that her stepmother, aka The Ruler, has a stalker. With her dad out of town, and her mother competing in the show more Ghostlympics, it's up to Sherry to solve the mystery.

But, she so doesn't do spooky.

Sherry enlists Junie's help as they embark upon a journey of the paranormal. A ghost hunter's equipment picks up signs of her mother while a teen psychic confirms Sherry's fears about her stepmother. When The Ruler's tires are slashed, Sherry follows the scents of sweat socks and honey, and wonders what she'll do when she finds the stalker.

To make matters worse, her uber-fantastic boyfriend, Josh, has a glittery tutor who seems eager to take Sherry's place. Her best friend, Junie, is too distracted to answer her texts, someone is trying to kill her fish, and her school's rival robotics team has discovered she's a spy.

Barrie Summy's I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY is a wonderful romp between teen and paranormal worlds. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Summy's first novel, I SO DON'T DO MYSTERIES, and was eager to read I SO DON'T DO SPOOKY. I was not disappointed. It was just plain fun.

And if an unusual scent seems to settle around you as you read, don't be concerned. It's probably just a ghost that can't resist reading over your shoulder. show less

What happens when you have a makeup sleepover party at your house and your friend Junie wakes up in the middle of the night screaming in pain because the night cream she put on before bed is burning her face? The first thing you do, after washing her face, is bring the cream back to the mall store Naked Makeup where you bought it from your friends Lacie and Amber. The next thing you do if figure out why it happened.

And, if you’re thirteen-year-old Sherry (short for Sherlock) Holmes show more Baldwin, you ultimately find out why someone is tampering with the makeup. There is no shortage of suspects.

I So Don’t Do Makeup is the third book in Barrie Summy’s series about Sherry Baldwin, the first two being I So Don’t Do Mysteries and I So Don’t Do Spooky. In the first two books, Sherry’s mother, a police woman who died and is now a member of the Phantom Security Squad of the Academy of Spirits, a group of ghosts who protect humans, helped her solve the mystery. However, her mother can’t help her this time. Sherry’s on her own. Of course her friends Junie and Brianna help, as do ubercute boyfriend of three months, Josh, and his friend Nick.

While solving the mystery Sherry has enough time to go on her first movie date with Josh. Unfortunately her mother (who she can’t see but can smell because she smells like coffee) makes an appearance to make sure Sherry’s behaving herself, forcing Sherry to miss half the movie. Great first date!!! Sherry also has time to comment on fashion and makeup, her cute blue denim handbag, her grandmother’s lack of fashion, and the Janes, a group of girls who think makeup diverts girls’ attention from school work.

So, what’s so fun about the book? First of all, Sherry’s mother, who as I said smells like coffee, and especially her grandfather, also deceased, who appears in the form of a bird, are imaginative characters. Second, her friends are great friends. Everyone should have friends like them. Third, the story. It’s fun watching Sherry and her brainiac friend Junie, sort out the clues to come up with the answer.

I So Don’t Do Makeup is a fun read and I highly recommend it. And if you like this series, I also suggest the Lulu Dark mystery series by Bennett Madison. show less

Sherry's stepmother "The Ruler" has been having some super weird things happening to her. Sherry and her friend Junie, who now shows interest in makeup, want to help find out what is going on. They also get some help from Sherry's ghost mom, who can only be summoned by the smell of coffee beans, and who is enrolled in the Academy of Spirits. But some things will get in the way. Like her and her boyfriend, Josh, and their two month anniversary. Also her mom will be training for the show more Ghostlympics so she can earn 5 minutes of Real Time, where she gets to see her mom in person, with her mother. Donner's robotics team is also out to get them, and their leader Claire might be hiding somethings that might help Sherry find out what ghost is messing with her step mom. In the end it will be all up to Sherry to get this Spooky behavior to finally go away.


I loved this book because of how creative the whole idea was, I honestly love to read mysteries because the are very intriguing. The characters seem very original and help the book go along very well! My favorite part is when Sherry has the encounter with the honey-sweaty sock smelling ghost in the desert. I also love how Sherry gives many of the people at her school nicknames like Nerdy Nick, The Ruler, Honor Role Girl, and Tongue-Stud Girl. To me this book seems very original and is honestly one of the best ones I ever read, and that is why I think it deserves five stars! I would recommend this book to any girl, in middle school mostly, that loves to read mysteries. I hope to finish all of Barrie Summy's books soon! show less