Framed!

I was a little skeptical of this mystery, despite Ms. Yingling's recommendation. The cover just didn't really grab me and I wasn't sure we needed another art heist book. But it turns out, we do need this one! It's not only a great middle grade read, it's just a great read in general and I enjoyed it myself.

The book starts abruptly with middle schooler Florian's abduction of Romanian gangsters. Fade to black and the real story begins... Florian has moved (again). His parents, both involved in art and security, move frequently. Florian has developed T.O.A.S.T. to pass the time and amuse himself more than anything else. The Theory Of All Small Things has helped Florian figure out an art heist in the past and, to his surprise, garners him a show more new friend in the form of soccer-playing, African-American Margaret. The two are surprised (and somewhat thrilled) to get swept up in an art heist, as well as the search for Margaret's unknown birth parents.

Along the way we find out why Florian has been kidnapped, solve several individual mysteries, go along on some exciting adventures, especially when Florian gets picked to be a consultant to the FBI, and even see Florian starting to enjoy typical school-kid life, for the first time.

The mystery is really well done, with lots of clues and twists, but not so many that you spend half the book trying to break codes (not a pastime I personally enjoy). There are unresolved issues left (what will Florian tell Margaret about her parents?) that leave room for a sequel. Florian isn't stuck-up or obnoxious; he makes mistakes, uses his theory incorrectly, does stupid stuff and gets in trouble, but also respects Margaret's intelligence and skills and treats her as a full partner.

Verdict: This is a great mystery series I can't wait to introduce to my middle grade readers. It's definitely going on the list for our mystery month for book club!

ISBN: 9781481436304; Published 2016 by Aladdin; Borrowed from another library in my consortium; Purchased for the library show less

Florian Bates has lived all over the world because of his parents' jobs working in museums. When he moves to Washington DC, he meets Margaret who is the first person besides his parents to be interested in TOAST which stand for the Theory of All Small Things. Florian uses this technique like a game to solve little mysteries, but when there are paintings stolen from the National Gallery, he and Margaret use TOAST to find clues to help the FBI solve the case. Even though the FBI tries to hide his involvement, it isn't long before Florian is in danger from the art thieves.

Framed! is the first book in the Framed! series and is full of mystery and fun. Florian is a modern day Encyclopedia Brown to Margaret's Sally Kimball. The mystery of the show more missing paintings seems realistic, especially for a middle grade audience. The clues are easy to follow, but also challenging enough to make the story entertaining. The witty banter, short sentence structures, and fast paced action all make this book a very quick enjoyable read. Overall, Framed! is an extremely captivating mystery and a promising start to this series. 4 1/2 stars. show less

children's middlegrade mystery/suspense
this was a very clever, suspenseful, thrilling ride of a read starring 12 y.o. 7th grader Florian and his new best friend and partner Margaret (who is Black and intent on uncovering the mystery of her birth parents) during the summer before he starts at his new school in Washington, D.C.. I tore through this in one day and would highly recommend for kids who love mysteries and/or good adventure stories.

Well that's a lot of fun. It's sort of like a richer Encyclopedia Brown, but I do have to knock it down to three stars because there aren't enough chances for the reader to solve the puzzles. Still, it's good both for kids who are more used to screens than books (Ponti wrote for Nickelodeon etc.) and for people like me who just want a sort of smart and engaging escape. And I love these characters, too, and will try to find the sequels.

An engaging mystery about a 12-year-old who moves to DC. When Florian helps to gather clues to foil an attempted $65 million dollar art heist, he is recruited to serve as a consultant to the FBI. His extraordinary skills at observation and his TOAST (theory of all small things) method. He meets a neighbor, Margaret, who for the first time in his life feels like he has a good friend and partner.
The art theft is solved in this book, and the door is open at the end of the story for the next case.

Everything about this was awesome: narrator's voice, art heist, secondary mystery, and the blatant use of The Art of Deduction. I love a good Holmes-esque mystery, even when it's written for 12-year-olds.

While most seventh graders worry about homework and secret crushes, twelve year-old Florian Bates has a secret, part-time job, and that job is working for the FBI. Using his system he calls TOAST, Florian is able to pick up details that everyone else has seemingly missed or disregarded as irrelevant. Can he use these skills to solve the case of a lifetime? Readers of the Alex Rider series will enjoy this book and this book is recommended for students of all ages, as elementary and middle school students will be drawn in by the double life of Florian as a middle school student and FBI agent while high school students will enjoy the pacing of the story and be in awe of TOAST and how important it is to be detail oriented.