About the Author: You probably first learned her name when you saw her bake the most deserved pie ever in The Help, the role that won her an Academy Award.
About the Book: You might stay up all night reading this before passing it along to the kids. That is, if you’re like us and devoured Nancy Drew as a kid. The heroine in The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit is Randi Rhodes, a flaming-haired ninja detective. Picture Nancy with the problem-solving skills of Encyclopedia Brown (but the coolness of his sidekick Sally Kimball) as a 12-year-old Bruce Lee devote and you’ve got a good idea of where this book goes. Throw in some super-cool play-along activities and this becomes a book kids tear through. After you’ve finished with it, that is. Another thing we love about this book: diversity! The cast includes Latino and African American characters, as well as a small town female Sheriff.
Ages: 8 & up read alone, 5 & up read aloud
