Synopses & Reviews
Meet Minerva Clark: freak-show freak turned detective!
Minerva Clark is a typical thirteen-year-old girl: she hates her hair, she hates her legs (which somehow manage to look both too fat and too skinny at the same time), and don't get her started on her gigantor bootie. On top of all this puberty, she's being raised by three older brothers, none of whom really get her. But when a fateful encounter with a lightning storm rewires her sense of self, Minerva Clark becomes anything but a typical teen. With a brazen new attitude and a nose for trouble, Minerva soon finds herself drawn inexplicably to the scene of a murder and determined to track down the killer. If only all the clues weren't pointing so close to someone she knows...
Review
"Karbo's innovative, good-natured satire of adolescent girl behavior shines when portraying Minerva's quirky but affectionate home life....The 'clues' Minerva gets about how teenagers think or too often don't think are first-rate." Horn Book
Review
"A...cross between Nancy Drew and Adrian Monk." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Minerva is a typical 13-year-old girl until a fateful encounter with a lightning storm rewires her sense of self. With a brazen new attitude and a nose for trouble, she finds herself determined to track down a murderer.
About the Author
Karen Karbo is the author of a memoir, The Stuff of Life, plus several adult novels, including Motherhood Made a Man Out of Me, The Diamond Lane, and Trespassers Welcome Here all three of which were New York Times Notable Books and the nonfiction book Generation Ex: Tales from the Second Wives Club. Her writing has appeared in Vogue, Esquire, Entertainment Weekly, the New Republic, the New York Times, and Redbook. This is her first book for young readers. Karen lives in Portland, Oregon.
Exclusive Essay
Read an exclusive essay by Karen Karbo