Module 10-August 8-11 Lake Monster Mix-Up-A Sam and Friends Mystery

                                         

                                           

Lake Monster Mix Up- A Sam and Friends Mystery by Mary Labatt





Summary:

In the second book in the Sam & Friends Mystery graphic novel series, canine sleuth Sam is bored because she has to spend the weekend at the cottage at Sagawa Lake - until she hears that the lake has a deep, dark secret.  Sam wants to hear all about it and sure enough, with help from Jennie and Beth, Sam finds an old diary hidden in the wall of their cabin and what they read there is chilling. Is it the key to the secret of Sagawa Lake? What about the strange face painted on the rock, near the water's edge - and the creepy cave nearby? Something lurks in the depths of the lake. All they need is proof, which Sam is determined to obtain at all costs. As always, the mystery-solving trio of Sam, Jennie and Beth blow up events to scary proportions and young graphic novel readers will furiously turn pages to reach the climax - and a surprising solution to the mystery.

Read it Again:
Yes, if you like mysteries you'll like this series.  It is exciting to follow along with Sam and her friends as they uncover the hidden secrets of Sagawa Lake.  I really enjoyed Sam being able to talk through out the book even though she was a dog, it adds another personality and twist to the story.


Library Use:
Once again this graphic novel could be used for reluctant readers.  I think boys and girls would really enjoy that Sam is a dog plays such a large part in the book.  I think it would be fun for the kids to write a short graphic novel to go along with the Sam and Friends mysteries.

Reviews:
School Library Journal 11/1/2009 

K-Gr 4 –Sam, a telepathic dog with a yearning for adventure, and her two human friends, Jennie and Beth, go on a family trip to Sagawa Lake. Once there, the cryptic warnings of a local coot, a hidden diary, and a spooky cave combine to cause the friends to believe that the lake’s island is populated with prehistoric frog monsters, and they set out to prove their theory. This graphic-novel adaptation of the sixth book in Labatt’s “Sam, Dog Detective” series (Kids Can) is quite successful. Rioux’s figure work is very good, with excellent body language, sufficient dollops of realistic detail, and good comic timing and expression. Sam is sufficiently anthropomorphized to benefit from these aspects of the illustration, which makes her come across as cute and impetuous, whereas in the chapter books she can seem more self-interested and petty. In fact, some of Sam’s dialogue that catered to her more selfish or crabby impulses has been cut from the adaptation, which serves to make her more appealing. While the conclusion to the mystery is a bit of a cheat, with information that could not have been anticipated suddenly presented to readers and the trio, the book is more about the characters’ impulse to make adventure and entertainment for themselves. That rings true, as do the family dynamics.–Benjamin Russell, Belmont High School, NH Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.  


References:

www. mackin.com

Bibliography:

Labatt, M. (2009) Lake monster mix-up.  Toronto: ON. Kids Can Press.