Book Review: Thumb and the Bad Guys

The Horn Book Magazine

Ken Roberts Thumb and the Bad Guys; illus. by Leanne Franson 120 pp. Groundwood 8/09 isbn 978-0-88899-916-0 $17.95 g

(Intermediate)

Fed on a diet of bad detective movies, Thumb and his friend Susan decide to try some sleuthing of their own. If you think there are meager possibilities for such in an isolated Canadian coastal village (pop. 143), think again: not only is old Kirk McKenna acting fishy (and easy to track via his copious spitting), but a new teacher has come to town, wearing thick makeup and an obvious wig. As we know from Thumb's two previous books (The Thumb in the Box, rev 9/01; Thumb on a Diamond, rev 5/06), he and author Roberts alike are adept at creating adventure from the slimmest of means. Characterization is again piquant, as when Thumb asks Susan how she spotted the killer in the (hilariously B-) movie they've just seen: "Susan shrugged. ? am a woman/ she replied softly. 'Women can always tell when another woman is evil.'"

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