THE ARTSY MISTAKE MYSTERY

How do you solve a mystery involving stolen artwork? Sometimes you need to make all the right mistakes.

Stephen is a seventh-grader who follows his father’s philosophy that making mistakes can be a good thing; a mistake implies you’ve tried something new and you’re pushing yourself to accept new challenges in life. One of these challenges may be starting a friendship with a girl. Renée is very different from Steven—she loves bright colors and has a dramatic flair that makes people notice her. The two kids (both evidently white) are a mismatched pair, much like the dog duo of hyperactive Ping (a Jack Russell) and quiet Pong (a greyhound) that Stephen walks for his father’s dog-walking business. While out walking the dogs, Stephen and Renée begin to notice odd occurrences: public artwork in their neighborhood is disappearing. When Renée’s graffiti-artist brother falls under suspicion, it’s up to Stephen and Renée to prove his innocence. Although the premise is interesting, drowsy pacing and unnatural dialogue slow the plot to a putter. Loud and vibrant Renée is written as a brash one-note character, while quiet Stephen is inconsistent, both dubious about having a girl as a friend and happy to knit the night away. The matter-of-fact introduction of Stephen’s caregiving father and globe-trotting mother is pleasingly refreshing, but it doesn’t save the story’s humdrum narrative. Mystery lovers may find more excitement in Chasing Vermeer or When You Reach Me.

An uphill trek.