MYSTERY FORCE

Three kids with disabilities investigate crimes and bring villains to justice in Neill’s second omnibus of middle-grade adventures.

Rasheed comes from a home that honors Christian and Muslim traditions, and he gets around in a motorized wheelchair. His best friends are Jonathan, who uses a cane, and Jojo, who lives with anxiety and depression and has a feathered serpent companion named Quetzy, disguised as a scarf. The three friends live in a society where humans and magical creatures coexist. In three previous adventures, aided by magical animal companions Dan (a rhinoceroslike karkadan) and Max (a flying firefox), they’ve built a reputation as skilled mystery solvers. The present volume commences with “The Case of the Peryton Thief,” in which they investigate a costumed superhero who’s stealing medicine and a pharmaceutical company with its own nefarious scheme. In “Framed!,” Rasheed is unjustly arrested for committing bank robberies—including one that occurs while he’s in jail. Jonathan and Jojo must track down the real culprit. In “Cahoots!,” the team investigates mysterious thefts committed by golems; while doing so, they lock horns again with archvillains Dr. Evilina Dorisova (given to expressions such as “Oh fiddlesticks”) and Golden Pomp, a real estate mogul. Neill offers straightforward stories that will engage young readers. Each adventure offers a fast-moving blend of imperilment, investigation, everyday bravery, and superheroic action. The chapters are bite-sized and easily digestible, and Rasheed, Jonathan, and Jojo are relatable protagonists—proactive, intelligent, and fiercely loyal. The adult characters fall into two categories: They’re either good-natured and supportive, or villainous without much nuance (“But give up now? When my plan is nearly complete? You children must think I’m a fool”). Their portrayals might have benefited from more shades of gray, although one character is overtly acknowledged as being a victim of stereotyping. Each story is more or less self-contained, although some characters and plot elements recur from past installments without elucidation. Spooner’s cartoon-style, grayscale illustrations help paper over any confusion, adding pep to the plots and exemplifying the magical and inclusive nature of this fictional world.

Dynamic, upbeat, and seriously enjoyable tales.