Winston, Sherri. Catastrophe. Gladys Jose, Illus. Fiction. Wednesday and Woof Series; bk. 1. HarperCollins, 04/2022. 96pp. $15.99. 978-0-06-297601-7. HIGH ADDITIONAL. GRADES 2-4.
SERIES REVIEW: Wednesday, a young Black girl with juvenile arthritis, and her service dog, Woof, solve crimes in her neighborhood with the help of her diverse friends. The plots are fairly simple; they try to find a lost cat or a missing drone, using deduction, observation, and investigation. The book design makes this great for those moving into chapter books, with color artwork on nearly every page and chapters using considerable white space, lists, diagrams, and notes including running totals of the number of words read. Wednesday is a charming character that readers will relate to, and the information on her condition (and her friend Mariposa who has juvenile diabetes) is thoughtfully woven into the narrative. Somewhat similar to previous mystery series, but with a modern touch.
Penny Peck, San Jose State University, iSchool