Book Case, written by Dave Shelton, reviewed by Kalie Mehaffy

Summary: The Book Case by Dave Shelton follows Daphnie, a young girl who is sent to a boarding school called St. Rita's, all set up with a scholarship and a job as the Assistant Librarian. When Daphnie arrives, she quickly learns that St. Rita's is not at all what she expected. There are holes in the driveway from chemistry experiments, a hole in the floor from a cannonball, a Latin teacher who drives a motorcycle, a library with no library books, and the Assistant Librarian position that is already filled. Daphnie learns to navigate this crazy boarding school with the help of a clumsy boy named George and the grumpy Assistant Librarian named Emily all while solving the mystery of a bank robbery and school break-in and while trying to fill the empty library with books.

Straight Talk for Librarians: I think that The Book Case by Dave Shelton is very fun, but I absolutely wish it had a little bit more world-building explanations. There were so many world questions I had while reading this book that were not answered. It was a great fun mystery and adventure, but I love being immersed in the world when I read, and unfortunately, I struggled with that immersion in this book. Overall, however, it was a fun mystery story. I do not think I would use this as part of the curriculum, but I would have it on my middle school classroom bookshelf for my lower readers, and if I taught fifth grade I would absolutely have it on my bookshelf. I think students can use The Book Case as an independent reading book and complete notes sheets on plot, action, climax, and dialogue, but I do not think there is enough to justify this novel being a class book. All in all, this is a very fun book to have on the classroom library bookshelf, but not one I would use in a lesson.