Cover Image: The Real McCoys

The Real McCoys

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Member Reviews

A mystery featuring a kid detective is a hard thing to pull off effectively. You don't want to have them investigating a "real" crime as that would put them in unreasonable danger. With only kid level mysteries, though, the stakes are often lacking. That's something this book does well. The missing mascot is upsetting to many of the children at the school and has consequences in their day. The investigation is solid as well. The clues are clear enough for a kid to understand but provide enough misdirection as to not be completely obvious. The motivation is a little weak but that's forgivable. The characters are amusing and believable.

From a purely audio standpoint, this one is well narrated. Moxie's voice is dynamic and excitable without going too far and becoming obnoxious. This was a fun listen that can be enjoyed by kids and their parents.

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Thank you Netgalley and Orange Sky Audio for the gifted audio book!

This is a very funny tongue-in-cheek story about two siblings who bond over a mystery at their elementary school. Moxie is a fourth grader with her own detective agency, with a spot recently opened for a new partner. Her brother Milton is nice, polite, and uber smart, but certainly not a detective!  But when things go awry on the day of the school awards assembly, everything they thought they knew about each other may need to be reevaluated. Moxie's habit of jumping to conclusions gets the best of her at times and as a reader you get to laugh at the silliness of it all. 

Cassandra Parker is a GEM of a narrator. She nailed this elementary school voice and the precociousness of Moxie so well!

Bonus: if you and/or your kids like this one, there are two more in the series so far!

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*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really cute and funny middle grade book, would recommend for kids 100%, audiobook is hilarious to listen too lmao

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Moxie is a fourth grader with a detective agency, an extremely clever little brother, and a best friend who's just moved away. When the school mascot, Eddie, gets stolen, she's on the case!

This was a fun listen with a somewhat offbeat main character, brash and obsessed with a girl detective childrens' series. As someone who was obsessed with Nancy Drew as a child (which the Annabel Adams books are clearly based on), I could relate. Moxie was fun to follow as a lead, and I enjoyed her relationship with her brother Milton and her hunt for a new best friend.

Though I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek humor about the Annabel Adams books and the programs at school, I did wonder at times if it turned a touch cynical for a children's book. As an adult, I found it quite funny though.

As for the narration - I liked the narrator, who was quite energetic and did all the sound effects and whatnot that I imagine were present as illustrations in the book. She had a friendly, excitable voice that suited Moxie.

Overall, a fun read that elementary schoolers are bound to enjoy.

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I absolutely love this series, and I was interested to check out an audiobook version of the text. All the wonderful, laugh out loud humor is there! I love the narrator's use of voices to bring these quirky characters to life.

I recommend this series to readers often, and it is great to have it available in another format!

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This book is laugh out loud hilarious! So many fun comments and comparisons at just the right time. The teacher names (Mrs. Bunyan, Mrs.Breath and Mr. Hammer) even were a bit funny.

Who knew that a mystery about a missing owl mascot (Eddie) could be so entertaining. I think I enjoyed this book as much as my kids did.

The audiobook version of this book is fantastic! The narrator does all kids of fun voices to bring the characters to life. We are excited to read more books in the series and can't wait for the next mystery for Moxie aka Slim and Milton to solve.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy of this Audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

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Moxie McCoy is on a mission to find a new friend, and along the way stumbles into a mystery that must be solved. The main character is full of opinions about what makes a good friend, as well as who her enemies are. When the school mascot goes missing she finds herself searching for clues, solving riddles with the help of her brother, and connecting with friends along the way.

I think the narrator did a great job of emphasizing things the way a tween or young child might and put a lot of silly voices or sounds into the narrative. Listening to the audiobook would be a unique experience to reading the book, and I think for struggling readers, it would only help them decipher intonation and dialogue. Moxie McCoy is a very dramatic character, and the narrator was well-suited for this big personality.

This book reminded me of Harriet the Spy, but did not have the same charm for me. However, I think a reader at the age that the book is intended for might very much enjoy this spy novel.

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Moxie McCoy fourth grade and her brother Milton first grade. Moxie is a detective, she and her best friend solve mysterious things in school. But now her best friend is gone from this city and she should find her best match for research! In meanwhile, someone missing in school on the big day. What a mess, she doesn't have a partner so she should do it all alone. Moxie takes advantage and during inquiry tries to find her match.

This was a charming, sweet, and funny story about a curious and adventurous girl. Moxie was active and so interesting, always jumps to conclusions. Milton was nice, polite, and thoughtful. They are an awesome team. I really enjoyed the story and the relationship between siblings, so beautiful.

Although I really liked this book I'm not going to read the next book, only an audiobook, no chance to read, I should listen to the next. :) The Narrator was FANTASTIC!

Many thanks to OrangeSky Audio and NetGalley for giving me the chance of listening to The Real McCoys (The Real McCoys #1) by Matthew Swanson and Robbi Behr, Narrated by Cassandra Parker, I have given my honest review.
Duration: 4 Hours, 23 Minutes, 3 Seconds.

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I requested this book from NetGalley because I am always looking to supplement the mysteries section of my classroom library and this book was promoted as being for middle school students, and ages 8 to 12. Not even close.
The good news is that it’s a cute story if you are an elementary school aged child. I’ve read that the illustrations in the print version are great, but listening to the audio version was like a caricature of a Nancy Drew. I’m not sure even a five or six-year-old would be able to listen to the overly performing voice narrator for more than a few minutes at a time.
The bad news is this is definitely not for middle grades. I guess the fact that the protagonist is in fourth grade, and the costar, her brother, is in first grade should’ve been my first clue.
It’s a cute, if overly simplified and watered down story. I can see it being a series, but I think it should be promoted properly and maybe even shortened to keep the attention of young readers.

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