Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

This was an enjoyable book and a good choice for a preteen reader. A step above must books for young readers in that it kept my interest with out any parts boring me. The story was easy to follow with all the elements needed for a good read. The characters likability makes the reader want to read more in the series.

This is one of the best Middle Grade and mystery books I've read in a while! I don't read a lot of Middle Grade books, but this one immediately captured my attention with the beautiful cover and interesting blurb. And I am so glad I won a copy of this book in a giveaway. Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar mystery is about a girl named Amanda, who wants to be a filmmaker, but her parents want her to be a detective as they are descendants of Lestrade and they sent her to a school to become a detective. Lots of fictional detectives are real in this book and there's a secret school where the descendants of famous detectives can go to learn what it takes to be a detective. The boarding school for detectives was really cool and interesting and it made for a great setting. I also liked how the book is set in modern times and things like phones, internet, camera's and 3D printing all made an appearance.

I loved this book and had so much fun reading it. The story had me hooked from the first page and I had a hard time putting this book time, telling myself I would read just one more chapter and then one more chapter etc. This book is very well written and I really liked the author her writing style. The pace is well done and there isn't a dull moment. Also while this is a Middle Grade book it is suited for readers of all ages. The feel of the book reminded me a bit of Harry Potter but instead of wizards and magic this book has detectives and mysteries. It also had a pretty mature feel and even deals with serious topics, like criminals, death, murder, kidnapping and crime.

I haven't read a lot of books about detectives, so it was fun to learn more about them. And the mystery was done really well. It's obvious the author did her research before writing this book. Strange things start happening and then there is the class project and just like the characters I kept trying to find out what was part of the class project and what not. There are lots of clues and slowly things start to make sense. I kept guessing what was exactly going on and only figured it out when Amanda and her friends did. I liked how they talked about the mystery and speculated about what was going on, that way it was easy to keep up with their thoughts and ideas.

The pace picks up towards the end when the mystery comes to a conclusion and I couldn't put the book down till things calmed down a bit. There was a really well done plot twist towards the end that took me by surprise and I really admire the author for how well she wrote that part. The sugar conspiracy made for a great mystery and I liked how the author still made everything feels believable and real, it all made sense and I really liked that. After the fast paced scenes, things calm down a bit and the plot lines for this book are neatly wrapped up, while the stage is set for the next book and a hint of what to expect next.

While I would describe this book as story driven, the characters also play a big part and are well developed. I instantly connected with Amanda with her slight control freak tendencies and she was such a great character. She is very smart and capable. She wants to be a film-maker, but now she has to go to a school of detectives, which she hates. It was fun to see her opinion of the school change as the book progressed and she finds her place eventually. She also has her flaws, which made her even more real. She makes some mistakes, but also realizes that and tried to prevent it from happening again.

Then there are some awesome side characters, like her friends Nick, Simon, Ivy, Nigel and Amphora. I especially liked Ivy, she is blind, but doesn't let that restrict her from becoming a detective. She has a great guide dog Nigel, who was adorable, and her hearing is fantastic and she helps Amanda and the rest out quite a few times with that. There is a hint of a possible romance with Nick, but there's not a lot of focus on that. I got a good feel for all of the characters and liked meeting them. I am looking forward to see more of them in the next book. We also get a feel for most of the school teachers and they all had some kind of quirk or background.

There are also some extra's in this book that make the world come alive even more. The stunning cover and back cover show two scenes from the book and give readers a feel for what the characters look like. You can also see character sketches of the characters on the author her website. Then there is a floorplan of the school and a list of classes and what they are about. I wish I could go to this school and follow some of the classes as they all sounded so interesting. I am really happy I had a paperback copy as while reading I sometimes flipped back to the start of the book to check out the floorplan of the school and see where the characters were then and where certain rooms and classes were located. It really helped the whole school and characters come alive and I could vividly imagine how everything looked like.

To summarize: I loved this book, I was hooked from the start and enjoyed figuring out the pink sugar conspiracy alongside Amanda and her friends. The story is really well written, kept my attention and had a consistent pace. There is a great plot twist towards the end. I only figured out what was going on with the mystery and who was behind it alongside Amanda and her friends. The characters are great and I really liked Amanda, she was smart and capable, but also had some flaws. There are also some great side characters, like Ivy, Simon, Nick and Amphora. The floorplan and cover made it easy to imagine how everything looked and I liked the extra's in the book like the class descriptions, reading group questions and a Q&A with the author. I could vividly imagine everything and I had a lot of fun reading this book. It's a great book suitable for readers of all ages. I can't wait to read the next books in this series and experience more of Amanda her adventures!

What I liked: Amanda Lester is a girl obsessed with film making. She doesn't want to be descended from Lestrade, and she certainly doesn't want to go to a secret school for detectives. The premise of this book is a great hook for anyone who likes Sherlock Holmes or mysteries. I really enjoyed the characters and the foreshadowing and clues about whether people are really who they seem to be. I was happy to see the growth in Amanda especially with her relationship with her parents. This book is well written, fast-paced fun!

What I didn't like: I felt like Amanda was a little hard on her parents in the beginning. I realize that this may be normal for 12 year olds, but I wanted her to be a little less harsh in her thoughts about them. But this did make the ending sweeter when she finally realizes that they aren't that bad!

This book is fantastic!! I love the spunky, resourceful Amanda. I think kids of many ages will love this and any books in this series.

A delightful fun read! I'm tickled pink!

Amanda wants to be a filmmaker. Her parents, well they have other plans. They want her to be a detective. Why you asked? It seems that Amanda is an descendant of Lestrade. Who, pray tell is that? AH! Elementary my dear, he used to be a detective that worked with Sherlock Holmes.

None of that impresses or pleases Amanda. This is not her idea of a great life. Boarding school with other detectives in training, dreadful to her, so much fun to us!

Awesome for readers of all ages, this book was great! It has adventure, mystery, drama, maps, cell phones, a super detective school and so much more.

My copy came from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more.

What I liked: I LOVED Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy! It’s a great mystery with a lot of great reinforcements most middle-graders need.
I wavered back and forth as to whether I really liked Amanda, but had to remind myself that she’s a tween. I think, because I was enjoying the book so much, I kept expecting a different maturity. Amanda is a perfect example of a tween and doesn’t need to change.
I’ll definitely be reading more books in this series!

What I didn’t like: Honestly, the thing I most disliked about the book is the published synopsis. It gives away too much that we’re waiting to find out while reading.
The other thing is that the book talks about Amanda being a bit overweight and subsequently losing weight (in a healthy way) but the cover shows a skinny tween. It just didn’t fit.
Parent Note: With the exception of 2-3 sentences I feel that Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is appropriate for all audiences. Those few though will have some parents, like me waiting to share this with their middle-graders.

You Are Done A Great Job Paula Berinstein. Amazing Detective Novella. Not Only YA & Middle Grade Readers, But Also Everyone Can Enjoy The Reading!!! Fun, Exciting & Unpredictable Story.

Excellent mystery for middle school readers. The writing is very well done with no lags in the storyline. The characters are interesting & well-developed. Great mystery.

****ARC received in exchange for my honest review****

Everybody has a dream, so has Amanda the main character of this book. I liked that she never gave up on her dream and makes the best of the situation given. It's a story not only for middle grader but for all who like a clever yet amusing story. For me it was a page turner and I couldn't put the book down. I'm looking forward to reading book 2 in the series.

This was a super fun book that had a original and interesting concept. Like Hogwarts but for detectives- it's pretty awesome. I love the idea of Amanda not wanting to be a detective at all (despite her being a descendant of Lestrade), but that she would rather be a film director. It was pretty fun to see how she settled in and unraveled the mystery of the pink sugar and other goings on at school. The book also had a neat twist that I look forward to seeing more of in the next books in the series.

Twelve year old Amanda Lester is a descendant from G. Lestrade, a detective that worked with Sherlock Homes. Her father, Herb, is a detective and her mother, Lila, is a well-known author of detective novels. Is it any wonder that Amanda wants nothing to do with the detective world. She wants to make movies and living outside Los Angeles is the place to do it, that is until the family moves to the UK and she is enrolled in a secret school for detectives. Only descendants of famous detective families are allowed in, but Amanda wants out, until ....

The school seems rather strict and she has no choice what team she is on or who her roommates will be but she has lucked out. When they find blood droplets, pink sugar, the garage explodes and the cook gets murdered, Amanda and her friends are up to their eyeballs in clues to solve the mystery. But, is this a real crime or just part of the elaborate crime set up each year for the students to solve. When Amanda's father disappears, she begins breaking the rules to save him.

Move over Nancy Drew and Trixie Beldon, this is an updated to the twenty-first century female buddy crime solving series. Amanda's friends are loyal and smart, her nemesis is handsome and sometimes smart. She uses both her detecting skills and her movie knowledge to find clues to solve the mystery. Her friends stick by her even when she is wrong and does not tell them what is going on. She learns to trust others and use their skills as well as her own.

I thought the cast of kids that make up Amanda’s circle of friends were well done and entertaining. There’s just enough drama, puppy love, and special skills between the lot of them to draw in a young reader. There’s also a good bit of danger. There were some spots that seemed a little long and too drawn out, but overall the plot was engaging and moved well. After the story, there’s a listing of famous sleuths, both fictional and real, and their claims to fame as well as a list of book club questions for young readers. The beginning of the book included information such as the types of classes etc which I believe would have worked better at the end of the book. To be honest, I skimmed them and went back and looked at them later in the book.

This would be a great series for girls looking for a hero or role model in the 9 to 12 year old range. It might pull in some of the boys as well.