Girl's Best Friend, by Leslie Margolis

Seventh-grader Maggie Brooklyn has a lot on her mind -- her ex-best-friend Ivy is now her enemy, she is hiding her dog-walking business from her parents, and, worst of all, dogs in her neighborhood are disappearing and she's worried that Milo, the boy she has a crush on, is responsible. Then there's the odd way her landlady is behaving... It's a good thing that Maggie has studied Nancy Drew and knows a thing or two about being a detective.

This book, the first in a series featuring Maggie, is an enjoyable, well-written mystery set in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Written from Maggie's viewpoint, it builds up the clues about the mysteries well, while at the same time developing Maggie's personality and introducing us to her friends and family. Fun, intelligent and entertaining, Girl's Best Friend will leave readers happily anticipating the release of the next book in the series. 2010.

M. Adams