The International Polly McDoodle: The Italian Adventure!

Martha Lamon is a freelance writer and researcher based in Huntsville,
Ontario.

Polly McDougall, a budding artist with the nickname Polly McDoodle, and
her friend Kyle Clay are Grade 7 students living in Edmonton. Together
they started the McDoodle and Clay Detective Agency and, using Kyle’s
talent for deduction and Polly’s ability to make connections from her
drawings of clues, witnesses, and suspects, have solved four mysteries.

Their fifth mystery, which takes place during a school trip to Italy,
involves the pilfering of students’ belongings and a major art theft.
Readers travel with Polly to Rome, Florence, Bologna, Venice, and
Pompeii and learn about some of the historic sites as well as Italian
art and history.

Mary Woodbury creates an intriguing ensemble of characters who
demonstrate the sensitivity and conflicted emotions of preteens as well
as the tension and discord that can develop among students. Each one has
unique personality traits and a particular life story that contributes
to the complexity of the plot and the book in general. Polly herself
continues to grow and change as she experiences significant doubt about
her artistic abilities, the early stirrings of romantic feelings, and
feelings of awe in the face of some of the world’s great masters.

A fine addition to any home, school, or community library, The
International Polly McDoodle offers a nicely crafted mystery and a
gentle introduction to some of the wonders of Italy. Recommended.