The Summer of the Spotted Owl: A Dinah Galloway Mystery

Darleen R. Golke is a high-school teacher-librarian in Abbotsford, B.C.

The fourth Dinah Galloway mystery finds the intrepid 12-year-old
supersleuth nicknamed “Dinah Mite” spending July house-sitting on
Marisa Drive in North Vancouver with her glamorous older sister, Madge.
One peaceful, sunny afternoon a bright red hang-glider crashes into
Dinah’s pool, but before she can summon help, the hapless pilot
escapes, prompting the irrepressible Dinah into another investigative
adventure assisted by her friends Pantelli and Talbot.

Madge’s boyfriend joins the sisters and stages a protest rally urging
the preservation of natural wildlife habitat to protect a pair of
endangered spotted owls. Surprisingly the local councillor, Cordes,
crashes the protest, promising to back a bylaw banning all future
development in the area. Dinah, already intrigued by the disappearing
hang-glider she’s nicknamed “Itchy,” resolves to investigate
Cordes as well. Rowena, the “mad cat lady,” an inept local news
reporter, Cordes’s cupcake-dispensing assistant, and a lurking
bald-headed guy join Dinah’s circle of acquaintances/suspects. In her
inimitable madcap style, Dinah plunges unabashedly into an investigation
to uncover the nefarious activities of Councillor Cordes and his
cohorts.

Focusing attention on issues of forestry practices, unethical land
development, crooked politicians, and environmental concerns, Jackson
uses Dinah’s adventures to pose discussion questions for young
readers. Dinah is a curious, spunky, brash, mischievous bundle of energy
whose humorous antics are highly entertaining. The book offers readers
lively dialogue, a well-paced narrative, an action-packed plot, an
appealing heroine, adequate secondary characters, and a satisfying
conclusion. Highly recommended.