From Charlie's Point of View

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Known for humour, Scrimger becomes more serious in this offering, a
mystery that features two 14-year-olds, Charlie Fairmile and Bernadette
Lyall, who have been friends since kindergarten. Born blind, Charlie,
with Bernadette’s caring assistance, manages quite well in the sighted
world, but now the pair face the challenge of entering middle school and
having to deal with new students, including a classroom bully. However,
a more significant problem arises when Charlie’s father, a bank
employee, is arrested and charged with being the Stocking Bandit,
someone responsible for recently robbing several cash machines.

As in all good mysteries, Scrimger salts his text with clues that cast
suspicion on a number of individuals, including Charlie’s educational
assistant, Titus Underglow III. While the lengthy but fast-paced book
has only five chapters, they are divided into a total of 38 numbered
scenes, some of which are told from the perspective of the unidentified
Stocking Bandit (whose words and actions appear to confirm Underglow’s
guilt). Naturally, Charlie, with Bernadette’s help, sets out to prove
his father’s innocence; they are joined in their sleuthing by one of
their new classmates, the quirky Lewis Ellieff. Who the Stocking Bandit
really is will likely come as a surprise to most readers, but a
rereading of the book reveals that the necessary clues to his identity
were present. To underline Charlie’s different point of view, the
book’s running title is rendered in the Braille alphabet, and four
times readers encounter a pair of grey, textless facing pages that are
to illustrate what Charlie “sees.” Highly recommended.