M. Carol Coffey
Outskirts Press (2009)
ISBN 9781432731908
Reviewed by Carol Hoyer, PhD, for Reader Views (3/09)
I think that Zoe Lucky is going to be our modern day Nancy Drew. Ms. Coffey has written a fast-paced, intriguing mystery for teens around a young girl name Zoe. Most teens will be able to relate to Zoe moving to a new town, trying to develop friendships and finding her niche.
Zoe’s dad was killed by a bank robber and her mother and she moved to try to start over. Zoe found out that the burglar that killed her dad had escaped from jail and she just knew that he was coming for her. She didn’t like the apartment she and her mom were living in, and there weren’t many kids her age nearby.
Just when her mom thinks everything is going well, their house is broken into. Then suddenly there are several mishaps that happen that involve Zoe. During this time she meets Toby who is older than she is and a man named Mr. Richards who is downright scary.
On her thirteenth birthday, her mother surprises her with an African gray parrot that can speak Swahili. This is a parrot unlike any other parrot. He gets into just as much mischief as Zoe.
I liked the pace of “Zoe Lucky and the Green Gables’ Mystery” by M. Carol Coffey; it kept my attention and really was written in the style and language of teens today. Although as a Psychologist I do know teenagers sometimes experiment with drugs and alcohol, I would prefer my teen not read about it in a book. I believe that the author has the best intentions on developing a modern character that teens can relate to in many ways.
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