Friday Fives - Detective Types

Today the theme for Friday Fives is Top Five Detective Types (anyone who solves the mystery/crime.)

5. Suze - from the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, Suze can talk to ghosts. Most of the ones she sees are not yet at peace. A surprising amount of them have been murdered and she needs to find out who has done it before they off her. Not only is she stunningly resourceful, she also performs some incredibly awesome exorcisms. 
4. Nancy Drew - Nancy Drew is the original teenage detective (trumping both Donna Parker and Trixie Belson). She just wants to help. Nancy often inadvertently discovers a crime/conspiracy and with the help of cousins Bess and George she always solves the case. We also have her to thank for inspiring other teen mystery novels (Claudia Kishi, that's you!). 

3. Harriet the Spy - Harriet is the best spy ever, observing everything she notices about people in her journal (some of them not very nice).  She also has a spy route where she checks up on the most interesting people once a day (a bachelor with 26 cats, a rich couple with an ugly statue, a depressed divorcee, and of course an Italian family who run a grocery store). Harriet wants to figure out everything about everyone (future House maybe?) and eventually has a feud with the spy catchers club after they read her journal.

2. Beka Cooper - Beka Cooper is a Provest's Dog (think medieval cop) and once she sinks her teeth into something, she won't let go. Beka obsessively records everything about the victims of two of  the districts' most notorious serial killers. She also talks to Pigeons, and has the sight. She is accompanied by rogues, mages, other puppies, and her fair but stern mentors. And it's by Tamora Pierce!

1. Sherlock Holmes - Sherlock Holmes is the greatest investigative mind ever. Accompanied by his sidekick Watson, he solves crimes with his keen observations. He also is knowledgeable about chemistry and botany (poisons) and sensational literature. His only vice is his drug addiction.

Let me know your favorite detectives. 

BTW Readers Choice for Top Wizard is Gandalf ^_^

Scholastic Strikes Back (at Meg Cabot)

Note the Star Wars reference.

 We've got another pop-culture update by scholastic from the original PD1 to the New Edition.

The first was an attempted removal of Britney Spears references.

Original Edition had this passage. 

"He taught himself how to play the guitar - and 

he writes all his own songs! The one he played for me is called "Tall Drink of Water."  It's about this very tall pretty girl who doesnt know this boy is in love with her. I predict that one day it will be number one on the Billboard chart. Michael Moscovitz could one day be as famous as Puff Daddy."

And the new one and the 3 in one have this.

"He taught himself how to play the guitar - and he writes all his own songs! The one he played for me is called "Tall Drink of Water."  It's about this very tall pretty girl who doesn't know this boy is in love with her. I predict that one day it will be number one on the Billboard chart. Michael Moscovitz could one day be as famous as Kanye West."

I'm quite hard to anger but NO! NO! NO!

They've done this through out the whole book and I don't understand why. Putting aside the fact that neither of them play the guitar (according to wikipedia), I suppose Kanye is a bit more revelent? It does lack the comedic flair of Puff however. 

Still the people who brought us cheap Tamora Pierce books and $2 editions of The Dark is Rising have totally betrayed our trust. 

Maybe I'm nitpicking though?