The Standard Times – (Ages 9-12)

“While it sounds like just another gross-out book for kids, The Case of the Barfy Birthday actually is part of an interesting series that combines science and mystery. Written by Michele Torrey and illustrated by Barbara Johansen Newman, this chapter book features four mysteries that are solved by the science smarts of the fifth-grade detective team of Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey. Among their cases in this book is one in which Doyle and Fossey try to figure out why so many guests end up vomiting after attending a birthday party. While Torrey plays up the ‘barf’ angle, she also highlights how Doyle and Fossey solve the mystery by using the scientific method. Young readers will enjoy the fast-paced plot and the friendship between the two science detectives. Torrey also includes a section at the end of the book with experiments that allow readers to see for themselves the scientific principles used by Doyle and Fossey in solving their cases.”

School Library Journal – (Gr. 3-5)

“In this entertaining series entry, fifth-graders Drake Doyle and Nell Fossey solve four new cases using scientific methods. In the title story, the friends use deductive reasoning and their knowledge of bacteria to figure out why several people who attended a birthday party have become ill. Next, they come across some misplaced tern hatchlings and determine that habitat destruction has caused the rare birds to select a poor nesting area. When a snobbish classmate complains that she is being haunted, they discover that the ghost is really a slighted friend who is seeking revenge. Finally, Drake and Nell construct a pulley out of junk in order to rescue a pig that has fallen into a well. The Encyclopedia Brown-type characters and short and simple episodes will quickly grab readers, even reluctant ones. Humorous black-and-white illustrations depict the chaotic events. Several science experiments are included. Teachers may enjoy using this book to illustrate a science lesson, and Spy Kids-era readers will appreciate the idea that mysteries can be solved by science.”

Children’s Literature – (Ages 8 to 12)

“The book’s title alone is a great one. Kids like mysteries, parties, and pretty much anything dealing with barf, unless they are the ones doing it. The cover art features Nell inspecting with her magnifying glass, Doyle carrying out some test tube sleuthing, and partying! All of these pave the way for anticipation of what is to come. Readers ride along as Doyle and Fossey, sidekick detectives, are thrust into four tough cases in this book. Solutions to those mysteries are approached with scientifically, calculated expertise. Readers are shown the right way to go about solving things without being preached at. They will understand that in order to solve a mystery one needs to start with the problem, make observations and gather information, carry out tests, check and recheck the results, and then form a hypothesis based on the work done. Readers may easily learn simple scientific principles, like how a pulley works, by reading the text. Safety is also stressed. Added pluses appear in the form of seven different ‘activities and experiments for super-scientists’ which follow the main body of text. Aspiring detectives who read this page-turner, can put on their lab coats (directions included on how to make one) and begin start their own mystery solving. They will be glad they did. This is the fourth in a series of ‘Doyle and Fossey Science Detectives.’ All books in the series are excellent!“