Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
The Usual Suspects
Maurice Broaddus · 2019
82/100
👍 Worth It
Maurice Broaddus builds a whodunit that earns its starred Kirkus review by rooting the mystery in something real: a school system that treats kids as problems to warehouse rather than people to develop. Thelonius and Nehemiah are characters worth following, and the social commentary lands because it comes through story, not lecture — most of the time. A genuinely strong middle-grade debut with heart and purpose.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety82
substance85
craft80
originality82
accuracy85
hype80
age-fit85
human-eye83
Penny’s verdict82
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