Reviews

The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

emmamorris_lovesreading's review against another edition

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5.0

As good as the first three! I really and truly loved this installment!

lizroque's review

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3.0

3.5 stars

lblanke724's review against another edition

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5.0

Stevie Bell is back! After solving the mystery at Ellingham Academy, Stevie needs a good mystery to solve! In The Box in the woods, she is invited to a summer camp to solve some murders from 1978 . . . and she can invite friends! So, those of us who know Stevie and Janelle and Nate and David are excited to see "the band" back together. But, dear reader, if you haven't yet met Stevie, never fear! You can pick up The Box in the Woods, meet the gang, and then go back to read about their previous escapades. Johnson does a great job of making this stand-alone novel accessible to fans of Truly Devious and to new readers. I liken it to picking up an Agatha Christie novel or a Sherlock Holmes story. Yes, there are some throughlines that you pick up on if you read in sequence, but you can really enjoy them in any order. (Well, read the Truly Devious trilogy in order!) This actually makes me excited that we could see more of Stevie in other stand-alones!
Johnson's wit and attention to detail shine as Stevie and friends work to discover whodunit. When I say Stevie is my modern Nancy Drew, I say that as a high compliment! Grab a copy and enjoy!

iitaviinisalo's review

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lighthearted tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

Why is the dad suddenly nazi?!
Where tf did this come from!! I hates all men in this book. We also spent 100 pages on mystery that was useless. Plot was shit.

jojosophie2001's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

chaoskris's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

aerussom_25's review against another edition

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funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Maureen Johnson is just so good at writing a mystery and I eat it up every time. I loved the mystery itself. At first, it seems like your stereotypical murders at a summer camp during the 70s but it is turned on its head so well. I love Stevie and her friends, they are weird and quirky but they understand each other so well and their dynamic is so fun and easy to read. 

kellerko's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I always love a camp murder mystery. It’s even better when it’s solved by a teenage after decades. Small towns are full of bad secrets.

juliabeaumont's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

becbristow's review against another edition

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fast-paced

4.0

This was great, fast paced and a great return to the characters.  It did have a bit of a different feel to the previous series but also felt like an easier summer break version of those stories.