Coop Knows the Scoop
by Taryn Souders
Sourcebooks Young Readers
2020
304 pages
ISBN: 9781492640189
Thirteen-year-old Coop (don't call him Cooper) lives with his gramps and his momma in Windy Bottom, Georgia, a quaint, quiet town where the sheriff knows everybody and Miss Ruth and Miss Merriweather, the town gossips, are only too glad to share secrets with everyone the cafe /bookstore Gramps runs. Coop keeps his ear to the ground on the day the body is found. He knows the quirky ladies will know intel about the dead body, and he's keen to have a listen.
Funny colloquialisms and Southern charm are found in every character's dialog. Coop's best friends are Liberty and Justice--no, really, that's their names! The kids agree to deliver donuts and coffee to the sheriff and his team down at the crime scene (the kids' secret plan to snoop), but when the blame begins to fall of Coop's gramps, Coop knows he needs to solve the mystery. There's no way his grandfather murdered somebody!
Unique and funny characters will keep the pages turning and kid readers interested. Twists and turns abound, keeping the reader glued to the story. Souders does a great job with character interaction, believable dialog, and small town drama. Liberty and Justice are exactly the type of friends all kids will want to have.
The author's nod to Shakespeare's tragedies and how the main character "kicked the bucket" is hilarious. They are: "stabbed, poisoned, or baked into a pie (that one's from Titus Adronicus)...". Coop's hair is "shaggier than a dog." Suds O'Leary owns the gas station and bait shop and wears a T-shirt promoting his business with "Suds Gave Me Gas," which backfires (yes, pun intended) his marketing plan!
A very funny, punny book, indeed!
Highly recommended ages 9 and up, and anyone in the South will hear their relatives' voices when they read Coop Knows the Scoop.
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