Ruby Rose's father is going to jail. That is if she doesn't solve the mystery of Dr. Ramachandran's death, a forensic scientist who works at the DeWitt Lab. Her father is a janitor there and with him being the one giving him tea that day plus the vials found in his locker he is the prime suspect. Ruby knows her father didn't do it... well mostly didn't think he did it.

Rose moved about a year ago but still hasn't settled in. She still thinks of Lillian often, her best friend, and is sad that she hasn't called at her anymore. She goes to the DeWitt school. There the "little gods" are treated superior to the regular kids. You can get demoted there if you have anger issues, hack online databases... you know things like that. She has one friend there: Rex who actually looks like a T-Rex. Small arms, big head, wickedly evil smile. So there in it together throughout. Some other characters get added to the mix later. Mrs. Whitmore a.k.a. the Window Lady. She never leaves her house and she just happens to be a forensic scientist so she knows a little bit about poison. The three of them will help solve the case and save Ruby's dad.

There are a couple of suspects. Roman the day janitor who's angry in a quiet way and Dean Touhy or Dean Tubby like everybody calls him who's job depends on Ramachandran. There are four grad students too: Lydia who is a mess and was the one who was supposed to bring tea to Ramachandran, Victor who wants to take over the Lab, Grace who maybe has a drug problem, and Wade who despised Ramachandran's rules. Who's the killer?

I felt it was rushed in the beginning. Instantly she was trying to solve the case. I was worried I wouldn't be able to get to know Ruby but as soon as Mrs. Whitmore came in the scene I felt better. Her perspective of the kids helped me get into the story more. Then I grew fond of Ruby and Rex. Ruby who took charge when her father needed her and Rex her loyal companion who even went to the Davenport Towers with her as well as Mrs. Whitmore who was supposed to have a glass eye that could fall out in any moment. It was actually a very good mystery. I didn't really know what to expect going into it so it was interesting to see how it all unfolded. It was pretty good. I did like it. It just didn't blow me out of the water. I actually expected it to be sillier but it was actually very intricate. It was all in all a good kid's mystery that made you wonder.

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I received this book to review from Netgalley. Here are my thoughts:

This is a middle grade book, and I know what you're gonna say, but honestly - the story is quite intriguing and really funny. It's got some awesome mystery, a murder case, and a great exploration adventure.

The only reason why I'm giving it this rating, is because the world building could've been more detailed. I mean, the whole time I was reading, I was wondering where the action was taking place. It felt like the States, but was it? It also had a tiny feel of dystopian, but again, I can't really tell. It seemed to be some sort of a closed community, somewhere. There apparently were different neighborhoods, and then everybody working at the university/school/lab lived in the same building (called the Terraces). Other than that, I don't know anything. I don't even know if anything else existed outside of this little village(or was it a town).

But, leaving that aside, I think that any kid 8-15 (and perhaps older readers as well) would enjoy the story very much. The murder case was presented pretty neatly, and got me sucked in right away.

To be honest, from my viewpoint, most of the adults felt like mannequins, doing almost nothing. But hey, it's a kids' story, so the teen characters are those who truly matter.

The characters:

*Ruby Rose - she was a lively kid, full of ideas, and devoted to her dad (dunno where her mom is). She's also talented in drawing and critical thinking. She was the real investigator, though at one point she was quite surprised to find herself in charge. Loved that about her, being modest and all.

*Theodore, aka T-Rex - he was a Jamaican boy, Ruby's only friend. He also has good ideas sometimes, pushing the investigation onwards. His sheer size saved the two not once. I also loved his slang, it sounded pretty genuine.

*Mrs. Whitmore - I think that's the name - was the old lady who never went out of her apartment. Legends were told about her, that mostly scared children. In truth, this woman was the puppeteer who controlled the young investigators from afar, giving them clues and new ways to think. ( )

When the famed forensic scientist, Dr. Ramachandran, is found murdered in his office at DeWitt Polytechnic University, suspicion falls on Ruby Rose's father, the university's custodian. Someone has planted empty vials of poison in Mr. Rose's locker. With the help of her friend, T. Rex, and the reclusive "Window Lady" from apartment 925, Ruby and Rex attempt to clear her father's name before he is arrested.

Although it's not specifically spelled out, Ruby and Rex appear to be in 7th or 8th grade. They attend the Lab School, located on the university campus. Using their proximity to the labs, and the knowledge of and familiarity with campus that is intrinsic to a custodian's daughter, Ruby and Rex begin to ferret out the whereabouts of everyone present on the evening of the murder, monitoring the comings and goings of employees and grad students through a labyrinth of access points. However, more difficult than discovering who may have had opportunity, the pair must learn the science behind toxicity, absorption and concentration. Exactly what was it that killed Dr. Ramachandran? When? and Why?

To truly enjoy Poison, readers should be prepared to think. There is the science of forensics to ponder, as well as the internal musings of the three main characters - Ruby, Rex, and Mrs. Whitmore, the retired toxicologist in apartment 925,

""Why, hello," said Mrs. Whitmore, opening her door.
The young faces looked so different up close, she thought, and it seemed that the boy was more then (sic) merely anxious. He was searching her face so intently that she averted her eyes.
"Welcome," she said, stepping aside. "Do come in."
The untied sneakers, the shuffling way they walked, the shifting eyes; like no one had taught these children the proper way to carry themselves.
"I made some cakes," Mrs. Whitmore said abruptly.
"Pudding cakes. Would you like some?"
She disappeared into the kitchen and overheard the boy whisper, "It's the left one. See how it bulges a little?"
"No more than your big bug-eyes right now," the girl replied. "Jimmy's pulling your chain. He's got no idea."
Jimmy?
"Ruby," the boy said, "Why do you think they call him the Minister of Information if -- Oh, hello."
Mrs. Whitmore marched back in with a tray from the kitchen and nearly dropped it on the coffee table in front of the couch. A piece of cake, and the boy -- Tex, was it? made to lunge for it and then recoiled, glancing oddly at her face and turning away, moving back toward the window.
"This is real nice," he said in an alto voice that surprised her. "You can see all the way past DeWitt through here."
"Yes, it's quite a view," Mrs. Whitmore said.
Silence held them in place until the girl -- Ruby, with that pile of golden hair -- said, "This is so much bigger than our little window. It's like there's a whole village down there."
Mrs. Whitmore smiled and felt the air return to the room."

Though this passage contains the unspoken musings of Mrs. Whitmore, at other times, readers will be privy to the thoughts of Ruby and Rex. This style of writing places the reader squarely in the moment, illuminating feelings and motivation, and underscoring the danger of the youngsters' clandestine forays into restricted areas of the university. Struggling readers, however, may have trouble with Benedict's free-flowing style.

Not strictly a science-themed murder mystery, the back story in Poison Most Vial is Ruby's adjustment to her new life. Originally from the rural south, Ruby's father brought her north in search of better employment. His modest wage has landed them in the Garden Terrace Apartments, a dilapidated housing project in a neighborhood of rival gangs, closed stores and wig shops. At first, Ruby's only friend is T. Rex, a good-natured Jamaican boy from the large family in apartment 1113, but in the quest to solve Dr. Ramachandran's murder, she and Rex make some surprising new friends.

With the current educational focus on S.T.E.M. topics, and a current popular interest in C.S.I., it's hard to see how this book could not be a hit.

(Advance Reader Copy)

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Ruby Rose's father works in the great DeWitt forensics lab as a janitor. He's been accused of killing the great forensic scientist, Dr. Ramachandran in the lab. But Ruby knows he didn't do it, he had no reason to do it. She just has to prove it. And to prove it, she needs the help of her friend Rex. And Rex suggests the old lady in the window. She's rumored to have been famous for working with chemicals or something. But he's scared of her, he's heard from "The Minister of Information" or Jimmy Woods, that she has a glass eye and he's scared if she sneezes it'll come out. There's a very comical scene when they are visiting the woman, Mrs. Whitmore, and she sneezes. Rex, still fearing the glass eye turns the coffee table over and runs to the other side of the window while Ruby yells at him and Mrs. Whitmore just looks on in shock.

Between trying to save her father and finding clues to his innocence, Ruby reminisces about her life in Arkansas and the best friend she left behind. She's missing the country and the wide open spaces. The city is crowded and unfamiliar and dangerous. And her best friend hasn't emailed her. She misses her old life, her old friend, the old way of doing things. But, Ruby doesn't dwell on it. If anything, I don't think she dwells on her situation enough. Her father could go to jail, he's drinking too much, they have no income since he lost his job and she's far from what she considers home. She feels that everywhere is strange and that she doesn't belong. And she's right when it comes to her investigating the crime. But she's smart, too, and in investigating the crime, she begins to learn more about herself, her surroundings and the people that are in her daily life.

There are some very clever ways that Mrs. Whitmore helps Ruby and Rex and by extension her friends figure out what they need to free her father. And in return Mrs. Whitmore gains a sense of something more. And Ruby and Rex make two new friends that are living on the other side of the world from the projects where they live. It's a great mystery and fun reading about Ruby and Rex and Mrs. Whitmore.

This is a very clean read and great for Middle Grade and up. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Heather

I received a review a review copy of this from the publisher Amulet through Net Galley free of charge. This did not affect my review in any way.
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Background: Ruby Rose is in a bind; her father is the prime suspect in the murder of a very important forensics lab. She and her friend Rex are on the hunt for clues about the murder, which her father did not commit. Ruby and Rex, with the help of a shut-in, Mrs. Whitmore, are trying to re-trace the steps of all of the people that could have been involved with the murder and why they did it.

Review: This was a very quick read, and I am not really sure of what age group it is intended for. The storyline is wonderful, we start right where the action is, Ruby’s father is being accused of murder and Ruby is trying to sleuth her way through the details to find out who-done-it.

My few issues with the book were that, like I said, I am not sure what the target age group is. If is for young readers, some of the information is a little dry and wordy, for example there are places where the author goes into the scientific names and properties of poisonous plants, and how various equipment in the lab is used. I think the best attempt at this making this information more kid friendly was an example of mass, the author conveyed this through blowing beads across a tray, but otherwise the remainder were dense. If it is for an older youth, I think the main characters seem a bit too young for the teen reader, they are 8th graders. (Upon searching around, I have found that it is geared for ages 9-13)

Target audience aside, I am a twenty-something that loved this read. I think that the science inlaid was nice for older readers, and the action and conflict was at the right level throughout. I love a good mystery from time to time and this was a fast paced one. Ruby and Rex were very funny kids, I think that Ruby’s father gave her a little too much leeway as her parent, but I think that her resourcefulness was very Nancy Drew. A fun read.

**ARC from Netgalley/ABRAMS, Amulet Books-- Publication date 4/1/2012** ( )