The Plot Thickens

Friday Barnes #5

by R.A. Spratt

Friday Barnes is being attacked on all fronts!

When Friday Barnes gets involved in her frenemy Ian Wainscott's family dispute, it appears her knack for uncovering the truth may ruin their friendship once and for all.

Highcrest Academy is no longer a fun place to be. Ian has declared war on Friday and she is thinking of leaving . . . for good. Meanwhile, there's two new teachers to contend with - a celebrity artist whose intentions are somewhat unclear, and an over-enthusiastic PE teacher on a fitness crusade. Between them and Ian, it's going to be one dangerous term. Can Friday repair her friendship with Ian, restore her perfect school-life balance and work out who is committing the blatant acts of vandalism around Highcrest? No one said high school would be easy!

Genres: Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Young Adult, Crime

234 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2016

About the author

R.A. Spratt is an award-winning author and television writer. She lives in Bowral, Australia with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is fifth in a middle-grade series and some of the character developments are spread across the series. You can probably read them in order, but you'd miss some of the nuance.

So this one is better than the last, though I did figure out the core deception early like last time. It doesn't lean into the silly and never made me feel like I was wasting my time. So that previous book is standing as an anomaly. Maybe. This one had a rough start and I kind of hated Ian through the entire thing (he was really mean and that's just not a good look, however young the boy). But it held my engagement and was the right kind of fun.

The Ian thing bothered me quite a lot, actually. He explicitly blames Friday in a way that is a little too self-aware for his age. So that's a little too mature as a motivation. And yet his casual cruelty is very much of his age so that's a little too immature for coming out of that motivation. Or, you know, it's all very human and I just didn't like it. Yeah, it's probably the last.

I did like the emotional depth we get of Friday in this one—ironically, and realistically, coming from Ian's treatment and the tailspin that throws her into. I particularly liked her re-examining her desire to even be at the school now that this animosity has become open hostility; like, the one thing that actually gets to her is when Ian turns on her.

Which all sounds like Ian is the focus or center of the story and that's not at all the case. It's the same mash-up of fun mysteries and deft sleuthing in service to an over-arching deception that the others are, and with the zinger at the end that I've come to expect. So this bumps back up to four stars and I'll probably continue with the next, if only to see more of that Ian-Friday interplay.

A note about publishers. The cover style changed drastically with this one, and the interior art is completely missing. It's ironic that these covers are what initially attracted me to the series (the publisher, Puffin Books, seems to have reissued the earlier works with this cover style and without interior art) but that I attached so well to the art of the older version. I can't find covers for this book in the style of the previous publisher so I wonder if they weren't issued (or were limited enough they never made their way across the pond).

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Urgh, I knew this was going too well. Heaven forbid we have a school occasion where Miss Barnes doesn’t interrupt and turn everything on its head.’

Friday and Ian’s already tenuous friendship takes a hit when Friday is infuriatingly right about Ian’s father. Ian responds by taking it out on her, devising elaborate pranks at her expense.

Just when Friday is considering leaving Highcrest Academy, three newcomers arrive. A famous artist is going to be teaching the students for eight weeks, culminating in the reveal of a mural and an art show.

There’s also a new and very enthusiastic PE teacher. Friday and Melanie are not pleased at all with this development as it may require them to actually participate. Friday is not coordinated at all and Melanie flat out refuses to do anything that resembles exercise. Friday does discover what a burpee is but that doesn’t mean she has to like it.

Finally, Highcrest Academy welcomes a new Year 8 student, Epstein Smythe.

Friday gets involved in more than her fair share of mysteries, including searching for the missing ‘Red Princess’, thwarting an attempted kidnapping of a “remarkably unremarkable student” and revealing the identity of the person who’s been adding contemporary elements to well known paintings.

‘If you’re up to something illicit but that is somehow for the greater good, could you please do a better job of hiding it from me?!’

She also has more than her fair share of head injuries. It seems like Friday is always getting a new bump on the noggin, whether she’s been knocked unconscious or she’s fainted at the sight of her own blood. Friday is much more emotional in this book than she usually is, although this is probably just a side effect of being hit on the head so many times.

There’s one thing that’s really irking me - some of the language used to describe people. I’ve previously been miffed by the way mental health has been made fun of. In this book I’m objecting to the term “bonkers” being used to describe someone with Alzheimer’s. This is so unnecessary, it’s not funny and the book would be better without it. I mentioned in a previous review that I read a first edition and it’s possible the words I didn’t like may not have made it into subsequent editions; I hope that is the case this time too.

I really enjoyed the inclusion of the new teachers and student and, despite my objection above, this book is my second favourite of the series so far (the first one holds a special place in my heart).

The further I get into the series the angrier I become at Friday’s neglectful parents and the more I appreciate how well the teachers get away with working so very little. I adore Friday and Melanie but it’s Binky, Melanie’s brother, who has overtaken everyone else to become my favourite character. He’s absolutely delightful and I desperately want him to have a happy ending with his princess.

I’m rounding up from 4.5 stars.

Blog - https://schizanthusnerd.com

[Cruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author: R.A. Spratt
First Published: 2016
Length: 234 pages

I bought it. I should have been allowed to read it first. But noooo. Daughter said she got to. Because apparently I bought it for her.

So not fair.

At least she read it fast. A couple of days, which is pretty good given school and everything else she has to do. And that meant I could read The 78-Storey Treehouse instead.

And when I finally got my turn, it was most definitely a one-sitting read.

Lots of fun. Multiple little mysteries (some easier to solve than others) and a good overarching mystery with clues that made sense and made you go Ah! I noticed that! at the end.

Good characters who are continuing to fill out and grow as the series marches on. Fun storyline that doesn’t talk down to the reader. Some small morality notes (like dealing with bullying and parents who don’t understand or have time for you).

And I was joyfully impressed.

Friday Barnes:
Book 1 Girl Detective
Book 2 Under Suspicion
Book 3 Big Trouble
Book 4 No Rules
Book 5 The Plot Thickens
Book 6 Danger Ahead (to be released 2017?)

Age:
Read aloud - 7+
Read yourself - 9+

References:
R.A.Spratt website: http://raspratt.com/tag/friday-barnes/

(ISBN 9780857989932)

-CR-

[Cassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels like the author's really getting into her stride and settling in to this series now.

[Sharni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another brilliant Friday Barnes outing! Filled with an over zealous PE teacher, an art teacher with an expensive cheese habit and a large tax debt and as usual, a completely overwhelmed Headmaster - who begrudgingly turns to Friday Barnes when things start spiralling out of control...

[Amita · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading this less than 6 hours after I picked it up from the library yeehaw

[iielxsha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back at it again with another Friday Barnes book review. 5 down, 5 more to go. I just found out that the author is releasing the 10th book in February. I literally want the entire book series and just read all of them in a week because having to reserve it and wait a couple of weeks makes me forget what happened in the previous books. I mean I guess it's okay because something new happens in every book but it all links together so I still would rather read the entire series in a week.

I read my previous Friday Barnes book reviews and they were so vague and horrible. They were all like "BRUH THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD. Ian was cute solid 3/5". Like what? I'm gonna be more elaborate with all my future book reviews starting from now. I think I know what they were so brief though, pretty sure because so many events happen in one book so I get lazy to write all of it down and in chronological order too. But I'm gonna fight the laziness in me.

Okay, so what has happened so far well I'm gonna write a small summary of all the books I've read so far, and then I'll review this book. I'm going to use google for the summaries because my memory is awful.
---- SUMMARIES---
FRIDAY BARNES 1: Friday solved a bank robbery and uses the reward money to go to a fancy boarding school called Highcrest Academy. She found out that her school is full of crime. She is paid by both students and teachers to solve a lot of different types of crimes. When she isn't solving crime, she deals with a separate problem of her own. Which is Ian Wainscott, a really cute guy who hates Friday and plays a lot of pranks on her. Melanie, Friday's only friend thinks they have feelings for each other and is expressing it through hatred and constant academic competition.
(JUST REALISED HOW LONG THE SUMMARY WAS AND I DIDN'T EVEN USE GOOGLE THAT MUCH)

FRIDAY BARNES 2: Friday solved a big case at her school regarding a swamp yeti. Then she got arrested for terrorism charges but used her brainy wits to get the police off her back. She came back to school finding out from the principal that someone was digging strange holes around the school. There was also a new character introduced, Christopher, and there was some love triangle between him, Friday, and Ian but Friday discovered Christopher was the person responsible for the holes.

FRIDAY BARNES 3: No joke forgot everything in this book but I'll try my best. I think there was another new student who was apparently a really rich Princess or something. Things around the school started to go missing and Friday deduced that the Princess was the one stealing them. At the end of the book, Friday was deported to Switzerland because apparently, she wasn't a citizen in Australia but actually in Switzerland.

FRIDAY BARNES 4: Friday solved stuff about the citizenship issues and went back to school. Everything was chaotic and someone fired all the teachers. The school was going to be turned into a golf resort and Ian was being accused of it all. Friday knew it wasn't Ian and wanted to prove it wasn't him and save his scholarship. She found out that Lizza and Max were responsible for the chaos around the school and were a part of the firing of all the teachers. Their uncle was also a part of the big mystery. Friday and Ian end up on good terms.
---- END OF SUMMARIES---
OH MY GOD, that took so long. Now to this book! Friday and Ian are on bad terms again because she discovered that Ian's Dad is a con man who doesn't care about his son. The big mystery in this book was that the new art teacher which the headmaster hired to make the children more interested in education was committing large-scale fraud by making the kids paint over his paintings. These paintings were then auctioned off by parents and were sold for very expensive prices. The art teacher tried running away but since Friday has been doing burpees due to refusing to wear a fit bit watch, (the sports teacher wanted everyone to wear them since everyone didn't like exercise and he wanted to prove how this wasn't acceptable) Friday actually caught up to the art teacher. The teacher tried escaping over a fence but Friday grabbed on but was kicked in the nose. She fell but Ian came to save the day yay!! The teacher was arrested and Ian and Friday flirted a little and it was so cute! I saw a 6-year-old reading Friday Barnes and realized how childish I am kill me. In my head everyone, all the characters are like 16 or 17 but I forget that they're literally the same age as me. If only I was as smart as Friday at this age! I liked this book more because the pace of the storyline was quick and straightforward. The other books seemed a little slow and got me bored but regardless I still enjoy reading Friday Barnes. Solid 4/5.

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friday Barnes is an intelligent detective who goes to Highcrest Academy.
There are all the cases in the world to uncover at her school.
In the books there are different people to meet and discover. Also, there's always a new case to solve.
I loved this book so much that I read it in three days. It's interesting and its even funny at times.
I can't wait to read the next fabulous, exciting book. Theres always something you can solve but some cases you have to leave to FRIDAY BARNES!

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and entertaining read. Although the mysteries were quite simple and easy to solve, I really enjoy the Friday Barnes series and would recommend it to anyone looking for a lighthearted detective series.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I am tired of waiting for the US editions of the rest of this series, I looked into my options and discovered that I could get the remaining books through ILL. Apparently, some US libraries were kind enough to complete this series for their patrons, and I very much appreciate the librarians in Oregon County, Washington, who shared one of their copies with me.

This book is very entertaining, just as Friday Barnes books always are, and I enjoyed most of the multi-layered short mysteries that tie into the main plot. I also enjoyed the Australian vernacular, even though I missed the US illustrations, and it was interesting to see how the characters have grown and are slightly older. For Friday, this means that she must deal with Unwanted Emotions, and the author plays this for both humor and pathos.

Another positive thing about this book is that after Friday suffers head injuries, she goes on to experience common symptoms for concussion patients. She doesn't receive proper treatment, so don't do this at home, kids, but it was still nice that the author made this realistic. Very few children's books involve pratfalls with consequences, and much less do they cover a concussion patient's headaches, brain fog, and sensitivity to light and sound.

Also, Friday is a conscientious objector who refuses to wear a fitness tracker! I love her impassioned arguments in favor of privacy. Also, I paused to feel like I have lived a hundred years, because technology has changed so much in my lifetime that a "tracker" in middle grade or young adult fiction has turned into a commercial product desired by 99% of the school population, not something inserted into one's arm by a totalitarian government. This used to be science fiction and strike fear in our hearts, man.

Unfortunately, despite all of these positive elements, I docked this book a star for a completely unnecessary and inappropriate plotline regarding nude art. This makes me sound like a prude, so if you want details, here are the deal-breaking spoilers:

This book includes various references to boys liking to look at nude art, and I accepted this, because even though I don't think it needed to be included in a kid's book, the plot has a lot to do with art, and this is realistic. However, the central plot of the story includes a mysterious mural that the children are painting on the side of a school building. Their male art teacher has given them each a small, isolated square to paint, and they work from an out-of-context reference, focusing on color and shape. Then, when the parents have arrived and the whole school is gathered, the mural is revealed. It is a nude painting of a married female teacher, with only a strategically placed book and teacup to cover anything. A brouhaha ensues, but the painting also has many admirers, and is sold off to be reconstructed by the home of one of the admirers.

This is integral to the plot, and there are many continued references to it for the remainder of the book, so it isn't easy for a concerned parent to paper clip pages together to skip the revelation. Since Friday Barnes is written at a very accessible reading level and appeals to younger grades, I am very unimpressed with this. The objectification of the female body is not funny, and children do not need to see it as an ongoing laugh line here, much less as something that is an accepted, normal, and Totally Okay part of life. This part of the story is incredibly inappropriate, and even though I am still averaging out my star rating instead of giving this a protest rating, I am disgusted with this. I also have to decide what I'm going to do about sharing this with my much-younger sister, who has been eagerly looking forward to the next Friday Barnes book. Thanks a lot, R.A. Spratt.

[Islam · Rating 5 out of 5]

FRIDAY AND IAN THO 😭 ♥️♥️

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had a set of the first 4 of these books. (I am not an adult but rather one year younger than Friday herself). This book is interesting and to be honest very nerveracking. I feel like Melanie and completely agree. I give this book a five out of five, not only because I was feeling generous, but because it was overall a really good book. When I had the first 4 of the whole collection ( I assume [reading Friday Barnes has taught me how to be more formal in my writing and how to use strong words like assume correctly in a sentence] ) , I reread it for like 7 times. It was a good set of books. One day quite recently, as I finnished rereading it, I decided to not skip but read on the last few pages after wards the ending of the story. I saw a collection of books of which I only had half of. (Yes, it does seem a lot more interesting when I say it aloud in my head, while I type). And I saw how expensive it cost or rather, my dad saw how much it cost for the book version. Normally, I wouldn’t buy stuff from the kindle land just read the free ones but my dad bought some of the books. He bought 3 out of the 4 books I didn’t have. The 4th one was $12 something on the kindle but $9 something on the book. So my dad is still waiting on that to become cheaper. However, this book is really good!

(SPOIlER ALERT)!!!

The next book it reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyyy intense.. I’m midway reading. I took a break because it was too intense.

5/5 stars! I would do the same for all the other book written by r.a Spratt.
I don’t usually read the books but I really enjoyed Friday Barnes! I hope he/she/it writes more! (No offense) I didn’t do research before writing this and some things may be wrong.
(Don’t take my vote as much as I am a child and most reviews, I think are from the parents of the children who read it.

[Adira]

ahh good ole return to earlier childhood where I obsessed over this series for at least 6 months and much to my third grade woe only 3 out of 8 books in this series were available in the US. Now as i read these my inner 9 year old remembers the slideshow presentations I made, the author stalking I did, and all the unfortunate people who asked for a book recommendation and got a 10 minute rant about my favorite girl detective named after a weekday.

moving on from my nostalgia, i have absolutely no idea what grade Friday is in and am going to need to research what year *insert number I don't remember* means in the grades used where I live.

Edit: just found out that there are in fact ten books in this series, the tenth is not released yet but, guess which book I'm going to be nostalgically dedicating large amounts of my fandom time to up until this last one's out for me to cry about?

[~just one hopeless romantic~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was (as always) the best book I have ever read even though there were some dull moments in the book or their are hard words I would rate it 5 stars ⭐️. Also I have a question so when Friday almost died by breaking her nose wouldn’t the paramedics already be there instead of the paramedics coming at night? Anyways y’all should read this book and rate it 5 stars! (But I have gotta warn you this book can the most best of the best so if you can’t stand book cliffhangers you should stop reading this series)-Friday Barnes addicted lover!-

[Fatima · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s been a few months since I binged the first four Friday Barnes but, nope, my love for this series was not a fluke. I actually do absolutely love it

Everything about it. It’s so clever and hilarious and some characters are just so silly. I love Friday, and I felt sorry for her in this instalment, to be honest. I also felt bad for Ian. Melanie was very funny, as usual. The Headmaster is slowly becoming one of my favourite characters.

I only have three more Friday books to read and I’m sad.

[Adelaide Van Klaveren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book series! I read them over the summer holidays years ago, since my sister owned the first 8 books, and ever since I've read them over and over again. I fell in love with Friday's personality and nerdy comments, let alone how sisterly and funny Melanie seems, and don't get me started on Ian. It's written well with small details that tie together the whole mystery, making it seem well thought out. Defiantly my favorite book series!

[Eugene Rhee · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic book!! Best kids book that I’ve read in a long time. Fun, witty, fantastic vocabulary... can’t rave enough about this book. Good for ages 9 and up. My daughter (and I) crushed the first 4 books in the series in under a week, which was a challenge because we were constantly taking the books from one another (mom also competed for the first 2 books as well).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday is finally starting to venture into the greatest mystery of all, her feelings! It takes head trauma to do this, unfortunately, but we will take what we get. I so do love this series and these characters. They continue to surprise me and make me laugh. So glad that I did not skip this book as I accidentally read the series out of order. This was worth it.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciate the continued character development as each book takes readers farther in the overall stories. This time Friday figures out what is happening with the new art teacher and prevents major tax fraud. Along the way, her relationships with other students improves as she learns to process more emotions.
Clever series with dry humor.

[C Blair · Rating 5 out of 5]

We LOVE Friday Barnes!! I've been reading them aloud to my 8yo daughter and we just can't get enough. I'm honestly not sure which of us love them more! Friday is a delightful character, the books are well written with lots of fun plot twists. We often close the book and try to predict what will happen next--so fun--keep them coming!!!

[Ree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is without a doubt the best Friday Barnes yet but to understand it you have to read the first book as it makes more sense. I would definitely put this book on the your reading list. MY NEW FAVOURITE book 📚📚📚📚📚📚📚📚👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, my favourite part was when Friday found out that Mr Brecht was actually a criminal! Friday and Ian have such a rocky but AWESOME relationship. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!

[Anna ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really exciting and humorous book. One of the reasons I like this series is because the books do not take and awfully long amount of time to devour! Definitely not a waste of time and would recommend!

[Nina Kayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friday Barnes 5: The Plot Thickens is a captivating addition to R.A. Spratt's series, packed with mystery, humour, and unexpected twists. With its witty mystery’s, clever plots, and heartwarming moments, this book is sure to keep readers of all ages entertained from start to finish.

[Sean Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spratt's Jacks #20
Friday Barnes #5
Another cracking yarn with our gallant hero Friday Barnes doing her thing and really showing us that she is a three dimensional character.
Another great read in this well written and entertaining series.

[Zayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is amazing I love mystery solved by girls

[Quinton Wyatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect!

[Livvie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Friday is one of my favorite people, even though she is fictional. Loved this book

[Celine Leaper · Rating 5 out of 5]

YESSSS FRIAN X 30

[elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

can friday and ian just get together omfg