The Ragamuffin Sisters: The Mysterious Mr. Whistler

By: Anita Higman, Hillary McMullen

Narrated by: Michelle Babb

Length: 3 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

What happens when four creative, slightly brilliant, misfit girls team up against a gang of bullies?

That's right. Danger, chaos, and more adventure than any middle school girl should be faced with in a lifetime!

When Jane, Elle, Dakota and Sketti band together to face The Thickheads, they land themselves in the midst of a murder-mystery that none of them is prepared to deal with. And when The Thickheads get involved, lines are drawn and accusations are flung.

But when the two opposing groups join forces, they learn that together, they can mend fences and face the giants.

This laugh-out-loud, coming-of-age mystery is a must-hear for anyone who's ever felt like a misfit, anyone who's ever been bullied, or anyone who's ever felt like they were on the outside looking in.

©2016 Armonia Publishing (P)2017 Armonia Publishing

A great book that is exciting and funny!

This is a book that is appropriate for middle school aged children (and up!). The story involves a group of four misfit girls and a group of misfit boys. It was hard for me to keep the characters straight at first, but as the story progressed it got easier and easier. The girls and the guys in the story are feuding with each other, but in the end they must learn to work together to solve a murder that the adults in power have ruled accidental. Along the journey there are lessons in bullying, abuse and even environmental protection! This book is entertaining, but imparts life lessons well worth our kids learning!

Fun Mystery for middle-schoolers

The Mysterious Mr. Whistler by Anita Higman and Hillary McMullen is an enjoyable story that reminded me of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books of long ago--young teens getting mixed up in mysteries and lots of twists and turns to the plot that keeps a reader's interest. The authors touch on some very real and gritty subjects as they write about bullying, abuse, toxic waste, and murder. There is humor woven into the drama and suspense and the characters, misfit girls and bullying boys, are believable and entertaining. Michelle Babb does a great job with the narration of the story, giving voice to the characters and making an enjoyable listening experience. A delightfully good read. I received a complimentary copy of the book and was not required to write a review. The opinions are my own.

it was ok

There were parts in it that the idea was great, but was told in the best way in my opinion. Things were kind of just thrown out there, almost like little side notes, and yes, they were good to know, but it felt like it was a puzzle not quite put fully together. Where was the ending? it just felt incomplete. If this is a series to continue, i hope the author wraps up the next stories a bit better, leaving sooo much open ended lines out there is not my cup of tea.

Many Pertinent Themes in a Small Package

Any additional comments?

The Ragamuffin Sisters: The Mysterious Mr. Whistler by Hillary McMullen, Anita Higman is a great example of how bigger isn’t always better. This book is quite short, read in a mere 3 1/2 hours, and yet it not only manages to include the solving of a murder mystery but also cohesively weaves together a story that includes several socially pertinent themes including bullying, domestic abuse and industrial pollution.  The Ragamuffin Sisters are sisters of the heart; a group of girls that just don’t fit in for a variety of reason and who have bonded as much for that reason as any other. The book is told from their four distinct points of view. At first it was a bit confusing but, ultimately, it served the book well. 

The book begins with The Ragamuffin Sisters are at odds with a group of boys (ie, their tormentors), that they call the Thickheads. Over the course of the book, the Ragamuffin Sisters learn how to deal with the Thickheads instead of striking back in revenge and escalating the friction between the two groups. This growth in the characters is another example of the multiple themes in the book. 

Michelle Babb does a fine job with the narration. She is able to give each Ragamuffin Sister her own voice and keep the book moving at a good pace. 

I believe this book might be targeted for a younger audience and it’s an excellent choice for that group of readers but by no means exclusively. I am a far older reader and enjoyed the book very much and recommend it. 

I was given a free copy of this book by the narrator in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review. The opinions stated are solely my own.

Fun easy listening

Where does The Ragamuffin Sisters: The Mysterious Mr. Whistler rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is a fun and easy listening book! I like listening to books when doing chores that don't take a lot of thought, like dusting, vacuuming, laundry or weeding the landscaped areas around the house. It makes it seem like the chores go by faster! This is a book for a younger audience, but still fun for me!

What did you like best about this story?

The mischief of the kids and the mystery that they help solve!

Which character – as performed by Michelle Babb – was your favorite?

She did great with all the different kids!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I would have if time allowed.

Any additional comments?

It was fun to listen to and I would listen to more books from this author and narrator!

Wonderful pre-teen listen

If you could sum up The Ragamuffin Sisters: The Mysterious Mr. Whistler in three words, what would they be?

Engaging, Unique, Endearing

What did you like best about this story?

I loved the imagery this book had. It was reminiscent to books I read as a child like Nancy Drew, The Outsiders, Encyclopedia Brown.

What does Michelle Babb bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Michelle Babb is a fantastic narrator who has a wonderful ability to perform various characters with distinguishable voices that fit the characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed it when the girls and the boys made up and worked together to solve the murder.

Any additional comments?

I requested this review copy audiobook and have voluntarily written this review. This story is age appropriate for most all ages, but geared towards elementary school to pre-teen.

Nice cozy mystery for pre-teens

The Ragamuffin sisters are four friends, outcasts, that are in an eternal war with a group of boys whom they call the Thick Heads. Among the pranks to each other, one of the town inhabitants dies at the ravine where there seems to be a toxic substance of unknown origin. This seems to be a case for the Ragamuffing sisters!

Despite the fact that this book seems to be written for pre-teens, I throughly enjoyed it. The four girls are richly described and each one has a distinctive personality. It was easy to connect to them, share their fears and be glad at their successes.

I really like cozy mysteries, but something that bothers me sometimes is the fact that they need to include romance. This is not the case, since the characters are much too young for that, and I have to say that I found it quite refreshing.

The mystery part takes some time to start, but I don’t think we can say the book starts slow, as the authors take the needed time to present each character and the group dynamics. The war between the girls and the boys was quite funny, even though the pranks were the typical ones seen in other books or movies.

My main reason to have listened to this book is that it is narrated by the wonderful Michelle Babb, and I am glad I did, since otherwise I would have missed a great story. Michelle has a unique talent to narrate books. When I’m listening to her I have the feeling that she is telling me a story, instead of reading it, and she brings the characters to life with different inflections and styles for each one. Her way of narrating traps you in such a way that any book narrated by her automatically becomes a “page turner”. Babb is my top 1 female narrator.

I hope we can enjoy future adventures with the Ragamuffin Sisters and the Thick Heads. This book left me wanting for more.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Great Read

The Ragamuffin Sisters: The Mysterious Mr. Whistler by Anita Higman and Hillary McMullan was a great read. A group of four girls decide to team up against bullies. But find themselves in the middle of a murder mystery.

Fun and entertaining read

I thought it was a cute story. I hope that this is the first of many books in the series. I loved getting to know each character and seeing them grow. The narration was perfect for the story.

Great listen for teens or adults

Hilary McMullen and Anita Higman along with Narrator Michelle Babb did an awesome job with this story.
I really enjoyed the interaction between the boys and the girls. I couldn't turn off this book until the announcement hope you enjoyed.......
at the end I think the teens who will listen to this story will enjoy the pop quiz I know I did as an adult.
If I could give higher marks I would.
I was given this audio book from the Narrator for an unbiased review.