Outside Chance

It's been three months since 13-year-old Edie solved her mother's murder and became a supersleuth.
One evening Edie is babysitting for a neighbour, Donna, who has repeatedly caught sight of an estranged friend from overseas. What is troubling Donna, however, is that it seems she's been in the same place at the same time as this friend on a number of occasions over the past few days. Meanwhile, Edie's school friend Harry Coranger is suspicious of his stepfather, who has become involved with ultra-radical anti-capitalists who, furious at the state of the planet and its greed-fuelled decline, are plotting an audacious double atrocity.
Utilising her brave instincts and skills as a supersleuth for hire, Edie sets about resolving the mysteries and averting the crises that she is confronted with - as she comes to realise that things often happen outside of chance, and outside of our understanding and control.
To solve each mystery, Edie must harness the Three Principles, a new approach to understanding how the mind works that is currently proving invaluable in improving mental health and well-being in children internationally.
Reading age 11+.
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The second book in the Don't Doubt the Rainbow series, Outside Chance is a fast-paced YA thriller in which teen detective Edie Marble is tasked with solving four very different but equally puzzling mysteries.
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Outside Chance, the second book in the Don't Doubt The Rainbow series by Anthony Kessel, is a cracking read! Fast-paced and page-turning, I read it in a couple of sittings whilst on holiday and it was the perfect mystery to enjoy at the beach. That said, it would be a good read for any time of year and I enjoyed it even more than the first book in the series.Again, the story centres around Edie, the main character, an award-winning teen detective. Her character and that of her family and friends are developed further and in Outside Chance I found Edie to be softer, more thoughtful perhaps and reflective in this story. Once again, the intrigue is layered while Edie balances her family life, school and her multiple detective cases. The outcome is not obvious as you read and there were at least three surprises at the end that I didn't anticipate. Nevertheless, all the loose threads were satisfyingly resolved.The author weaves detective strategy and psychological theories into the story and the school-based course for well-being and resilience sounded so good I wish it was available for all students. I will definitely recommend this book to all my secondary students and eagerly await the next one in the series.
Ruth Cornish
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Set after the events of The Five Clues, Edie is trying to keep a lot of plates spinning. Her detective business is ever growing with many people asking her to follow up various mysteries: first there is the case of the missing dogs, then there is the bizarre behaviour of one of her school friends' dad, and then there is her neighbour who also needs a helping hand and her best friend also seems to throw a spanner in the works. Edie is also preparing for her Bar Mitzvah as well as balancing her schoolwork and judo... How much can one girl cope with?Edie is a strong and complicated character who has very real teen struggles, but she has an old head on young shoulders which make her mature and thoughtful (but also prone to the many pitfalls of trying to do too much all at once). She has grown up a little since the last book and we, the readers, are treated to her changes and development as a detective, a student and also as a daughter. Kessel seamlessly weaves in some quite complex themes into this book: the environment and climate change, the Principles of Mind, Jewish theology and the ideas of fatalism and determinism. Kessel makes these themes accessible to all and will want to make readers explore these issues and thoughts more deeply (just as Edie does). I really loved this second instalment in the Don't Doubt